What significance does one life have in a sea of thousands lost every day? No one asked this question when Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, or Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Two of those men were presidents, but one was most known for his speech; a voice of a generation. Great men are few and far between, but they shape the world, and their absence casts a long shadow. I think Charlie Kirk was one such man. I don’t argue that he was a perfect man, but he was indeed a great one.
There was a heaviness in my spirit this past week. Charlie Kirk, a brother in Christ, free speech advocate, husband, and father, was cruelly murdered before an audience and the world. I did not know Charlie, but I knew of his work; even more so in the days since his assassination. He was a force for good—a light; and when a light is extinguished, the world grows a little darker for it. That’s what this moment is: a dark hour. Seeing that darkness was what weighed on me. Charlie called for love, humility, and repentance; that was the light that was attacked.
Having chosen to avoid the trap of a useless college degree, Charlie started Turning Point USA at the age of eighteen and proceeded to build over the course of thirteen years one of the most prominent, active, and impactful conservative movements in my lifetime. His goal was simple: to turn America back towards God and away from destruction. Like him or hate him, he made an impact. Even Charlie’s critics admit he and TPUSA were instrumental in the 2024 presidential election of Donald Trump, in which the Republican candidate won the popular vote and major gains in the youth vote. As impressive as these credentials may be, I think that Charlie’s most impressive accomplishment was the following: he knew how he could serve God, he dedicated his life to fervently pursuing that purpose. It was what he lived for and died doing.
In the minutes and hours that followed Charlie’s death, my family and friends were rocked by concern and prayer. We held hope for as long as we could that Charlie would make it; that he would be spared much the same way Trump was last year. I even heard: “A part of me just expected him to be okay. Like, it would just be another near tragedy.” But that wasn’t what happened, and our prayers quickly turned from "Save Charlie” to “Comfort his family.” I experienced and witnessed grief, pain, anger, pity, and love. I was tempted to shout into the void, to express to the world my most critical response, but I held off. I knew that the day needed to be focused on processing and mourning the tragedy that was losing Charlie. Unfortunately, not everyone shared that opinion.
Many with whom I spoke were shocked by what happened, but I knew better than to bring it up with everyone. Charlie was a polarizing figure, and I knew that conversing with everyone would not produce the same outcome of shared horror. That said, even from Charlie’s detractors could be heard the words, “I didn’t agree with him, but he didn’t deserve what happened to him.” I sympathize with this in a way, especially from those who vehemently opposed the values Charlie espoused. People may desire their enemies defeated, but not necessarily destroyed. That said, as observed over the last few days, this might be true generally speaking, but it becomes less accurate the closer you get to the extremes.
The internet is full of terrible ideas, terrible opinions, and terrible people. I don’t think any of us would argue against that; for proof, one must simply visit any page on Reddit, the suppository of all human understanding. Seeing and hearing such things from the internet was not a surprise, but seeing so many people—even those in positions of prestige or authority—openly and unabashedly praise, condone, and minimize the killer’s actions was unconscionable. It was the moment, and for some the first moment, that people of faith with traditional values and opinions saw there are fellow countrymen who would cheer their deaths from the rooftops. That is a tragedy in its own right.
I think it can be said that both sides of the political aisle have their eccentrics and extremists, but not both sides have the same central thesis of the other. This was most clearly expressed by many political leaders and pundits during the 2024 presidential election, and can be generally summarized as: the Right believes the Left is wrong, the Left believes the Right is evil. Many of the videos of Charlie debating with college students demonstrates my point. Many of Charlie’s arguments were “You are wrong for XYZ,” while many counterarguments were “I am correct because your opinion is racist/misogynist/Islamophobic/homophobic/transphobic/etc.” Which is to say, “You are wrong because you are morally uncivilized and ethically evil.” It is no wonder that so many people had less-than-charitable responses on Wednesday. It is also the problem that must be addressed, else any more tragedies befall this country.
Jesus said "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will stand” (Matthew 12:25). If there is anything that the death of Charlie Kirk can confirm, it’s that this country has members within it who not only disagree with approximately half of the nation’s populace, but hate the fundamental principles that informed the founding of this country: freedom of speech—to pursue truth—and the freedom of religion—to pursue Christianity. The American bargain is an agreement not just between the people and the state, but between the people and each other. It would be easy to castigate the entire Left into a basket of malcontents, but I have to hold onto enough hope to assume that is an exaggeration. That only a minority of radical members are driven by an aggressively antithetical belief to the premises of this country, and that only a few loud voices seem determined to race towards division. I have to hold that hope. If I do not, then I fear the few paths we have available to us are severely limited, as disharmony in a relationship tends to build or dissolve in a few typical ways.
1. Detente: The offending party admits fault and seeks forgiveness. The offended party forgives and comes to terms with how to proceed. The relationship is damaged, but is on the path to restoration.
2. Domination: One party’s needs, goals, and desires are prioritized and pursued, while the other’s goes unfulfilled or ignored. The relationship is dysfunctional and is on the path to fracture.
3. Desolation: All parties separate and no longer participate with or affect one another. The relationship is at best suspended and is on the path to permanent separation.
I love this country. I love that its goal was to be one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I know Charlie did too. I saw it in his debates, YouTube videos, podcast—even in the South Park satirization of him, which he himself embraced with humor and grace just over a month ago. I want this country to succeed, and if it does, it will be because we chose to do so. We will have seen the path we’ve been treading and will have said, “Let us go another way.” This tragedy is a sign of the times. It will either be the moment we point to and say, “That was the turning point, when everything changed,” or, it will be a sign that reads, “Point of no return.”
I am grateful that I did not respond right away to Charlie’s assassination. That I gave him a mourning period, and a time to process. It gave me clarity; and in the passing time, it gave me reason to be optimistic. Since Charlie’s death, I’ve seen a rallying of hope, humanity, and humility. Charlie’s cry for the love of freedom, truth, and God has been taken up by countless voices. I’ve seen the scoffers rebuked, some even cast out. I do not know how far this momentum will go. I do not know what Charlie’s final legacy will be. I am confident that it will be beautiful, and I look forward to seeing it all come together.
This is a dark hour, but it doesn’t have to be the darkest hour; it can be the dark before the dawn. It can be a new day. A day that we chose to walk together in the light, instead of descending down the steps of the abyss.
Rest in Peace Charlie Kirk. May God bless your family, and may He heal the hurt your absence has left behind.