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On 10 September 2025, the world was shaken by the news of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. He was shot in the neck by a sniper as he spoke openly to a few thousand people at a rally at Utah Valley University.

The conversation Charlie was engaged in at the time of the shooting regarded mass shootings and transgenderism. The man questioning Charlie asked, “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last ten years?”

Charlie responded, “Too many.”

The opponent followed up with, “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last ten years?”

Charlie questioned, “Counting or not counting gang violence?”

That’s when the bullet struck, and the attendees of the event fled for safety.  The gunman fled from the scene while Charlie’s team hurried him to the hospital, where he passed away.

Charlie’s life was cut short at the age of thirty-one. He was the husband of Erika and father to two little children, who were present at the incident. Our hearts reach out to his family during this time of mourning, and they remain in our prayers.

The global church mourns the loss of our brother in Christ.

Early Years and Home Life

Charlie was born on 14 October 1993 in Arlington Heights, Illinois, to Robert and Kimberly Kirk. His father was an architect, and his mother was a trader in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange; she later became a mental health counsellor.

They raised Charlie on traditional values, with an emphasis on faith, hard work and patriotism. They attended a Presbyterian church, which they left after it began prioritising political doctrine and social relativism above theology. He became a Christian in grade 5, and the gift of salvation grew sweeter to him as time progressed.

Charlie participated in multiple sporting teams, the Scouts and the marching band, through which he learned discipline, teamwork and perseverance.

At the Turning Point headquarters opening in 2018, Charlie briefly saw Erika, and he later invited her to a job interview. Following discussions about theology, philosophy, politics and life events, he declared, “You know, I’m not going to hire you. I’m going to date you.”

She thought it preferable to remain friends for a while, but Charlie responded, “I have enough friends in my life. So either we’re going to date or we’re not.”

She asked if she had time to think about it, so he said, “Yeah, you have until tomorrow night when I take you out for dinner, and then you can give me your answer at dinner tomorrow night.”

The rest is history. They married in 2021 and had a three-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son.

“Charlie loved his children. And he loved me with all of his heart. And I knew that. Every day I knew that. He made sure I knew that every day. Every day, he would ask me, ‘How can I serve you better? How can I be a better husband? How can I be a better father?’” (Erika)

Erika founded the non-profit organisation “Everyday Heroes Like You” (before their marriage), the clothing brand “Proclaim” and hosts the “Midweek Rise Up” podcast. Charlie was her best friend and teammate.

Political and Media Involvement

Charlie’s political interests developed in high school, where he was intrigued by conservative radio talks. He campaigned against the rise of cafeteria cookie prices, volunteered for the Senate campaign of Mark Kirk and later wrote an essay for Breitbart News about his concern for liberal bias in high school textbooks.

After dropping out of college, he pursued political activism and applied for the U.S. Military Academy but was denied, which drove him further into pursuing a political career.

He became co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA at eighteen years old in 2012, which is a conservative grassroots movement that “guides citizens through development of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation, so they can meaningfully engage in their communities to restore traditional American values like patriotism, respect for life, liberty, family, and fiscal responsibility”. (About – TPUSA :TPUSA). They became the USA’s largest conservative youth movement, active in over 3,500 high school and college campuses.

Turning Point Action was initiated in 2019, which was an organisation of individuals advocating for election of conservative leaders.

Charlie was also an influential central figure vouching for Trump’s support and was a prominent voice in the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement.

Turning Point Faith was founded in 2021 to encourage church leaders and congregations to be active participants in cultural and political matters.

Charlie was also a member of the Council for National Policy (CNP), which supports conservative and Republican Party strategies.

He also hosted The Charlie Kirk Show, frequently appeared on Fox News and wrote multiple books.

Demonstrably, Charlie was concerned with the world around him and sought to transform it for the glory of God and the good of the people.

Charlie’s Values

As part of Turning Point’s mission, Charlie visited college campuses to discuss matters of faith, culture and politics – he posted numerous videos online of such debates, which inspired and informed so many of us.

He believed holding such conversations was a vital and healthy part of society, as he stated:

“When people stop talking, really bad stuff starts. When marriages stop talking, divorce happens. When civilization stops talking, civil war ensues. When you stop having a human connection with someone you disagree with, it becomes a lot easier to want to commit violence against that group. What we as a culture have to get back to is being able to have a reasonable disagreement where violence is not an option.”

But the radical left resorted to violence, silencing him for a difference of opinion when their ideologies collapsed under scrutiny in such conversations. Ironically, they desire society’s acceptance, yet are intolerant of Christianity.

Charlie held debates because truth is valuable; any good thing is worth fighting for.  Truth is objective:

 “… not determined by the loudest voice, but by reality itself.”

He believed the most important values to be defended with truth are:

“Faith, family, nation. In that order.”

On those three values, Charlie believed:

1. Faith is the basis of morality — “Faith is not just a belief—it’s the moral compass that guides a society toward goodness and order.”
2. Family is God’s blessing — “Having children is more important than having a good career. And I would also tell young ladies, you can always go back to your career later, that there is a window where you primarily should pursue marriage and having children, and that is a beautiful thing.”
3. National culture must be preserved — “If we lose our cultural values, we will lose our country.”

Charlie also believed:

• All life should be cherished, whether unborn or elderly – “We allow the massacre of a million and a half babies a year under the guise of women’s reproductive health. We are allowing babies to be taken away and discarded every single year, just saying they are not humans … That’s how we got Auschwitz.”
• There are only two God-given genders – “A man who calls himself trans is wearing ‘woman face,’ no different than I would wear Black face trying to be a Black person. It’s assuming an identity that isn’t yours.”
• Conservatism is the foundation of a healthy civilisation – “Conservatism is about preserving what works, not about resisting change for the sake of it.”
• Freedom of individual thought must not be suppressed – “Education should focus on teaching students how to think, not what to think.”

Gospel-Centred Mission

In following the great commission of Jesus to make disciples, Charlie’s mission was to “make Heaven crowded”, so the Gospel was central to his debates and activism.

One man once asked what Charlie would tell him if he were dying of a gunshot wound and had thirty seconds left to live:

“In thirty seconds, you’re about to meet eternal judgement, and there’s only one way you can get bailed out of there and it’s not all the good things you did or the moral score card. It’s whether or not you have Jesus Christ as your Lord and saviour. That’s the only thing that’s gonna matter.

So, you’ve got ten seconds left, dying from a gunshot wound and you ask the question, ‘Who is Jesus Christ?’ and the answer to that singular question is the most important question for everyone in the audience. Not how much money you have, not how much good stuff you do, it is ‘Who is Jesus Christ?’

You might say Jesus was a teller of good tales, Jesus was a good person or Jesus was a historical figure; none of that’s going to cut it, it’s whether or not you repent and you ask Christ to come in as your lord and saviour. That’s the only thing that will save you from eternal damnation.”

Truth and Love

Charlie remained respectful despite disrespectful comments and emotional outbursts directed his way, refusing to repay evil for evil and living out the Gospel message he believed. He loved those who hated him.

Love compelled him to proclaim the truth of the Gospel. If people are running towards a cliff edge or have inherited a fatal disease, will you not warn them? That is the most loving thing one can do.

God loves the sinner, but not the sin that entangles them and separates them from Him. Tim Keller said, “God sees us as we are, loves us as we are, and accepts us as we are. But by His grace, He does not leave us as we are.”

But humanity considers the Gospel offensive, since it reveals our sinfulness and the need to give up the sin we enjoy. To someone offended by the truth, Kirk replied:

“Just because you are offended doesn’t mean you are right.”

Regarding Christ’s display of love and truth, Charlie commented:

“So John 8, if I’m drawing from memory correctly, best embodies Christ’s mercy and love but also His commitment to truth. Sometimes in the modern Gospel, we overemphasise the grace and we underemphasise the truth. So, we are far too willing to say, ‘Hey, Jesus loves everybody’ but we don’t get to the second part of the conversation that says, ‘Jesus doesn’t want you to live in sin’.

In John 8, it’s best embodied right? Almost every Christian in this audience will be able to tell you the first part of this which is a bunch of Sadducees and pharisees are standing around with rocks and they’re about to stone the prostitute woman, and Jesus comes up and says ‘Let the first among you without sin cast the first stone’ and everyone starts dropping the rocks. But what comes next shows that Christ is not just grace-focused, He’s simultaneously truth-focused. He goes up to the woman who had a career in selling herself for sex and said, ‘Sin no more’.”

Boldness

Charlie once told a reporter:

“I want to be remembered for courage for my faith. That would be the most important thing.”

He lived up to that statement — his boldness has inspired a multitude.

“Courage is telling the truth even when it’s unpopular.”

He commented,

“It is part of our human nature to want to be liked. It is part of our human nature to worry about what others think of us. It is an attribute of greatness and of American exceptionalism to not surrender to our nature, but to be guided by an inner calling to persevere and to prevail, no matter the personal cost.”

Christianity’s Reaction to the Incident

As for the shooter, it is necessary that he faces justice. But he needs the salvation of Jesus as much as the rest of us. The apostle Paul was a persecutor of the early church – he killed Christians, just as this gunman did, yet God forgave Paul and used him mightily.

If Charlie saw his murderer in heaven, he would rejoice! Like Charlie, our response must be grounded in truth but not lacking love, as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

Sadly, much of the political left is celebrating Charlie’s death, as depicted by numerous social media posts. While members of other faiths and ideologies have reacted hatefully with violence in response to the deaths of their leaders, Christians have spread hope and forgiveness in response to Charlie’s martyrdom since Christianity is a religion about God’s love, which enables us to love.

At Charlie’s memorial service, Erika Kirk displayed this love:

“My husband, Charlie, he wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life. That young man, that young man on the cross our Savior said, for they know not what they do. That man, that young man, I forgive him. So, I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”

The Impact of a Martyr

Undoubtedly, this tragedy has been used for God’s glory and our good. Erika Kirk’s initial address to the nation reminded us of that:

“I will never, ever have the words to describe the loss that I feel in my heart. I honestly have no idea what any of this means. I know that God does, but I don’t. But Charlie, baby, I know you do too. I know you do. So does our Lord. And our world is filled with evil. But our God, you guys, our God is so good. So incredibly good.

And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good. For those who are called according to His purpose… If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country and this world.”

Charlie had such a tremendous impact during his lifetime, but his influence has enlarged significantly following his death. Jesus stated, “… unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:24)

Charlie’s death was not in vain. This is not a tipping point; it’s a turning point. It is the beginning of revival; Christians have been emboldened in their faith, and unbelievers are turning to Christ. Much fruit is being produced.

The church grows, and its character is strengthened under times of persecution, suffering and martyrdom. “Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And weak men create hard times.” (G. Michael Hopf)

An Exhortation for the Church

Martyn Iles posted a timely exhortation on social media:

“Thinking of Charlie Kirk, he was just thirty-one. So many thirty-one-year-olds have done so little outside of self-serving and indulging. Discern the thing or things that matter, and get busy. I almost said, “for heaven’s sake, get busy” — and to be honest, that’s a good way to think about it.”

What do we want Him to find us doing when He returns? Are we seeking first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, or are we living for self?

Charlie Kirk’s life has ended, but his work continues. The Great Commission is a mission for all Christians – we are all Charlie Kirk. Be bold for the kingdom and pick up the microphone. Have conversations with people. “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

We are all gifted differently. If you are a gifted speaker, speak. If you’ve been blessed with the ability to write, then write. Let us not take God’s grace in vain by burying our talents, but be faithful stewards, striving in God’s grace for the salvation of the lost & edification of the church, as all will be held accountable for the grace given to us.

Undoubtedly, Charlie has heard the words we all long to hear when our time comes: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;  in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

Let us not lose hope in this sorrowful time, as death isn’t the end, and we have a glorious hope ahead.

“All death can do to a believer is deliver him to Jesus.” (Charlie Kirk)

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Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.