Charlie Kirk was a tremendous blessing to our generation.
Not often do you see a young man so ambitious, humble, driven, responsible, with vision and that makes such an impact that expands so big and wide in the lives of so many. Culturally and spiritually.
Charlie had early beginnings before founding the largest “American nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses.”
His involvement in culture and speaking out, facilitating conversations and fighting for faith and freedom started as a teenager in high school standing up to and calling out teachers for teaching propaganda, factually incorrect data and skipping over parts of history and only focusing on certain things. He continued to grow as he grew older in age and wisdom from a physical standpoint but also as he grew in the Lord, read good books, had good people around him and continued to boldly stand for truth and educate others.
Charlie Kirk was the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, a national student movement dedicated to identifying, organizing, and empowering young people to promote the principles of free markets and limited government.
He so boldly, yet with such grace, humbleness, zeal and conviction facilitated conversations with many people, especially on college campuses, on a myriad of topics – from abortion, the government, socialism, morality, the education system, etc. He asked questions, allowed others to ask questions and stood his ground. He spoke truth with such grace, love and respect.
So many were given food for thought and their eyes were opened to truth. He dealt with many types of people – those on the fence about important issues, those who agreed with him, and those who just spoke out to be heard and to argue, yell and be disrespectful.
Personally, I attended a local political conference many years ago when I was in high school where many different topics were discussed, and someone introduced me to one of the speakers who was affiliated with Charlie Kirk, spoke at his events and knew him. We had a brief conversation and he told me about the Young Women’s Leadership Summit that Charlie held in the Summer, and that I should attend. That was my introduction to Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA. I’m so so grateful for the introduction.
Since high school I have loved being involved and informed politically in various ways (after two classes I took called Worldview Foundations and Understanding the Times in high school), so Turning Point was another great opportunity to connect with other like minded young people, learn, be informed and grow.
My first Turning Point USA event I attended was America Fest. I attended the very first one too, which was special. And I eventually did attend the Young Women’s Leadership Summit, the last one before he died in fact. June 2025 in Texas. That was the last time I got to see Charlie in person.
The grief and loss I felt the day it went from, “Charlie Kirk was shot,” to “Charlie Kirk has died.”
It felt like I lost a big brother.
His life was taken for his bold stance for truth, but his legacy and all that he taught us will live on, as we continue to, in Charlie’s words, “pursue the eternal” ultimately.
Sometimes you don’t realize the incredible impact a person has until they’re gone. And I never knew him personally, but there’s always a connection by the Spirit for those who are in Christ Jesus, and he truly understood the youth and young adults of today; took the time to hear, really listen, develop, train, immobilize, have conversations, change minds, encourage, inspire and empower this generation. He knew that we were the future and that we had to be taught and sent out in a culture that propagated lies; a culture of confusion and one that wanted to dumb us down and create robots and compliant citizens that didn’t create a ruckus or push back, and just willingly and blindly followed the government and fell into the schemes and plans of the radical elitists who hate America and want to destroy her from the inside out.
However, “he believed America’s future depended on raising up a generation who would NEVER SURRENDER.” A generation of soldiers, fighters and warriors for the Lord – carrying His truth in the midst of so many lies and deceit; for freedom; those who would pursue the eternal, follow God’s plan, get married and raise families who would disturb the cultural narratives and proclaim truth, fight and raise the next generation of godly leaders.
His Fight for Life
Charlie Kirk boldly spoke for life without apology and against abortion – the intentional killing of life in the womb.
He partnered with SFLA (Students for Life of America), which is “a large national non-profit, anti-abortion organization in the United States. It recruits, trains, and mobilizes middle school, high school, college, and university students to advocate against abortion.”
“Kirk’s partnership with Students for Life of America (SFLA) on causes such as exposing abortion vendors, in what SFLA’s Kristan Hawkins has described as the “David v. Goliath” battle, underscores his commitment to protecting Life at all stages. Kirk and Hawkins teamed up in an ad designed to air during the Super Bowl, to draw max attention to defunding Planned Parenthood once and for all.”
He used his platform through social media,Turning Point USA events and all his many conversations on college campuses as opportunities to bring up this topic with students and adults alike, to listen, allow them to ask questions, and share the truth about abortion. Not simply stating how abortion is wrong but that life starts at conception, breaking down fetal development, and that abortion intentionally murders children and has wiped out generations of people in the name of “women’s rights, and “my body, my choice.”
Charlie understood that the fight for life involved not only making statements amongst those who already agree that life is sacred and starts at conception, but getting busy at state and federal levels, and educating this generation with the truth, especially those who were on the fence or who were passionately pro-abortion. Combatting the mass indoctrination that has poisoned society, making us believe that pregnancy is a disease; you can’t be a mother and have a career or that you should put off getting married and having children to do what you want to do, which in turn results in less babies, less family growth and potentially less pregnancies as women get past the age of bearing children in the name of selfishness and career building.
He understood that open conversations and intentional education could bring change. That hearts and minds could be changed and that speaking the truth in love and with compassion could bridge the gap and help people to see that abortion is murder and should be illegal, and that there’s so much more to the fight than simply making it illegal, but also serving women.
He also called out pastors and how they ought to be speaking out about the prolife issue and educating their congregation on prolife policies and why abortion is indeed murder.
I believe two of his biggest contributions to the fight for life were his partnership with Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America and taking conversations to students, even when met with hostility.
His Fight for America & the Family
Charlie spoke on college campuses, social media, podcasts, conferences, etc about the fight for the family and America.
He knew and recognized that “the powers that be” have had an agenda to break down the God established family unit through various means, and he often spoke on and encouraged young people to “get married, have children, build a legacy, pass down your values, pursue the eternal, seek true joy.” Every conference where I got to hear him speak he always talked about how much he loved the gift of marriage and combatted the idea that you should do what you want and live it up then get married later in life. Charlie knew that marriage and family changes you, grows you up, helps you to be selfless and is the foundation of a thriving society. And he understood that one way we win against the liberal agenda for America and the breakdown of the American family is to get married.
The left and those who have been pushing an agenda and wanting to break up the family know that solid, God-fearing families are important, and Charlie understood that this generation needed to hear truth that would combat every lie and seed of deception that has been propagated against God’s design for marriage and family.
Charlie actively fought with and endorsed those who would fight for family and godly values in our nation. He always invited guests to speak at his conferences that stood for truth and that could inspire this generation to stand, fight and speak truth.
Charlie greatly inspired a generation to get involved to conserve godly truths and principles in a culture increasingly spewing lies and propaganda that too many have fallen for and been blinded by. He so passionately worked for a better future for the coming generations; worked so tirelessly to equip and train this current generation and truly walked alongside us, emboldening us to boldly speak truth and the gospel in the marketplace.
Charlie knew that as Christians we are called to fight evil, and he so courageously lived that out day after day.
His Faith
I personally could always see his passion and heart for the Lord and spreading the good news of the gospel. At the core of everything was his desire to see people come to Christ and experience life in Him.
In an interview with TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network), Charlie said this: “the most important thing that a human being can focus on is winning souls for Jesus Christ.”
On Instagram, he wrote, “I believe in the Bible, and I believe that Christ rose from the dead on the third day. This is the foundation of my faith and guides my actions.”
He was always ready to share and give a reason for his hope in Christ (1 Peter 3:15).
He always spoke about pursuing eternity, being obedient to Christ and being uncomfortable for the sake of Christ.
I remember going to America Fest in 2023, and on the first day Charlie spoke about being obedient to Christ and spoke on the words, “Here I am” (Isaiah 6:8). He spoke from and about the Word of God and how our true citizenship is in heaven. He spoke about how he loved the Bible, challenged the crowd to read it daily, and how God’s Word is our instruction manual for life. I would often hear him talk about how applying scripture and its wisdom to your life will always make your life better (paraphrased). He said this; “every major question you might be wrestling with, there is an answer in the Word of God.”
You could see his continued humbleness and obedience to Christ as he walked out what God called him to – sharing the gospel, raising children to revere the Lord, fighting for truth, and equipping the next generation.
In everything, you could truly see that he loved the Lord, His Word and had a heart towards the Lord and pursuing the eternal, as he would so often talk about.
He always brought key biblical verses and people (such as Jeremiah 29:7; Daniel, Mordecai, Esther, etc) when explaining why being involved in culture and fighting for freedom and biblical values and principles is important and biblical. His faith in Christ informed and drove him in his fight for America and mission to equip, educate and impart the gospel to the young people of today in order to preserve truth and God’s Word for future generations.
What We Can Learn
Personally, his boldness, conviction and passion for truth encouraged and inspired me. He inspired and challenged me to always speak truth, initiate conversations, read good books, be educated and informed, ask questions, get uncomfortable, stand tall and strong on God’s Word, rest in Him, be obedient, pursue the eternal, live radically for Christ and always have an attitude of “Lord, here I am.”
Charlie led by example in speaking and living out God’s Word in the way he spoke to and treated people, in how he pointed others back to Christ and what’s important; and you could so clearly see his heart – to serve God, his country and equip the next generation of leaders and world changers for Christ.
We can learn from Charlie by also taking on the attitude of turning our eyes on eternity and focusing on what truly matters. We can follow his example in reading and studying literature and continuing educating ourselves, studying God’s Word, having good mentors in our lives; in speaking boldly on a myriad of topics with people, standing on truth and not backing down, and trusting God with the rest.
Charlie demonstrated before us how to tactfully engage the culture through our words, prayer and in being obedient to Christ as we follow His plan for our lives.
As we reflect on Charlie’s life and legacy, and on how he lived his life to glorify God and point others to truth, let us examine ourselves to see whether we truly be in the faith first (2 Corinthians 13:5), seek the eternal and His will for us; boldly speak up and stand up for truth, intentionally engage in conversations with those around us about things that matter starting with the good news of the gospel and eternity, and live with a heart posture of surrender to God and whatever He has called us to in these last and evil days (Ephesians 5:15, 16), even if it means losing our lives for the sake of the gospel.
