Before anything else can be said, our hearts must turn to Charlie Kirk’s beloved wife and their young children. No words can carry the weight of their loss, nor can they ease the deep grief of a family suddenly bereft of a husband and father. As a community, we are called to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15), to uphold them in prayer, and to surround them with tangible love and care. Their sorrow is heavy, but they do not walk alone. May the Lord, who is “a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows” (Psalm 68:5), be their refuge and strength in these dark days. I pray that his children, though deprived of his presence, may one day see clearly that their father’s courage and faith were godly and true. Yet we acknowledge with broken hearts that it would have been far better for them to have their father by their side.

Deacon Stephen, the first to be killed for his belief in Jesus, asked, “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?” (Acts 7:52).

In every respect, Charlie Kirk was a godly prophet—courageous in ways that many seasoned leaders in the church often fail to be. One reason why so many young adults were drawn to him and his open forums was that he was willing to discuss any subject, debate any topic, and wrestle with what God’s Word and his Christian faith had to say about it. Nothing was ever off the table. Most of us would never submit our deeply held convictions about faith and politics to the public, content to speak only in safe spaces and behind cloistered walls. But not Charlie Kirk—he was brave enough to take the truth of God into the arena.

I have noticed that some are cynically commenting on the irony of his defense of the Second Amendment. Of course, gun control is a hot topic in our public debate. But so too should be the heart, mind, and ideologies behind those who would assassinate defenders of rights and freedom. The defense of our freedoms carries inherent risk. Charlie Kirk was brave, truth-speaking, public. He submitted himself and his ideas to debate and scrutiny. He was open and vulnerable—vulnerable to being proven wrong, vulnerable to having his ideas tested, vulnerable to public ridicule and scorn, vulnerable to being canceled, vulnerable even to being killed.

By contrast, the assassin is a coward. He hides in the shadows, under cover of darkness. He is faithless, a hater of truth and light—evil. God sees and knows, and the assassin has done evil in the sight of the Lord (Proverbs 15:3).

“Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?” (Acts 7:52). The words of Jesus also ring true: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” (Matthew 23:37). Unfortunately, these words have been fulfilled again.

Charlie Kirk stood up for family, for moral clarity, for the freedom of inalienable rights, and for divine truth. And for that, he was murdered in the public square. I cannot help but think about the call of Jesus before he ascended: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Charlie Kirk was courageously faithful to this mission. He was a witness for Jesus Christ, relying on the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to give him the words. In the early church, the Greek word behind our English “witness” became synonymous with giving up one’s life for the faith. That word is martyr. Charlie Kirk is a witness—and a martyr—for Jesus Christ.

There are seasons when culture becomes corrupt through godless thinking. Ours is such a season, and we need more Charlie Kirks to stand up and speak. Of course, he has shown us the cost of such a stand. Each of us must summon our own courage and be responsible for our own witness. At times, Jesus spoke boldly, and at times, he remained silent (cf. John 18:33–37; Mark 14:61). We are called to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16ff.). Persecution will come. The days are evil (Ephesians 5:16). We are also called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13–16). Charlie Kirk rightly critiqued the church for too often hiding its light under a bushel and losing its saltiness.

It has often been said in moments like this: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Church history is replete with those who bravely faced the sword, imprisonment, stoning, wild beasts, fire, and the cross—all to bear witness in Jesus’ name. These are those “of whom the world is not worthy” (cf. Hebrews 11:35–38). Their martyrdoms never go unnoticed. They become beacons of greater faith and courage by those who share their beliefs. Not only does the Lord see their testimony, but so does a watching world. This is the paradoxical power of the cross and the crucified life. To the world it is foolishness, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Charlie Kirk’s ministry was called Turning Point. The name itself is inspirational, envisioning young adults recognizing their calling to be the change in this world. We are indeed in a time where we need a turning point—for our culture, our country, and our world—to turn back to God and to faithfulness to His Word. This too is a prophetic call. Just as 9/11/2001 became a turning point when many turned to the Lord in the face of horrific evil, may September 10, 2025, be the prescient moment of a turning point for renewed witness for Jesus Christ in the public arena.

Here Roosevelt’s words seem prophetic: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles… The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood… who errs, who comes short again and again… but who does actually strive to do the deeds… who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.” Charlie Kirk dared greatly, because he was the man who was actually in the arena.

Evil may think it has won a victory in silencing a compelling voice and extinguishing a bright light for God. But this is Satan’s downfall. The cross of Jesus Christ is the true victory. Those who pick up their cross and follow Him will overcome, tearing down the gates of hell “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death” (Revelation 12:11).