Remembering Charlie Kirk: A voice for faith, courage, and conservative values - Striking a Chord…

WhenIheardthenewslastweekWednesday that Charlie Kirk had been shot and killed, it came as a shock, like no doubt it did for manyofyou.Hehadoneofthoselarger-than-life personalities.

I’ve read a lot of tributes online in the last week. Charlie’s passing has deeply affected many hearts and minds. Several people I know that don’t normally post much felt compelled to post about it, and I read many comments from people saying they aren’t normally moved to emotion after a famous person’s death, but they were this time.

I don’t know that I can say anything that hasn’t already been said, and probably others have said it much more eloquently. However, it would seem remiss not to say anything, so here goes.

When a person dies, it brings into sharp focus the themes of that person’s life and what was important to them.

“I want to be remembered for courage for my faith. That would be the most important. The most important thing is my faith,” Charlie said in June on a podcast.

By all accounts, Charlie demonstrated that. Those who knew Charlie have described him as a devoted Christian, frequently sharing the Gospel when he spoke on college campuses; as well as a loyal husband, father, and friend.

I watched a few videos of Charlie’s verbal exchanges with college students over the years, and the thing I was most struck by was his boldness. He was a bulldog, championing conservative values and not backing down from what he believed. He also championed free speech. He always gave the other person the chance to voice their opinion. The shooter who took Charlie’s earthly life may have been attempting to silence his voice, but instead it has been amplified more than ever before, joined by countless other voices.

I knew how much Charlie was hated by the other side, but he just seemed invincible. Michael Knowles, one of the commentators for The Daily Wire, said conservative leaders had joked among themselves that Charlie would be their boss someday, meaning they thought he would become president. It’s not too hard to imagine. As Knowles said, Charlie definitely looked the part, had a ton of energy, and loved engaging with people.

From a human vantage point, it’s very sad that Charlie’s wife has to go through life without her partner and his children have to go through life without their dad. I’m praying they can find peace and know that Charlie, through his videos, will continue to change many people’s minds or at least get them to think critically about today’s issues. More than that, his organization, Turning Point USA, will continue to have an impact.

It is a sad day for America when we can’t have open political discourse without fear of violence. It speaks to the real problem when newscasters, podcasters, or politicians start calling the other side “Hitler” or making outrageous claims. Although these individuals are not directly responsible for Charlie’s death, they are responsible for “raising the temperature,” as Daily Wire commentator Ben Shapiro put it.

We also have to remember that our world not just in a battle over ideas, but in a grand spiritual battle between good and evil. Looking at all the acts of violence that have been committed just over the past few months, from Iryna Zarutska being stabbed to death on the subway last month, to the two children killed in the Minneapolis school shooting, to the Minnesota House speaker being killed and a Minnesota state senator being injured in June, the list goes on. It doesn’t matter — whetherthevictimisaDemocratorRepublican, it’s all evil. The taking of someone’s life just because you disagree with them is evil. The collective weight of all these killings, and other evils plaguing our society, is heavy. It’s not supposed to be this way. We have a problem at the soul level in our country of hearts that have been led far astray and are being influenced by evil forces.

Shapiro, in commenting on Charlie’s death, asked the question, where do we go from here as a country, and said truthfully he did not know the answer. I don’t know, either. I know we need God. We need to pray for this country and repent of wrongdoing. It’s also on those in leadership positions, whether politicians, the media, or celebrities/ influencers, to condemn an attack like this in no uncertain terms. People look to those cultural voices to form their beliefs, and if political commentators continue to make excuses for acts like this or even imply “he had it coming because of his beliefs,” which is a despicable implication to make, then acts of violence like this will probably continue.

We can also learn from Charlie’s example. Through his example, I hope we can learn to be bold in our convictions and never shy away from a conversation with someone who disagrees with us, while always maintaining respect. I hope we feel a renewed resolve to live out our values in daily life.

Charlie knew his purpose and endeavored to live it out, not perfectly but passionately. He didn’t waste his life trying to live out someone else’s purpose.

“My call is fight evil and proclaim truth. That’s it. Some people criticize me for that; it’s just my role in this diverse body of Christ,” said Charlie in an interview for YouTube channel @Bible_Alive.

“You start to realize what truly matters in life,” he also said. “I’ve had an unbelievably blessed life. I’ve been doing this, what? It’ll be 12 years on June 5. Yeah, so praise God. I’ve been all across the world. I’ve met with world leaders, I’ve flown in Air Force One, got to know a president, amazing podcast, the family, Turning Point USA, all that stuff. And so you experience that and you’re like, what actually matters? What matters is your relationship with the Divine, your relationship with your family, your relationship with your kids and maybe a close collection of friends, and your relationship with the truth.”

An event like this asks us to consider how we want to spend our lives, what we want to prioritize, and how we want to be remembered. We each only have one life to live, so let’s live it well.