Charlie Kirk – an outspoken conservative Christian – was brutally murdered while responding to a young critic’s question in front of three thousand college students in Utah last week. Because we live in the internet age, however, multiple videos of that chilling moment have been circulating, exposing millions to the horror and trauma of that day.
Within moments of Charlie’s death, many people on the internet – along with some in mainstream media – began to justify his demise. A political analyst on MSNBC implied that Charlie’s own divisive rhetoric was to blame. Stephen King, the world-famous author, suggested that the assassination wasn’t tragic because Charlie had said gays should be stoned in the streets.
Charlie never said this, and King later apologized, but the damage was done. Others took to social media platforms to drag Charlie before his body was cold, saying truly vile things like:
If these remarks shock you, believe me when I tell you that I’ve chosen not to share the most vile posts and comments I’ve seen about Charlie over the past few days. It’s no exaggeration to say that, for those of us who loved Charlie, witnessing so many hateful people dance on his grave has been almost as painful as watching him die.
Almost.
Charlie was a Christian, which means he is our brother, and even as I write this pastoral email, it’s taking every ounce of restraint I can muster to not allow my anger to get the best of me. In fact, you’re reading the third version of this email because the first two were too raw to share publicly.
Nevertheless, instead of dismantling all the criticism being levied against Charlie posthumously, I’d prefer to give you something uplifting and encouraging to think about. If you’re struggling to understand why Christians are so upset about the death of a man who, according to some, was a racist, homophobic, transphobic, extreme right-wing, white Christian nationalist, others have done a better job of breaking down such accusations. If you’re interested in learning more, I’ll share some links at the end of this email, and I hope you’ll take the time to watch them and draw your own conclusions.
I have followed Charlie’s work for many years, and I am profoundly grateful for three important lessons he taught me and many others.
1. When People Stop Talking, We Start Fighting
Instead of broadcasting to his audience of millions from the comfort of his own studio, Charlie tirelessly sought to have real-time conversations with college students across the country. Even though he was constantly berated and belittled by some of his critics, and even though he knew that it was only a matter of time before someone would turn violent (Charlie wore a bulletproof vest at every college appearance), he continued to go out, meeting people where they are, offering them a microphone and a platform to speak their piece, and engaging in civil discourse.
I’m inspired and convicted by this because the longer I’m a Christian, the more time I’m spending around other Christians. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but it can become an echo chamber if we let it. Christians – especially church leaders and pastors – need to spend more time engaging with unbelievers in conversations.
Long before Charlie Kirk, Jesus showed us the way by spending much of his time breaking bread and talking with his harshest critics and most curious skeptics. Think about his conversations with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4), tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9, Mark 2, Luke 5), Pharisees like Nicodemus (John 3) and Simon (Luke 7), the Roman centurion (Matthew 8), and sinful women (Luke 7, John 8). I pray that one silver lining of Charlie’s murder is that more of us will pick up where he left off by going to places like college campuses and meeting nonbelievers on their turf.
2. Family First
Charlie loved his wife, Erika, and their two children, more than he loved himself, his career, and his politics. His wife often traveled with him (she and the kids were at the event in Utah, for instance), and he was always quick to publicly praise her.
As the husband of a wonderful, godly wife, it’s a reminder that, no matter what kind of work the Lord calls me to, or what level of success He allows me to achieve, the person I’m called to love, honor, and cherish most is the one who looked at me and all my flaws and said, “I do.”
If you want a closer look at how Charlie and Erika publicly embodied the beauty of Christian marriage, I recommend this video to you – however, I’ll warn you not to watch it without a box of tissues nearby.
3. Always Share the Gospel at All Costs
Charlie wasn’t a perfect man. He said some things I disagree with, and at times he could be too politically divisive for me. His devotion to President Trump, for example, exceeded my own, although I understood why he believed what he believed. But what I admired about Charlie, especially in recent years, was how he let his theology drive his politics and not the other way around.
Even as he was constantly taking vicious criticism from his detractors, Charlie reminded his followers of the radical grace of Jesus Christ.
An especially poignant reminder at a time like this.
And last week in Utah, just moments before he was murdered, Charlie Kirk took a moment to testify about Jesus in front of thousands of college students, most of whom were not Christians. Take a moment to watch the clip, and ask yourself – as I’ve been asking myself – if you have the courage to stand up and speak up for Jesus, even if it might cost you everything.
Through all the noise, that will be Charlie’s true legacy. As horrific as the last week as been, I pray that we’ll soon see the power of God’s promise, spoken through his servant Joseph, whose own brothers sold him into slavery:
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. – Genesis 50:20
Thank you for taking the time to read today’s MG&T. If you have questions or thoughts to share with me, click reply and let me hear them. As promised, here is a list of helpful links and clips for those of you who are struggling to understand Charlie’s true legacy in light of what you may be hearing online. A word of caution: while I tried to select clips that are clean and kid-friendly, some of the content below may contain a bit of profanity, so proceed accordingly.
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Debunking the Biggest Lies Told about Charlie Kirk – Amir Odom, a young, black, gay man who says Charlie Kirk encouraged him to launch his career, dismantles the myth that Charlie was racist and transphobic
Debunking Lies about Charlie – Jeffery Mead, a young conservative commentator shares clips of Charlie defending gay people against an actual far-right extremist
Charlie Kirk Giving Black People Praise – A young man on TikTok (@traythetruthteller) debunks the myth that Charlie’s rejection of DEI policies means he was a racist
Does Charlie Kirk Hate LGBT People? – Charlie responds to the question
Charlie Kirk Welcomes a Young Gay Man to the Movement – A young student who self-identified as gay asks Charlie for advice
