Presbyterians see Renée Good as Christian martyr who worked in pursuit of love
Her death is one of many in a lineage of 'costly discipleship,' says church
Since his assassination last year while speaking to college students in Utah, conservative activist Charlie Kirk has become recognized as a martyr by conservative Christians who see him as an example of someone who gave his life while promoting Christian values.
And now, in a similar fashion, Renée Good, is becoming a martyr to some liberal Christians who see her as someone who lost her life opposing some of the key policies that Kirk had opposed. Good was a 37-year-old poet and mother who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Jan. 7 in Minneapolis was driving a car near an anti-ICE protest. Good and her wife, Becca Good, had been participating in the protest shortly before.
As has been the case with so many incidents in recent months, the reaction to Renée Good's killing has brought to the forefront the political and moral divide in the United States: While President Donald Trump and his supporters, among others, have called the deadly shooting justified, those on the other side of the divide have called it anything but that, leading to a wave of praise for the woman as well as being a factor in unrest in Minneapolis. Videos of the shooting recorded by bystanders have not settled matters, and both sides apparently see what they want to see.
For its part, the church to which Good belonged, the United Presbyterian Church (USA), one of the the major mainline Presbyterian denominations, has put Good in the same category as Martin Luther King and some other notable Christians known for losing their lives in the pursuit of love instead of hate.
In a statement released a few days after her shooting, the church's Office of Public Witness said in part:
Alongside Ms. Good, we remember George Floyd, whose life was taken at the hands of law enforcement in 2020, within one mile of where Ms. Good was murdered at the hands of enforcement officers, a stark and enduring reminder of the deadly consequences of injustice and the unfinished work of truth, repentance, and transformation to which God continually calls us.
As Presbyterians, we hold a twofold connection to Renee Good. First, we are bound by our shared faith in a God of justice, who calls us to engage the powers of this world and to counter hate with love. Our tradition compels us to oppose injustice with a prophetic word from the Lord and to participate in the transformation of the world God loves.
Our second connection is more personal: Ms. Good was one of us. She was a fellow Presbyterian. Edgewater Presbyterian Church in Illinois remembered her with these words: “Renee Nicole Good lived out the conviction that every person deserves kindness, regardless of their background. … Her story is a testament to the power of the Presbyterian mission and a challenge to our conscience. We mourn a fellow Presbyterian whose quiet smile and creative spirit touched lives from Colorado to Northern Ireland to Minnesota.”
In the coming week, we will remember the life and witness of the martyred Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who called this nation to a “radical revolution of values.” Values that demand divestment from racism, materialism and militarism. Ms. Good’s life and death echo this same moral call.
Her memory also stands in a sacred lineage of faithful witnesses who have risked and lost their lives in defense of human dignity. We remember the four Maryknoll Sisters — Sisters Ita Ford and Maura Clarke, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel and Lay Missioner Jean Donovan — who were abducted, abused and murdered in El Salvador in 1980 for standing alongside the Salvadoran people.
We also remember the Rev. Elijah Lovejoy, who was murdered for his opposition to the evil of slavery and for whom the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy is named. These are not isolated tragedies but part of a continuing story of costly discipleship.
We must remember her name: Renee Nicole Good. We remember her as a testament to Jesus’ teaching that God does not change the world through violence but through faithful presence amid struggle, and that love refuses to abandon the work of acceptance, justice and compassion.
Among Christian leaders who have praised Good was the Rev. Jim DeBruycker of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Minneapolis, who called her “an accidental martyr.” The Minneapolis Star Tribune quoted him as saying: “She was shot and killed doing the right thing … doing what Jesus would have done.”
And at least one Christian leader is concerned that Good may not be the first Christian to lose her life in support of justice in today's political climate. According to New Hampshire Public Radio, Bishop Robert Hirschfield at a vigil for Good pointed to a history of clergy members taking the ultimate risk. “I have told the clergy of the Episcopal diocese of New Hampshire that we may be entering into that same witness,” he said. “And I’ve asked them to get their affairs in order, to make sure they have their wills written, because it may be that now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies, to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.”