USA (MNN) — Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed Wednesday while speaking at a public event on Utah Valley University’s campus.

He was holding not a gun, not a knife, but a microphone.

Kirk was a prominent political figure in America who consistently emphasized his faith in Christ and the biblical values that shaped his worldview and debates.

Greg Yoder, Executive Director of Keys for Kids Ministries, reflects on Kirk’s impact: “He had the uncanny ability, kind of like the Apostle Paul, of taking Scripture and proving Scripture to be absolutely true, but then infusing it into everyday culture and helping young people understand it. I think this is why he was targeted.

“He was actually convincing many of these young people that the ways of Jesus are the right ways of life.”

College students met around the country to pray for Charlie’s family and our nation. (GVSU – Photo: Joe Moss)

Kirk was known for practicing civil discourse and championing free speech on college campuses. His conservative convictions centered on faith, family, the sanctity of marriage, pro-life values, patriotism, justice, and individual freedom.

He willingly engaged with both supporters and critics, inviting students who disagreed with him to come talk at his table first.

Yet, even amidst differences of opinion, Kirk pointed young people to the Gospel. In an X post on September 6, just days before his assassination, Kirk wrote, “Jesus defeated death so you can live.”

Yoder says, “What I’m always amazed at is how he was depicted as some kind of monster and a hateful person, bigoted, etc. Clearly, they never watched any of his interactions with college students because he loved them. I mean, even those that criticized him and called him horrible names. He just smiled and said, ‘Well, you know, you have the right to say that. I love you. Jesus died for you.'”

American Christians are largely unfamiliar with physical persecution. Kirk’s assassination serves as a stark reminder that anyone who is a loud voice for biblical values may become a target for physical violence.

Yoder points to the truth of Ephesians 6:12: Our wrestle is not against flesh and blood.

“This is a time to mourn — not just for Charlie Kirk, but our culture, which is dying without Jesus,” Yoder says. “If the culture can lie and be convincing enough to tell someone they don’t know what gender they are, or that what’s evil is good and what’s good is evil, we know that this is the spiritual battle that Scripture is so clear about talking about.”

According to Barna Research, Generation Z is experiencing a spiritual revival. American churches are seeing young people coming back in droves, seeking out spiritual truth and answers to life’s questions.

At this pivotal cultural moment, young believers are asking, “How am I going to use my voice for truth for Christ?”

It looks like picking up the microphone and engaging in hard spiritual conversations — as Yoder puts it, “sharing your faith boldly and lovingly in this marketplace of ideas.”

Charlie Kirk (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

He asks, “Now the question is, who’s next? Who will join Charlie in declaring the liberating power of the Gospel, and using that to help form a political guide? We as Christians still live in this world. Are we to be influencers in the world? I think we are.”

If you want more biblical resources to encourage young people, check out the Keys for Kids devotionals and Unlocked devotions for teens.

Yoder also urges, “Obviously, we need to be praying for Charlie’s family, his wife Erika, his two kids, his friends, his close family, and those shaken by the event. There were so many young people there that saw this, and they’re not going to ever forget it.

“We need to be praying for ourselves, praying for our churches, and praying for those that are going to be responding in light of all of this that’s happened — and being reminded of the fact that God is still on the throne.”

 

Header photo: Charlie Kirk speaking with attendees at the 2022 AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Caption, photo courtesy Gage Skidmore/Flickr: https://tinyurl.com/4z9jey33)