Can We Learn Anything From The Charlie Kirk Assassination?

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions for Christians and conservatives. On September 10, Charlie Kirk, founder and CEO of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was shot in the neck at an event at Utah Valley University. The world prayed and waited to hear he was recovering, and many of us looked forward to seeing him one day triumphantly return to the microphone. Instead, the headlines stopped us in our tracks. Charlie Kirk, 31, was assassinated in broad daylight on a college campus while sharing the gospel and promoting conservative political ideas. It’s common to look at events such as this one and feel defeated, but I wonder if we can redeem his sacrifice by walking away from his death having learned something.

Charlie Who?

I was not a TPUSA or Charlie Kirk fan. Neither he nor his organization ever made more of an impact on me than a handful of video clips of college kids, frankly, knowing very little about anything. Nonetheless, I’m grieved over his passing. I’ve cried more over a complete stranger’s death than makes sense. Social media is currently flooded with his content, so I have watched and listened to a lot of what Charlie said. I think I have a general idea about who he was, what his mission was with TPUSA, and his faith. Now, I wish I had followed him before his untimely death.

Just A Man…A Good One

My main takeaway over the last week and a half is that Charlie Kirk was a good man. He seems to have been a loving husband and father, a good friend, a hard worker, and man whose life was consistent with his beliefs. He also loved his country and cared about the soul of every person with whom he interacted.

Don’t Buy The Lies

Charlie became known for, among other things, having hard conversations on college campuses and telling his critics to “prove me wrong.” The Left continually accuses him of being mean, judgmental, and a bully. If they would only watch a whole video, though, they’d see he was patient and respectful, even as challengers hurled insults and threats. Charlie wasn’t a pushover, though. He pushed back against faulty logic, insisted on truth, and he was definitely not afraid to joke around. Debates, especially political ones, are going to have energy and intensity. Let’s not confuse those things with hate, bigotry, prejudice, and bullying.

Charlie Kirk Was An Example

One of the biggest and most surprising questions many of us have asked is, “Why am I so sad about a stranger’s death?” Most of us have never met Charlie Kirk, yet we have been walking around with heavy hearts and grief. Well, I think the fact that he has been an excellent example of lovingly (and directly) sharing the gospel with people who hate him has played a big role in our response. We’ve lost a man we can say was among the best of us. This is one of those rare circumstances in which friends and family aren’t the only ones who lost someone. The world is losing out, too. I’m not sure there is anyone with Charlie’s intelligence and public presence who also has his upstanding character to fill his shoes.

What We Can Learn From Charlie Kirk’s Death

I don’t want to talk about Charlie Kirk today. I know, so far, all the evidence is to the contrary. But I think there is a lot to learn from what happened to Charlie. With a fair amount of reflection and prayer since September 10, I’ve thought of a few lessons all Christians can take from Charlie Kirk’s death and apply to their lives moving forward.

1. People hate you.

Sure, people have always disagreed about religion and politics. Who hasn’t watched a cringeworthy interaction between their liberal cousin and ultra-conservative uncle at Thanksgiving? We are accustomed to these uncomfortable but safe debates.

When I graduated with my MSW from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the late 2000’s, the atmosphere was already unfriendly to disagreement. I remember one of my classmates being conservative, and she stuck out like a sore thumb among a room full of social work majors. After all, we were mostly a bunch of bleeding-heart liberals in our early twenties. This conservative girl was shot down and debated in nearly everything she said. I, sadly, was one of the loudest voices among her opposition. Some of us saw her as backwards, old-fashioned, and not cut out for the program if she held these different values and beliefs. Take note, though. She was never in danger. Of course, she wasn’t very aggressive with her worldview either. Given how people like me spoke to her, however, it’s no wonder why.

In less than twenty years, we’ve gone from loudly criticizing our opposition to threatening them with harm. When men like Ben Shapiro and Matt Walsh from Daily Wire speak on campuses, they need security to keep them safe from the many threats they receive and mobs of angry people waiting to scare them away or worse. Steven Crowder became the target of violent threats when he travelled to college campuses asking people to, “Change my mind.” Somewhere along the line, open dialogue and the exchange of ideas has become a threat. Words are violence now, apparently, and they’re only violent when they come from the Right.

The Reaction

The biggest indicator that the hate is real was seen as soon as Charlie Kirk was shot. I won’t link the videos because I don’t want to increase the views for these individuals, but social media was flooded by celebratory videos when he died. People were dancing, laughing, saying he deserved what he got, and some even calling for someone to finish off his wife and kids, too.

A lot of people hate Charlie Kirk, and if you are a conservative and/or Bible-believing Christian, they hate you, too. This assassination wasn’t just a murder of one man, it was a warning. Friend, be warned because this wasn’t a fluke.

2. Free speech isn’t safe anymore.

Technically, we have free speech, but it might come at a high cost. We need to decide if we are willing to risk our safety in order to stand for our convictions. When words are called violence when the listener doesn’t like them, we need to be realistic about how some might react to what we say. This month, we saw exactly how far some people will go to silence someone, and we’ve seen how Leftists react. Don’t assume it’s safe to speak your mind any longer.

3. We aren’t alone.

If Charlie Kirk’s assassination has shown us anything about conservatives, it is that there are a lot of us. Only a couple of days ago, the media reported that TPUSA had received 54,000 requests to start new chapters since Kirk’s death. Go on social media, and you’ll find endless posts of people sharing their grief for Charlie and fear for themselves and those they love because they share his worldview. Conservatives and Christians are out there, and they are starting to wake up to the fact that they can’t be silent much longer.

4. People aren’t backing down.

Charlie Kirk’s assassination was graphic and terrifying. However, Christians have stepped up instead of cowering in fear. There’s a battle cry throughout the country, even around the world. They want to stand for Christ and follow after Charlie’s bravery and unwavering determination to work the gospel into any conversation he could. Among the videos of people celebrating  his death, there were others in which people said they felt compelled to speak out for Jesus for the first time. With Charlie Kirk gone, others want to fill in the silence he is leaving behind.

5. More people are hearing the gospel.

Something many people didn’t realize is that Charlie Kirk wasn’t just political. He was a Christian whose politics sprang from his faith. The clips on social media usually highlight partial and out-of-context things Charlie said to make him look bad. At all of his speaking events, though, he made sure to give a clear gospel presentation, and he explained his faith and understanding of the Bible were the reasons for his political stances and worldview. He was political, yes, but Charlie Kirk was a Christian who boldly proclaimed Christ.

Thanks to his evangelistic spirit, in his death, a multitude of videos are reaching audiences with the gospel all over social media. I can hardly escape Charlie Kirk videos, and he talks about his faith in some way in most of them. In death, his popularity has grown and his message is spreading.

6. Conservative and Christian aren’t the same thing.

Not all conservatives are reacting to Charlie Kirk’s death in a Christian manner. They might say they believe in God or throw the name of Jesus around. They might even wear a cross necklace or say a prayer in front of an audience. That doesn’t mean they’re Christian. Christians, if they understand the Bible, will naturally lean conservative, but conservatives are not all Christians. They don’t have a born-again experience. They’re just pro-lifers who think men can’t be women and women can’t be men. Amen! I’m glad to have them in the conservative party, but I don’t want them representing God.

By now, we should be able to easily spot a conservative Christian as compared to a conservative. One easy way to figure it out is by some folks’ call for revenge.

7. God’s ways are higher.

I admit that I was both sad and furious when Charlie Kirk died. I didn’t think it was fair. He was still so early in his marriage, and his daughters are still so young. Who would do this to another human being? In my flesh, retribution makes sense, but God’s ways are higher than ours.

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.‘ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (emphasis mine)

Romans 12: 14-21 (ESV)

What happened to Charlie Kirk was sickening and hateful. We have every right to be angry that someone would commit such an evil act, but friends, we are living in a fallen world. Charlie understood that, and that’s why he committed so much of his energy to telling others about their need for Jesus.

Shall we act in God’s place and seek revenge? Should we return evil for evil when we see others celebrate murder? Must we have our satisfaction here on Earth? No. Instead, in this dark time, display Christlikeness in your speech and behavior. Let them embrace sin, and meanwhile, demonstrate love. God will take care of any judgment that there may be to come.

8. Let’s get political.

Charlie Kirk was too political for some Christians. I don’t agree, but I can see that there is a delicate balance between politics and religion. Charlie did a fantastic job of keeping his faith his priority while engaging in political debate. We should be doing this, too, because we can’t separate our belief in God from politics in this country.

Major political topics today include abortion, trans rights (including hormone therapy for minors), all things Israel, immigration, and free speech. All of those topics have biblical responses, and every Christian should be able and willing to defend her spiritual beliefs which, in turn, will inform her politics. Don’t fear entangling politics and religion. They already are!

However, and it’s a big “however,” keep first things first. My ultimate goal is not to make the world pro-life or “cisgender.” Rather, I want people to know Jesus, and politics can open the door to those conversations if you’re ready to face opposition. And frankly, Christians, we should be.

9. It isn’t time to unify.

Some Christians are calling for all people who identify as Christians to unify in response to Charlie Kirk’s assassination. That sounds nice, but let’s not muddy the Christian waters, so to speak. As lies about believers, the Bible, and biblical worldview increase and circulate via social media, let’s draw a line in the sand. Be bold and make it clear that not everyone who claims Christ is Christian (Matthew 7:21-23). And yes, speak out against what you see in our culture. We don’t need to spew hate and use violence to fight against the world. Simply stand up for biblical set-apart living. Be a rebel by using kind words, loving those who hate you, prioritizing church over sports, regularly praying, etc. Stand out. Be different. Allow those who don’t truly know the Lord to separate from you. Sheep don’t unify with goats.

10. Jesus is the only real answer.

Even Charlie Kirk, a well-known political figure, understood that politics weren’t the answer. They undoubtedly matter, but they don’t solve our most pressing problem. We’re all dying, and without Jesus, we’re going to have eternal damnation. Here’s a clip of Charlie Kirk explaining this to an audience member. A man asked what Charlie would say if the man only had thirty seconds left to live, and Charlie went straight to the man’s need for Jesus.

Our country needs a revival. A real one. I’m not talking about a scheduled church event in which we attempt to conjure up some renewed spiritual interest with a special speaker. I also don’t mean that we need a couple weeks of a glorified concert at a college campus that draws people to get more social media content. Not that I’m skeptical or anything… We need Christians to wake up and stop warming Sunday morning’s pews. The nation needs us to engage with the culture, to speak boldly for Jesus, and to tell people – point blank – that they need Jesus. No more concerning ourselves with possible awkwardness or hurt feelings. Do it with love, but also do it unapologetically. Be known for your unwavering faith.

Final Thought

The assassination of Charlie Kirk was a tragedy whether you liked him or not. He was a young man with a young family who, from all reports, was an amazing friend and boss. That’s not the whole story, though. Charlie’s death was a wake-up call to American Christians and conservatives. Yes, there is a cost to standing up for Jesus and a biblical worldview. No, we can’t expect to all just get along and agree to disagree.

What are you going to do with what we’ve learned from September 10th, 2025? Are you ready to be bold for Christ, or are you going to be silenced?

Image courtesy of Daniel von Appen via Unsplash.