Assassinated Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was an unapologetic, unabashed champion of Christianity who is now being remembered as having “died for what he believed in.”
“Charlie died for what he believed in; he died for something greater than just himself,” Oklahoma pastor Jackson Lahmeyer told the New York Times. “We hope and we pray that Charlie’s death is not one in vain.”
“I don’t think there was anyone in Christian conservative circles who was not impacted by Charlie Kirk,” he added.
Jesus defeated death so you can live.
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) September 6, 2025
Nick Solheim, the chief executive officer of American Moment, agreed.
“Charlie Kirk was a patriot who loved God, his family, and his country above all else,” he said. “He inspired us and countless others in the conservative movement. Charlie was a once-in-a-generation trailblazer who will never be replaced.”
Terry Schilling, the president of American Principles Project, even likened Kirk to assassinated civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
“I’m racking my brain trying to think of another political figure that had a similar impact and following who was assassinated, and the only person I can think of is Martin Luther King Jr.,” he told the Times.
Schilling recalled being very impressed with Kirk while taking part in a 10-day fellowship at the Claremont Institute with him in 2021.
“I said, ‘Dude, when you are 35, I want to help you get elected president,'” he recalled. “He just shirked it off. But I meant it. I saw. This kid is not hype, he is real.”
Charlie Kirk was not just a MAGA icon. He was not just a Conservative Icon. He was an American Icon.
Charlie would have become President someday. I believe that. And the thought of that, along with the power of Charlie’s empire of people, young-and-old, his powerful media… pic.twitter.com/6FBmIYGUJq
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) September 11, 2025
Kirk, for his part, literally believed he was “nothing without Jesus.”
“I mean, I’m nothing without Jesus,” Kirk told podcaster Russell Brand last year, according to Fox News.
“I’m a sinner. I fall incredibly short of the glory of God. We all do. I gave my life to the Lord in fifth grade, and it’s the most important decision I’ve ever made, and everything I do incorporates Jesus Christ,” he added.
During his numerous visits to college campuses throughout the country, Kirk fiercely defended Christianity.
“The mechanisms of a religious society [are] good for everybody,” he said during one event in April. “When somebody walks around and thinks that you were created and that you’re not God, you tend to have better citizens.”
During another event earlier in the year, he also spoke of the joy and happiness that await believers.
“We as Christians have hope that we are going to see our loved ones again and that we will be in heaven and that we will be in perfect peace and that this is not it,” he said. “In fact, there’s something even better awaiting us.”
Charlie gave a clear testimony of his faith in Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour. To be absent from the body is to be present with the LORD. Charlie is in Heaven now. pic.twitter.com/YNIH8tNM9X
— Sue (@SimplySusie3) September 11, 2025
Appearing on Fox News last month, Kirk said that he believed America is in the middle of a spiritual revival.
“We are seeing Gen Z go back to church in record numbers,” he said. “We are seeing a Christian revival that should give everyone in this audience hope. It’s the greatest news happening in America right now.”
Responding to Kirk’s death, Pastor Jeff Schwarzentraub of the BRAVE Church in Denver expressed hope that some good would come of it.
“I think what the enemy intended for evil, the Lord will use for good,” he told the Times. “We will see what the Lord does through it.”
Shane Winnings of Promise Keepers, an evangelical men’s organization, meanwhile, warned that, alongside America’s spiritual revival, there’s also a spiritual war at play.
“Jesus told us this would happen,” he said. “There’s a real spiritual war going on.”
However, he remains more undeterred from his mission than ever before.
“When Jesus was killed and then rose from the dead and visited the disciples and he ascended, they moved forward and they spawned the early church,” he said. “I am more filled with determination than ever to continue the mission that I’m on.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.