We are all stunned, still in shock, at the cold-blooded assassination of Charlie Kirk in broad daylight. He had set up at a campus in Utah to do what he always did — interact with detractors and respectfully discuss different ideas. But September 10, 2025 would be the last day he did it. A sniper took aim and shot him in the neck. He was rushed to hospital but died a few hours later from his injuries leaving a wife and two young children.
Turning point
Charlie Kirk, who was just 31 years old when he was tragically killed, founded Turning Point USA, a non-profit dedicated to sharing conservative values with the young generation. They visited literally thousands of campuses and groups to challenge people with truth and biblical values.
Countless times he did the same thing: inviting dialogue with those who take issue with Judeo-Christian values with his “prove me wrong” stand, debating with those who were in favor of abortion, transgender issues, and he regularly spoke up in support of Israel and the sanctity of marriage. He would let people share their thoughts freely, before calmly and respectfully explaining the biblical point of view, as he understood it. And he loved his life. He recently said in an interview,
“I’m just flesh and bone, but more importantly I’m a soul. And that soul is accountable to One Being. I’ve had an unbelievably blessed life. I will have been doing this now, it would be 12 years on June 5th… Praise God, I mean, 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. I have amazing family, podcast, 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 kids, and maybe a close collection of friends — and your relationship with the truth.”
Daring to tell the truth
In this day and age it has become increasingly difficult to have meaningful discussions. Society is becoming more and more polarized, with each camp defending their own corner to the bitter death, and dialogue quickly descends into insults and shouting. Yet truth must be told.
It’s a very challenging time to speak truth, especially to stand up for it in a baying crowd that is loudly insisting on the other point of view. It has become dangerous, as even if it doesn’t get violent, we can be in danger of losing our humanity and our respect for one another. This, of course, is exactly what the enemy of our souls wants to see.
The way to maintain communication is to keep in an attitude of love, humility and gentleness, which is easier said than done, especially in the heat of the moment. However, Charlie Kirk was always respectful, and was always ready to answer and explain with gentleness, just as we are exhorted to do in Peter’s first epistle:
In your hearts honor Messiah the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)
Standing up for Israel
With so much hatred against Israel caused by so much misunderstanding of the issues involved, Charlie Kirk regularly took anti-Israel activists to task, calmly explaining the facts:
For anyone who doesn’t know Charlie Kirk – watch this short clip from a confrontation between him and an anti-Israel student and you’ll understand everything you need to know!
The entire State of Israel is praying for you Charlie pic.twitter.com/l6YrwZUVmL
— יוסף חדאד – Yoseph Haddad (@YosephHaddad) September 10, 2025
It can feel divisive to tell the truth to angry people, but Charlie Kirk showed us how it can be done. Others like Eylon Levy and Ben Shapiro have also done a great job of saying simple truths in a calm, concise way, to help bring clarity and understanding. His friend, Ben Shapiro recently stated, “If you believe your enemy doesn’t care about killing civilians you wouldn’t hide behind civilians. That wouldn’t be your defense mechanism,” regarding the Hamas strategy of using their own population as human shields to those angry about the death toll. The ability to explain the truth calmly and with few words isn’t always easy, but it is so important.
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)
Eric Metaxas has warned that if we don’t speak up like these courageous men, we may be lurching towards “Germany in 1939” if we are not careful. In his biography about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Metaxas says they were 18,000 pastors in Germany at the time of the Nazis, 3,000 of them were complicit with Hitler. 3,000 strongly stood against Hitler. 12,000 of them were completely silent. The terrible results were beyond comprehension. The difference between the 3,000 who stood against Hitler was that they were not silent. They spoke up.
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch. (Isaiah 62:1)
In his few years, Charlie Kirk accomplished a great deal. He has spoken out so many words of truth, and his death is a terrible loss for the world, but especially his family. As we pray for them we also pray that the great example left to us by his bold truth-telling would reach even more in death than his short life.
“May he be received into the merciful arms of our loving Savior, who suffered and died for Charlie.” – Turning Point USA
Photos of Charlie Kirk from his Facebook page
