Most conservatives are lost in their junior high and high school years. Charlie Kirk recognized that and started a movement to meet young people and get them involved in conservative ideals. Before they lost their way. He called it Turning Point USA.
Looking back, multitudes are now seeing clearly what he saw long before. He knew that curiosity and hunger for truth were capturing the thoughts and the hearts of high school and college age students. As tributes are given and articles are posted following his tragic death, pundits and politicians and personal friends are putting together the puzzle pieces of what made the genius of this incredible man. And they are realizing the impact of his focused principles and practice. The full weight of his personal life and his public influence have still not been fully calculated. It may take decades for that to be known.
But there are some things he knew way ahead of others, and he acted on those. At lightning speed. As if he had to do it all in a short amount of time.
Truth Cannot Be Divided
Charlie Kirk saw that truth cannot be divided; all truth is the stream in which a person lives. For years now, conservatives and, even more particularly, Christian conservatives have been told to be quiet and winsome and neutral. They have been admonished to talk in nuance and to speak to both sides. They have been exhorted not to be too definite and not to criticize liberal viewpoints because they might hurt the testimony of the church. They have been guilted for standing by their principles; they have been shamed for bringing their Christianity into their citizenship. They have been told that they don’t have compassion, that they are racists, that they are patriarchal in a negative way, that they are pro-birth and anti-woman, that they are generally un-Christlike. They have been sidelined as ignorant and backwoods, as uneducated and radical, as violent and virulent, as haters and hicks, as unimportant and unwanted.
When Donald Trump began his campaign for the White House in 2015, conservatives who had been ignored and stifled and de-platformed saw in him a political figure who understood the rank and file, the salt of the earth folk who have toiled for America and its welfare. They recognized his interest in the common person, and they identified with his deep loyalty to the homeland. They saw in him a fighter, a warrior who had the intestinal fortitude, the guts, to wage war with elite liberals, and win. They threw their lot in with him and never looked back – through the first term and then the apocalypse of the 2020 virus and election and then again into the astounding comeback of 2024. They were there for the long haul. Charlie Kirk was there for that too. In fact, he saw, in the first election, that Donald Trump could swing the country back to the right again. And he was determined to bring that to pass.
Charlie has been criticized (and millions of conservative voters with him) for bringing their Christianity into their patriotic ideals. Christian nationalists, they’ve been called. But truth is not like a pie to be divided into moral truth and political truth and spiritual truth and so on. It is, rather, a stream, a river, a torrent. It is all of one. And all truth finds its Source in One. And that truth affects every other part of life. So, a Christian cannot vote for a party that kills innocent children. A Christian cannot separate his politics or silence his voice when evildoers loudly proclaim that a human being can take any sexual identity and behave in any sexual manner. A Christian cannot put his lot in with those who would advance socialism and dehumanization and ostracization of certain individuals because they are criticized as being privileged. A Christian cannot ignore crime and hate and murder and illegal activity. A Christian cannot advance lies that destroy humankind. A violation of truth in one part is violation of truth in every part, for it is all part of God’s truth. So, Charlie would take the name of Christian nationalist and so would others – the label didn’t matter because the truth was more important.
And, when he spoke with conviction and yet compassion, to young people in universities and on college campuses who had been deceived their whole lives and who had been offered pitiable excuses for the miserable future they were expected to embrace, they flocked to him. They didn’t necessarily accept everything he said. But they wanted to listen, were fascinated with his answers, and were unable to stay away from the convicting power of confidence and truth.
And others came to him as well. Middle-aged dads and weary politicians and middle class moms and young professionals and blue-collar men. To people who were used to being trampled for their faith and their morality, he was a hopeful figure. With his exuberance for America and his up-front Christian witness, he embodied what many wanted to be. And tried to be. They saw in him something that was even closer to what they believed than was Donald Trump. They saw Christianity that was sensible and unashamed and that affected every part of life. A Christian cannot help but be political for it is his duty and responsibility to sow righteousness and to care about others through influencing the laws of the land. It is not possible for a Christian to be unbiased; the Truth, the believer’s center in Christ, directs all thinking, in every sphere, in every space.
A Battle of Good versus Evil
Charlie Kirk saw that politics was not the real battleground, as many simpering conservatives and even a few spineless churchmen have been wont to say. Rather, what was happening in the American culture was a cosmic fight of good and evil and the political system was advancing the doctrines of hell. These areas of conflict between conservatives and liberals – abortion, transgender ideology, redefinition of the family structure, homosexuality, critical race theory, evolution indoctrination, moral relativism, atheism – are not simply philosophies that can be debated at will and left up to individual application. No, these are issues of moral importance, and they affect every aspect of our existence as Americans. They are channels through which the spirit world of darkness is infiltrating the homes and the schools and the cities and even the churches of our nation.
American conservative Christians had seen this too. They knew, deep within their beings, that lockdowns were wrong and that the reversal of Roe v Wade should be celebrated and that saying one can be delivered from same-sex attraction isn’t hatred. Charlie Kirk had the courage to say these things out loud and, others started doing the same. Young people and especially young men listened and learned and started feeling a deep desire to be the kind of truth warrior he was. And when he was assassinated, something within this generation, within many of us, broke out of its boundaries. While many have felt figuratively the killing hatred of those who oppose morality and decency and patriotism, he was actually physically murdered for standing for these truths. And it feels like an attack on all of us. If he could bear the brunt of the the powers of hell, so could we. There is no turning back. The gap must be filled.
There is Always a Price
Charlie Kirk knew that truth-speaking and love of country and commitment to Christ come with a cost. Nothing truly valuable and beautiful is free. Someone must pay for them. He knew enough of history to know about the many patriots who gave their “last full measure of devotion” for righteousness and godliness. And he knew that this is actually worth the cost. It isn’t imperialism or elitism or racism or idolatry or bigotry that motivated our forefathers to come to this land and settle this land and defend this land; it’s the love of righteousness and the freedom to exercise it. Our nation’s founding documents bear this out. And those stalwart men and women who came before us were wiling to pay that price. The signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged their “lives and fortunes and sacred honor.” Most of them offered up all three. And waves of patriots since then have manned the outposts and boarded the ships and flown the planes and lain in the trenches to keep that promise of freedom and morality. And someone has to keep paying the price.
It’s always good men who die for goodness and freedom for they are the ones who see the need and are willing to step up to the line. Why should Charlie Kirk, a good man trying to bring public discourse and biblical values and freedom for everyone, have to pay the price of society’s ignorance and evil and misrepresentation? There is no justice in that. A young, clean, brilliant life brutally taken away.
History tells us why. It’s the way of nations and societies and organizations. Only in retrospect do the hardhearted and foolish masses realize what they have done. A good life lived in front of all of us brings us to a crisis when it is taken in the way that no deadbeat hero could. The many sad examples of human life gone awry who saunter through our city streets cannot expose others to the truth when they die. They cannot shine the living hope and truth to which others can turn. They cannot offer the way out and up to better things. But a man who honors God and others and and is willing to stake his life on those principles can.
Charlie Kirk was an unusual mix of buoyancy of spirit and loyalty to country coupled with a mastery of history and an articulate delivery. He was boyishly energetic while manfully focused. He was unendingly considerate of others, always available to friends, patient with his detractors, and stalwart in his principles. He possessed a kind of mature “innocence” of evil personally though at the same time very aware it existed practically. He did not delight in the knowledge of evil or in joking about immorality. He fought against its encroachment in our world, but guarded against it in his own mind and heart. It could be said of him as in Romans 16:19, ” wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.” Like Joseph of old, he lived by a strict code of conduct, and after his death, many of his friends referenced his authenticity and genuine goodness and purity.
We should mourn even an evil man who dies, but we do not feel the impact as we do when a good man leaves us. In the violent death of Charlie Kirk we have seen a good man pay the price for attempting to bring light to a corrupt and profane culture. Yet, I have to believe that he would be okay with that price if given the chance to make the choice. There are more people watching his videos, researching his life, hearing the Gospel, and being pointed to the truth of the Bible now than there were at any time during his short life. He died doing what he loved – talking to young people, debating lies and illuminating truth, shining for Christ in a public place. None of those who were present will ever forget that. Nor will we.
The Torch Cannot Be Extinguished
Charlie Kirk knew that conservative values must be passed, intact and vibrant, to the next generation.
Having experienced life for himself and largely educating himself on history and philosophy and politics and activism, he understood that many of his generation and those that followed had not even had the opportunity to know truth. It hadn’t been presented to them in their homes or their schools or their churches. And, in fact, when they got to the universities, the professors tried to drum out of them what little morality they had been able to glean thus far. They had little chance of knowing the joys of marriage, family, faith, and patriotism. He set about to change that, to give students that chance. Not because he got anything out of it, but because he cared, as do all Christians, about others and about our culture and our country. He was like a man with a treasure who couldn’t keep it to himself. Rare in these days, but very genuine. And for that, he was killed. For offering up what he had so that others could partake, he was murdered.
Charlie knew that there are more than one type of conservative. There are the political conservatives who believe in tradition and morality, who want capitalism to stand and the country to be at peace. And then there are progressive conservatives who own the name but have wandering eyes, on a journey to embrace philosophies which will undermine the things they claim to hold dear. And then there are core conservatives who base their commitment on a source, a foundation, and for many of them, this is their Christian faith. They hold tight to what they believe because it is bigger than them, bigger than a political party, bigger than a political champion, bigger than power and money and fame. They are conservatives because it is right, because God says certain things are righteous and certain things are not. This is the kind of conservatism that Charlie wanted to promote and encourage and develop. And he knew that passing on that torch to high school and college students is necessary for good and godliness to flourish. He knew that we cannot make the handoff too soon which is a fact that many parents do not recognize. He knew that teens are not too young to engage in discussions about current events and the intersection of principle and politics and policy. He took the discussion to them, inviting them, daring them even, to be brave enough to look at their opinions and beliefs and see if they were truly good and logical and biblical. He did not use venom or vengeance. He used straight talk, unapologetic facts, and big-brother type scolding if they veered off course in the dialogue. He respected their minds even in disagreement. But he was not afraid to call them out. And that’s what many of them could not handle. Passive parents have neglected to say “no” to toddlers and have been afraid to cross words with their teens. Students have come to college age without having their wills challenged or their notions denied. And the only way they could express their petulance in being reprimanded by Charlie was to call his truth-telling “hate speech.”
Change takes Time
Charlie Kirk knew that turning the nation around isn’t easy or quick; it’s an investment.
As an 18-year-old, he invested his life in starting his movement. As a young man, he gave his energy and his resources and his gifts and his time to seeing the organization grow so that its impact would expand. In his death, his greatest sacrifice was made. He died for what he believed. As a patriot and as a Christian. Because his politics grew out of his foundation in Christ, everyone who heard him speak knew that his faith in Jesus and in the Bible were the motivating factors in his life. There was no mistake that he was not only a conservative, but a Christian conservative. I think Charlie Kirk would think his sacrifice worth the price. I remember another young man, about to be hanged for his fight for freedom, who said “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” I believe Nathan Hale’s words represent what motivated Charlie. Nothing was too much to give, even his life.
God could have spared his life. We know that it was only the providence of God that President Trump was spared in the attack on his life just a year ago. Heaven has power over bullets and trajectories and all the factors of wind and crowd and weather. But, for divine reasons, Charlie Kirk was not spared. He was, rather, instantly with the Lord, his race over, his mission fulfilled, his to-do list done.
That’s hard to hear, hard to comprehend. But perhaps we’re not meant to. Life and death are in HIs hands, the Sovereign of the universe. And while the Christian world is shocked and saddened and sickened, the factions of evil on our earth celebrate the elimination of one who spoke truth to their discomfort and consternation. They rejoice that the one who tormented their consciences with inconvenient facts and sensible philosophies has been silenced. Professional people who have been trained to care for others in medicine and mental health and education are instead giving virtual high-fives and sending one another congratulatory comments on the death of this man. Elevating pseudo truth and personal emotion and passion above the call of truth, they feel relieved that they will no longer be exposed to the irritant of his message.
But they do not realize that the God to whom all truth belongs also operates on a different kind of math than does this world. They think that this life has been subtracted from existence. But, actually, Charlie Kirk’s life is being multiplied.
Jesus said in John 12:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” Out of death comes life, expanded life, multiplied fruit, a bountiful harvest. No man who allows his life to be used by Christ will abide alone. There will be a harvest. In the case of Charlie Kirk, it may, if God wills, exceed any human expectation.
Eternity is What Matters
Charlie Kirk knew that as good as earthly life is, heaven is the real world.
From all accounts, Charlie was a man who lived life with zest. He loved his wife and children, his friends, his work, and his country. But, most of all, he loved his Lord. His many words of testimony on social media and at public events leave no doubt. And the instant an assassin’s bullet severed his hold on this earth, his spirit was received into the presence of Jesus. What a comfort. What a glory. What a successful end to life on earth. There is nothing greater, no better applause, no greater culmination, no bigger event. All of the truths he proclaimed on earth find their eternal reality in the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
At times, we tend to think of those gone before in soft, childlike terms as though they are out of touch with the real business of life. True, they don’t keep up with the headlines and the scorecards and the campaigns and the markets of our globe. No, they have better things to contemplate. They are about the business of eternity. They are far ahead of us in understanding and knowledge and that probably suits Charlie Kirk just fine. They do not fight the battle against evil forces; they hare already won. That’s what we need to remember as we grieve the passing of this young and godly man. He has won. Death could not rob him of what God had ordained for him. To us, it seemed that he was cut off in the middle of his response. But, to the Father in heaven, Charlie has said every single word he was supposed to say. There was nothing more for him to complete.
We will mourn his death. This is right. Death is the result of the fall, of sin. Our world groans under the curse. We will mourn the difficult manner of his passing and the hatred which caused it. We will mourn his irreplaceable loss to his young wife and children. But when the mourning subsides, we can look up with renewed faces and focused strength. A man who loves God never dies alone and never dies in vain.
Abraham Lincoln, emancipator and orator and 16th president of the United States, spoke these words over a battlefield where brave and good men fought for truth and freedom. The country was shocked and off-balance, wondering about the next step. He stepped up to the moment with a short speech in hand. And he reminded us of our duty.
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us . . .
We have a task ahead of us – those of us who love America, but most of all, those of us who love the Lord. We are to be unfailingly committed to living for righteousness and truth and liberty and eternity with every fiber of our beings. And that is the best benediction we can give to the noble life of Charlie Kirk.
