Lessons from Charlie Kirk

September 10th, 2025, began as a beautiful day in Orem, Utah, about 39 miles south of Salt Lake City. The campus of Utah Valley University was abuzz with activity, a crowd of around three thousand people eagerly awaiting the appearance of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point, USA, who was scheduled to speak as a part of his “Prove Me Wrong” tour of college campuses across the United States. Kirk was widely known for inviting anyone to step up to the microphone and ask him questions or debate him on political and social issues. Neither Kirk himself, nor any of the members of the audience, were aware that Charlie would soon be asked the final question of his life.

Photo by Gage Skidmore

At 12:23 PM, as Kirk was discussing a question about mass shootings, a shot rang out. Kirk was struck in the neck, and the world was forever changed. A prominent political activist, focused on reaching America’s young adults with the truth of God’s word, had been brutally assassinated in front of a massive crowd of onlookers, which included Charlie’s wife, Erika, and their two small children. As horrific as this event was, what followed was perhaps even more shocking.

Beginning mere moments after the news of the shooting got out, a wave of vile and disgusting comments began to surge online. Social media was flooded with content openly celebrating the murder of a man whose entire livelihood was based on reaching across the political and cultural divide in order to speak candidly, honestly, and above all, kindly with those who opposed his beliefs. Charlie Kirk’s consistent methodology when conducting his debates had been to listen carefully to the questions posed to him and to follow with a well-mannered, civil response. More often than not, his answers drifted into the realm of discussion and debate rather than simple Q&A. It was not at all uncommon for his adversaries to approach the mic with hostility, but Kirk’s replies and rebuttals were consistently kind and well-measured. The same cannot be said of the deluge of vulgar tweets, videos, and comments made by his detractors in the wake of his death.

Then something unprecedented happened: for the first time since the dawn of social media, conservative voices united. They came together in an outpouring of love and sympathy for Charlie’s widow and their children. They came together in condemning the hatred and lies being directed at Charlie Kirk. Many united in a heated and controversial backlash directed towards those who had been celebrating this horrific crime, exposing these hateful comments to the employers of those who had made them, a tactic referred to as “doxxing.” As a result, an indeterminate number of individuals lost their jobs because of the vile comments they had made. Not gonna lie… I was fully in support of it.

Eleven days after the shooting, on September 21st, 2025, Charlie Kirk’s public memorial service was held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The 73,000 seat stadium was packed to overflowing as over 200,000 people came to honor the life of this great young man. Tens of thousands hoping to observe in person were directed to an overflow venue, while over twenty million viewers watched online and on TV. Numerous members of Kirk’s Turning Point USA organization spoke at the service, as well as several prominent politicians, including the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who was a personal friend of Charlie Kirk. 

The most emotional moment of the ceremony came as Erika Kirk took the stage and spoke words of remembrance and love for her late husband. In the course of her comments, it was perhaps inevitable that she should find it necessary to speak about the shooter. “That young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not to hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”

In the days since the memorial service, the online furor has predictably abated, moving as always to the next clickbait headline or outrage of the week. I chose to delay writing this article until now because, to be honest, I was far too angry to be objective or reasonable. I went on my own personal little tirade via social media after Charlie Kirk’s murder, and while I believe I spoke truly, I must admit that I did not speak kindly. 

I am no Charlie Kirk.

I, like many others, have found some solace after the memorial service. If Erika Kirk can publicly forgive the man who murdered her husband in cold blood, surely I, having never even met Charlie, can get over myself enough to write a reasonable essay about what I have learned from his passing. As it turns out, scripture has numerous lessons for us in the wake of this horrible tragedy.

We should not be, and perhaps may not be, surprised that someone would wish to kill a man such as Charlie Kirk. After all, we see the evils of the world plastered in front of us every day in the news, on social media, and even in entertainment. A crazed lone gunman going after a prominent political figure is not without precedent in the US. Charlie Kirk is only the latest in a long line of shootings of American political figures: 

Presidents Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy were all killed by shooters. Other politicians likewise murdered include Huey Long, Robert F. Kennedy, Harvey Milk, Leo Ryan, Eunice Dwumfour, and Melissa Hortman, along with her husband. Political activists have been assassinated as well, including Lamar Smith, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Fred Hampton. 

Assassins aren’t always successful, as several intended victims were mercifully spared from death. These include President Ronald Reagan, Gabrielle Giffords, Steve Scalise, Josh Shapiro, and current US President, Donald Trump - twice! Those of us growing up in the 1980s even recall an attempt to kill Pope John Paul II. While this occurred in Vatican City rather than the US, it underscores the reality that monsters who would resort to violence in an attempt to silence a powerful voice will target literally anyone, no matter how much good their target may have done for humanity.

It would not be incorrect to suppose that Jesus Christ was also a victim of political assassination, from a certain point of view.

Sadly, we cannot truly say that we are surprised by the actions of a lone gunman. But what about the cesspool of hate and vitriol which was proudly displayed in celebration of Charlie Kirk’s murder? I was certainly shocked by these posts. The evening I learned of them, I sat in a truly bewildered state of rage as I saw post after post being highlighted as the originators were being outed for their truly contemptible statements. I heard that a website with a searchable database was being set up which included up to an alleged fifty thousand names, all being doxxed for celebrating Charlie’s murder. My rage continued, unabated, until…

…I recalled the following passages of scripture: 

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” ~1 Peter 4:12-14

“Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.” ~1 John 3:13

In the end, God was not surprised by either the killing of Charlie Kirk, nor the onslaught of horrid comments which followed. We shouldn’t be surprised, either, because the Bible explicitly warns us of exactly this kind of thing:

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…” ~2 Timothy 3:1-4

Now that I have regained some composure and found a place of relative calm, I must admit to reacting initially with uncontrolled anger. Justifiably? Perhaps. It was a brutal and horrific crime, after all, and I am but a man. And not even a particularly good one, if I’m honest. 

But I thank God for Erika Kirk, who in the midst of her grief and pain, was given the divine strength required to forgive the young man who took Charlie’s life. In so doing, she set an example for the rest of us to follow. For me to follow. It’s a lesson drawn directly from the words of Jesus himself as He explains to His disciples how they should pray, how they should forgive, and of the danger we place ourselves in if we fail to forgive those who hurt us. Christ paid the ultimate price for my own forgiveness. How then, can I not follow His example?

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

~Matthew 6:15

And Christ doesn’t stop there. Ignoring our (or at least my own) personal comfort, Jesus takes it a step further, telling us to love - not just forgive, but love - our enemies.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” ~Matthew 5:43-47

“But love your enemies, do good… hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” ~Luke 6:35-36

But what about the website dedicated to doxxing tens of thousands of people for making sickening comments about this brutal murder? It seems that it is no longer in operation. I’ve had some difficulty following up on it, but it seems that the registrars of the domain (the people who essentially rent out the server space for websites) have taken it down. Whatever justification I felt for people being forced into accountability for their despicable actions has faded, and I can only hope that this same sentiment is to be found in the hearts of Ryan Fournier and others who were organizing this site to begin with. Scripture is clear on the matter. 

And I must ask myself, “What would Charlie have wanted?” Almost assuredly, he would have said that we should follow Jesus. We must, as Erika demonstrated… forgive.

Some lessons hit harder than others.