Since the assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10, there has been a lot of discussion about who he is. Secular news will tell you he was a right-wing, political activist. Many of his opponents will accuse him of being a racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and violent. However, I do not believe these are accurate nor do they represent the full picture. I wasn’t familiar with Charlie Kirk until the beginning of this year. For the most part, there was much that I appreciated about his approach to discussing important cultural and theological issues publicly. But since his murder, I have spent a little more time listening to him in his videos (his debate with Gavin Newsom, governor of California; his visit to Purdue University; and his debate with Buck Angel regarding Porn Culture and the Trans Agenda in America). I have grown in my appreciation and admiration of Charlie. If I had to answer the question, “Who is Charlie Kirk?” I would answer in the following ways: Charlie Kirk was a man who…

• was being changed by the grace of God. Charlie had a testimony of coming to faith in Jesus Christ. And as you would expect of someone who follows Jesus, change occurred. He was not the same man when he started his public, political career. As he matured and grew as a Christian, his message and emphasis shifted for the better.
• loved his opponents. Charlie was known for wanting to talk with those whom he disagreed. Much of the time, it was very evident that he not only cared about the issue he was discussing but about the person with whom he was talking. Scripture and the Gospel were often shared. He told people he would pray for them. He didn’t want to just win arguments but wanted to win people to Jesus.
• took his faith to the public square. One of the things Charlie is criticized for the most is how political he was. At this point, let’s agree on the following (1) much of politics today are issues regarding foundational things Christians must defend such as marriage, the sanctity of human life, and sexual ethics. (2) loving one’s neighbors is a desire to see them flourish. This necessitates speaking the truth and advocating for just policies and practices. (3) Christian beliefs ought to overflow into life. For Charlie, this meant taking an active role in politics. By and large, I believe that we are better off for his work.

To be sure, much more could be said. But I will conclude by…

(1) commending a couple of resources that have encouraged and challenged me. The first one is an interview with Scott Polender, a friend and colleague of Charlie Kirk.  The second is an article entitled “We Can’t Replace Charlie Kirk, but We Can Honor His Legacy: Five Ways to Amplify Truth, Freedom, and the American Way.” You can listen or read the article at ChristOverall.com.

(2) calling us to pray. Pray for Charlie’s widow, Erika and their two children. Pray for his murderer that he would come to a saving faith in Jesus. Pray that as the seeds of the Gospel which have been sown over the past couple of weeks, would lead to a harvest of people for Christ. Pray for opportunities for you to share the hope of the Gospel in these times.