Sometimes, life as we know it, or think we do, goes off the rails—figuratively speaking. Catastrophic results turn our world upside down, and we don’t yet know the depth or width of the results.
Last week the world was rocked by the assassination of Turning Point’s charismatic leader, Charlie Kirk. This young man led a movement to allow young people to debate the issues of our time from the conservative Christian point of view. It is said he was responsible for bringing his followers to the polls in large numbers, convincing them that patriotism is indeed “cool,” that moral values are worth pursuing, that God and Jesus are indeed real and worthy of worship, family is important and vital to the health of our nation, and using good judgment and staying informed on the issues of the day are vitally important.
We may very well be at a watershed moment in our nation’s history when rhetoric is caustic, where opposition is strong, where name-calling without understanding the terminology, where political assaults bring hatred, and when ideas are demeaned rather than discussed. Politically, our nation is under attack by radical groups intent on cancelling first-amendment rights by mantras of repeated accusations without allowing for rational discussion.
Religious speech is first to fall in a totalitarian, socialist or Marxist society being advocated by extreme speakers and candidates at the moment.
While we may disagree, sometimes vehemently with Presidential leadership, vicious name-calling, disrespecting representative government, and violence are never useful and tear our nation apart. Unless we know history and the danger of fascism, communism, and Marxist ideology, we may be doomed to repeat is restriction of thought and discourse.
We are blessed to have the First Amendment of the Constitution, but many now turn to violent protest and hate speech which is not the intention of our nation’s founders who believed and practiced civil (ized) discourse.
Charlie Kirk believed in spiritual warfare and used civil discourse. He never raised his voice, never was confrontational, and listened more than he spoke. He relished in hearing opposing viewpoints and then, using scripture, Sophocles, Plato, and historical events, made his points clear.
He invited those with opposing viewpoints to speak one-on-one and always treated opposing points of view with respect, and taught his thousands of young people to emulate his strategy.
He used his engaging manner to win opponents over with his usual manner of one-on-one debate on issues. While he always knew he had opposition, and rather relished it, he also knew the risks.
He was Daniel heading into the lion’s den, and if he had fear for his safety, he rarely discussed it. Instead, after prayerfully considering options, he went to college after college, university after university intellectually challenging students, allowing for free expression of ideas on both sides.
He knew young people were being influenced by gaming sites and toxic websites spewing accusations that he was Fascist, radical, anti-gay, when in his demeanor and carefully chosen words, he was none of these.
His message was clear:
- everyone is made in the image of God,
- everyone is redeemable by the Lord Jesus Christ, and
- family values and national pride are positive elements.
He spoke truth to a generation of young people seeking to find true peace and principled direction for their lives.
In an eerily close likeness to the attempt on candidate Trump’s life, this young man’s assassin etched demonic messages on the bullets, crouched low on a rooftop, and took his best shot.
A beautiful young man’s life was lost. Lost to a loving wife, Erica, to his two beautiful children, to loving parents and a sister, and to thousands of staff and members of Turning Point USA.
He joined his Savior as yet another martyr, like the Biblical Stephen, for a righteous cause.
Is the train derailed? I think not. In the words of his grace-filled, talented, and determined widow, “He has no idea what he has unleashed. This movement will be stronger than ever.”
From an estimated thousand chapters of Turning Point USA in high schools and colleges, the most recent applications for new groups has reached 62,000! Just as assassinations in the past, notable in our civil rights struggles of the 1960’s, they fuel unexpected results.
While even in Palm Bay last week, opposition sought to quell a silent vigil at City Hall, people not only expressed their sorrow and their prayers anyway, and local churches were filled on Sunday morning in respect for Charlie Kirk’s devotion to the Lord’s message to our young people. His amazing Celebration of Life was viewed by millions in America and around the world. Many American leaders witnessed and testified to their faith, and revival has resulted from the tragic death of this thirty-one year old.
The book of Joel in the Bible says, our old men will see visions and our young men will dream dreams. We are seeing this fulfilled this week. Our President is bringing peace to our world by settling disputes and wars, sending interlopers with bad intentions back to their homes so we can hope for safety in our cities, addressed the scourge of drugs, invigorated our economy, and worked tirelessly to design a paradigm shift putting America first. He takes no salary, seeks to lift others to leadership, and is sharing his faith in God with the understanding that his life was spared to make a positive difference in this, his second term. He listens and learns, and researches. He values differing opinions. He brings people together. He has sacrificed much, to his credit.
Bipartisan cooperation could occur if more people followed Charlie Kirk’s methods of problem-solving, rather than calls to violence and protest. Perhaps the younger generation will continue his dream.
When God helped our ancestors created this nation, yes, under God, they trusted in Scripture, worshiped, wrote about and used the Ten Commandments to guide our laws and to write our early documents, they indeed saw the vision of what this nation could be, and millions of our young men and women have sacrificed to give us freedom.
The corruption of power, when men believe they are their own gods, have derailed and sullied our nation’s image for others seeking what was the American dream—that we are all created equal in the sight of God, and that His principles are to be followed or we risk the chaos we are now experiencing.
I believe Charlie’s widow is right, that this is a watershed moment. Just as national pride and determination resulted twenty-four years ago on 9/11, remembered at the same time of Charlie Kirk’s tragic death, an uprising of purposeful efforts to extend Turning Point USA has begun.
A phoenix has arisen from the flames of hatred in Phoenix, Arizona, and his legacy will grow even stronger.
New bridges of understanding and purpose will result from the death of this young man. We pray it will be so. Amen.
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