Charlie Kirk, aged 31, a husband and father of two young children has been assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University. Kirk was a devout Christian and founder of the grassroots conservative movement Turning Point USA (TPUSA), and a great once in a generation political talent. He founded TPUSA in 2012, shortly after dropping out of college. Despite his lack of higher education, Kirk brought an abundance of knowledge, skill, and charisma to American conservatism. Fostering that talent, Kirk grew TPUSA from a small organization into one of the most influential political organizations in America. TPUSA today has a presence on 3,500 campuses.
Kirk and TPUSA stood to defend the traditional Christian values and morals which are the basis of American and Western civilization; courageously and unapologetically, but with much civility. He valiantly spoke out against the great evils of our time, like the murder of the unborn, moral relativism, and an over-reaching government.
Kirk played a pivotal role in steering America back towards traditional values and truth by winning over the hearts and minds of America’s youth. To quote President Trump’s statement on Truth Social, in honor of Charlie, “[n]o one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.” Willing to engage in dialogue with youth, Kirk would famously place himself in college campuses and debate anyone and treat them respectfully even if he disagreed with them, and even if the people he was debating were rude and disrespectful. Kirk was one of the few public political figures to do so and could do it effectively. History has yet to reveal the impact of Kirk’s influence and tact on American political culture; many of his close friends and colleagues had held high hopes for his political aspirations.
Kirk, a stout advocate of civil debate until the moment of his tragic death, is an American patriot and a legend of the conservative movement; a symbol of nonviolent, civil dialogue. Kirk’s horrific assasination is a tragic end to a promising future and a devastating loss to America. There is no way of predicting the shockwaves his death will cause and its presence as an emblem of political violence.
One thing is for sure though, this is an extremely dangerous and volatile moment, no one should be killed on the basis of their speech, we cannot have a nation survive like this. So we are faced with one option as a nation: we have to be like Charlie and engage in respectful civil dialogue, and defend truth with courage and compassion. We cannot intimidate or use violence and assassinations when we disagree. If we go down a path of political violence our nation will cease to exist. As we remember this American legend, let us pray for the repose of his soul, let us pray that his family and friends find solace in the Lord, let us pray that God will bless America, and for an end to political violence.