Enoch Burke, The Modern Day Martyr We Need

A Christian, fighting for Christian values in a Christian way

I’ve followed the story of Enoch Burke for some time, initially thinking it was a niche topic confined to my corner of the internet. Over time, however, it has grown significantly, and today it is international news.

For those unfamiliar, I’ll attempt to summarize the story. Enoch Burke is a teacher here in Ireland who, in 2022, refused to use a transgender student's preferred pronouns citing his Christian beliefs. This led to a dispute with the school, which placed him on administrative leave. Burke violated a court order barring him from entering the school during the suspension, resulting in his arrest and subsequent imprisonment for contempt of court.

The controversial aspect is that Enoch continues to be arrested because he continues to go back to the school, violating the court order. So far, he has been in prison twice, most recently from September to December 2024, and apparently could now owe the Irish government upward of €193,000.

One thing I think is important to note is that Enoch has not been thrown in prison for saying the wrong thing or any free speech-type offense but because he’s violated a court order. In all reality, the Irish powers that be would never have wanted this controversy. They wanted him to say the pronoun or at least to get fired and just go away quietly.

Many people, even on the Right in Ireland, don’t support Enoch because they feel he’s gone about this all wrong and shown no respect to the court system. See this article from John McGuirk, one of few good journalists in Ireland who I would trust not to be unnecessarily unfair to Enoch.

The last line of John’s article jumped out at me:

“We don’t need martyrs. We need people who know how to fight, and when.”

John takes a very pragmatic attitude here, but I beg to differ and believe that we absolutely do need martyrs. That’s how change happens. Certainly, in Christianity, that’s how it happens. That’s how the pagan Roman Empire was conquered—starting with Jesus, then the apostles, followed by numerous saints.

So, if you are not sure about Enoch’s methods, I would argue that he is following a blueprint on fighting evil provided by Jesus Christ Himself: to speak truthfully, to be courageous, and to sacrifice yourself. Your suffering and martyrdom then provide the catalyst for change. I believe Enoch is aware of this, and thus his actions are not the actions of someone looking to quietly bring about legislative change; his actions are those of a Christian revolutionary. As such, I believe all Christians in Ireland must support him.

Some people might not agree the trans movement is evil, and certainly, I think many in that movement mean well and are doing what they think is right. I would never argue the student involved in the Enoch Burke controversy is evil in any way. We should make a distinction between the people within the movement and the movement itself. As Christians, the movement is obviously evil as it goes against the word of God. Secular people won’t be convinced by that argument, but I do think if they look at the history of the movement and now the results manifesting, they must have serious reservations. Take, for example, the many cases surfacing of individuals who underwent surgeries as children and now deeply regret them. Tragically, there is no going back to reverse the damage.

So what exactly is Enoch doing and how does it replicate Jesus Christ? Let’s examine some of Enoch’s actions and characteristics we have seen so far.

Speaking Truth, Love Over Niceness

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.'” John 14:6

In this case, how can any Christian deny that Enoch has spoke the truth? He spoke the truth when it was inconvenient to do so, or maybe more accurately, he refused to lie when it was inconvenient to do so.

Perhaps he was not “nice” when he refused to use the pronoun, but being nice is not the highest good. Speaking an unpopular truth is a more loving act than being nice and telling a harmful lie. When a child, not old enough to vote and not fully developed mentally, believes they need to change their gender, it is the responsibility of all adults to guide them back in the right direction.

Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus was not always nice. He spoke uncomfortable truths to the Jewish establishment and went to the cross rather than renounce it.

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34-36)

Sacrifice, Courage, and Integrity

Enoch has sacrificed his career, his peace, and his anonymity for this fight. He is now a household name in Ireland and mostly an unpopular figure, given a generally liberal-minded population and the relentless establishment propaganda.

Father Brendan Kilcoyne, in his recent YouTube videos discussing Enoch, noted that every Catholic should feel at least a little uncomfortable about this situation. He is fighting our fight while we remain relatively silent. The reason why most are silent while Enoch refuses to be silent is because what Enoch has done requires courage. The courage to refuse to say the pronoun, to return to the school, to do news interviews, to go to prison, to endure ridicule, and to be hated. Enduring all of that takes a tremendous amount of courage.

When listening to Enoch interviews, I’m struck by the number of times he uses the word duty. He feels a sense of duty to his students; that’s why he stands at the school gate every day and risks fines and prison for it. Most of us would think that, given he’s been fired, he doesn’t really have a duty to those kids anymore, but again, Enoch is showing us his integrity and how seriously he takes his responsibility to his students.

Jesus Christ was the sacrificial lamb who came to save the world. His duty was to all sinners, and He displayed courage by meekly accepting death on the cross.

Of course, Enoch is not Christ and probably won’t be a saint, but he is a Christian man battling evil in Ireland, and for that reason, we must support him.