I am Charlie Kirk
The day that rocked the nation
When Charlie Kirk was assassinated on September 10th, the world felt like a whirlwind.
For some, it was confusing.
“Who is this guy?”
“What’s going on?”
For others, it was emotions of deep grief followed by anger, followed by uncertainty, and finally followed by a deep desire to do something.
For everyone, the aftermath on social media was, in many ways, overwhelming—either confusing if you didn’t know who Charlie Kirk was or extremely angering if you heard the awful, untrue things said about him.
Confusion.
Chaos.
Unknowns.
How do we know if Charlie Kirk was the real deal?
Personally, I had been listening to Charlie Kirk almost daily as my news source. Listening to him never made the news feel overwhelming because he had so much hope in the coming kingdom that he was never a doom-and-gloom kind of person. Instead, he operated in reality but also in high optimism for the future.
We won’t get into the weeds on every detail, but what I can say is that I am a Christian. I grew up in a Christian home, went to private Christian school, Bible college, interned for Christian organizations—yada yada yada.
The point is not just that I have been a part of all that, but rather that I have nearly 30 years of learning the Word of God, experiencing Jesus, and chasing after a sold out faith.
Proverbs says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
And it’s true.
The more time you spend in the Word of God—the more you fashion your life around it rather than fitting it into your life—the easier it is to spot the wolves in sheep’s clothing.
I’ve seen wolves. Charlie Kirk was not one of them.
I’m saying this as someone who listened regularly and often to his podcast. I don’t know what awful alterations of his words are out there. If you want to have an opinion on him, I suggest you listen to the following podcasts and see for yourself what you think.
People wouldn’t say this about me…
I’ve heard people talk about someone after they’ve passed away. It’s normal to kind of highlight only the good things and sweep away the bad. I’ve never heard people talk about someone the way his friends talked about him in the weeks after his assassination.
He had a true and profound impact on each of them. As I sat there listening I kept thinking to myself, “No one would say these kinds of things about me if I were to go tomorrow.”
If you’re curious, listen to this:
Who was he and why does it matter?
For those of you confused about who he was, what he did, and why it matters, and if he can really be classified as a martyr, I’d suggest a little study for clarity.
Our churches in America today have whitewashed the gospel. We assume too much and read too much of our own culture into Biblical accounts.
It can be helpful to research the background of where and how these people lived and find a deeper understanding of who these people are and what their actions looked like in their own culture.
Here are some passages:
John the Baptist — He was martyred for speaking a moral truth to an evil ruler. (Matthew 14:1-12)
Stephen — He was martyred for following Christ; but also, just before that happens, read his defense right before his death. You tell me if he was careful not to offend anyone. (Acts 6:8-7:60) “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears!” (7:52)
Paul debating in Athens — An example of how Paul used reason in the public square to proclaim the gospel. (Acts 17:16-34)
Paul debating in the hall of Tyrannus - The religious rulers of the Synagogue in Ephesus would have nothing to do with the Truth so instead of the religious house of worship, Paul debated in this secular hall with the disciples of the time for two years, it says all the people of the area heard the gospel because of this. (Acts 19:8-10)
You shall know them by their fruit
Look at the fruit. In the wake of George Floyd, we had multiple billions of dollars’ worth of damage done to our cities. People were killed and cities lit on fire in anarchy.
In the wake of Charlie Kirk, thousands of people came to Christ. Vigils broke out across the world filled with prayer and worship, AND over 100 million people heard the gospel through his memorial.
Not only heard, people saw the gospel when his wife forgave the man who took her husband away. (See “He Blinked and Saw His Savior in Paradise” - Mrs. Erika Kirk)
Shame on you if you try to take the middle here. He was not a racist. He was not a homophobe. He was not a bigot.
He was a Christ-follower. The world hated him because it hated Christ. May it hate us also as we stand for truth.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:10)
Why is it not complicated?
And he lived out his faith in the public square. He was forward and direct. He got involved in politics because he saw this as a country worth saving—the greatest country that has yet existed, not as the greatest country there ever will be.
It’s okay to love your country. That doesn’t replace the kingdom of God.
It’s okay to live out your faith in the public square. Heck, that’s what we are supposed to be doing.
It is good to advocate for the good of our fellow Americans by advocating for Biblical principles:
God created us male and female.
Marriage is to be between one man and one woman, for life.
Sex is to be enjoyed within the marriage covenant and nowhere else.
Life starts at conception.
Our highest calling above all is to love God and love others.
God gave us the blueprints. It’s not complicated. Truth is not nuanced.
If standing for these things means that I am Charlie Kirk, then that’s what I am.
Why politics?
Did God give us all the instructions for how to run a government? Not directly—although I think we can find principles to help us in the Word.
That’s not the issue right now.
Right now, the devil is trying to reshape truth in people’s minds so that it is so difficult for them to see God that they live their whole lives in a lie and never experience the goodness of God.
And guess what? They’re headed straight for hell.
You’re not nicer than God. Be loving—but there is such a thing as tough love.
Becoming like Jesus
The Bible is naturally offensive to our flesh. I love what Neeza Powers said, a man detransitioning from 10 years of living as a woman:
“Go to a church where you’ll look completely different a month from now, a year from now.”
If you’re not changing, you’re not growing.
I suggest you sit with God and listen for His voice. Get alone; get quiet. Let Him guide you into His purpose for you in this time.
It won’t be the same for everyone.
Then, start learning—make yourself aware of the world we live in. Don’t hide out in your own little microcosm where everything is okay.
Get your hands dirty for Jesus.
And buckle up everyone, because we’ve got a country to save.
