I first met Charlie Kirk more than a decade ago, and then got to know him on a personal level starting in 2019 with our founding of Liberty University’s Standing for Freedom Center. We were a small band of Christian teachers and influencers with a mission: to bring the Christian worldview to students by meeting them where they’re at, much like Charlie was already doing.
What struck me then was not only Charlie’s quick wit and courage to speak the truth, but also his unshakable conviction that ideas mattered because truth itself matters. One of the first dinners we had as a group, we closed the restaurant because we were discussing and debating ideas. Even in his early years, Charlie’s faith in Christ gave him clarity and resolve. But it was when Erika entered his life that I saw something even deeper.
From the moment Charlie met Erika, his admiration and love for her were undeniable. He often said she made him better—not just as a man, but as a follower of Christ. She encouraged him to speak more openly and unapologetically about his Christian faith. Marriage and family transformed him. It gave his mission a new dimension. Charlie didn’t just defend conservative principles; he lived out biblical ones. His message to young men and women became clear: marry young, build families, raise children, and anchor your life in God’s design. This wasn’t about political engagement, it was about total life transformation starting with the truth of the gospel. Charlie wasn’t content to debate culture from the sidelines. He wanted to model a redeemed life in real time.
This is what Hebrews 11 and 12 remind us. The writer of Hebrews recounts the men and women who lived by faith—Abraham, Moses, Rahab, and so many others—who trusted God even when they couldn’t see the outcome. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Charlie’s life was a modern testimony to that kind of faith in action. He walked boldly, trusting God with the battles he fought in culture and politics, knowing that truth was worth standing for, even when it came with opposition.
We see this same faith in action reflected in generations of faithful Christians through the ages who have come before us, and of every age like Charlie Kirk, John MacArthur, and James Dobson who were our contemporaries, modeling the Christian life and encouraging those of us who are still living to model Christ and live in Christ as well.
Now, Hebrews 12 gives us a vision of what comes next: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.” Charlie has joined that great cloud of witnesses. His race has been run, and his faith has been made sight. Generations that follow will read of Charlie’s faith, John MacArthur’s faith, Dr. Dobson’s faith, like we read of Schaeffer and Spurgeon and Luther and of those actually listed in the Hall of Faith.
So for those of us still here, the call is what it has always been until Christ returns or we are called home: 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩. Charlie’s life was not meant to be admired from afar but to encourage us to run our own race with endurance. He showed us what it looks like to live with conviction, to love faithfully, to speak boldly, and to endure hardship for the sake of the gospel. His testimony was not limited to conservative politics—though he fought hard for those values because of his faith—it was rooted in his love for the Lord and his desire to see a generation raised in faith and truth.
Charlie was, at his heart, an evangelist. He pointed young people to Jesus not only through his words but through the testimony of his marriage and family. He knew that the strength of a nation rests on the strength of its families, and the strength of families rests on the truth of God’s Word. His voice was prophetic, not because he sought attention, but because he sought to redirect attention to the Author of all truth.
We mourn today because we have lost a leader, a friend, and a brother in Christ. But we also rejoice because Charlie’s legacy, like that of all Christians, is eternal. He is not silenced. His witness continues in the messages he spoke, the lives he touched, the young men and women who took his counsel to heart, his friends and family, the believers who were emboldened by his example, and the newly inspired tens of thousands who his death has emboldened.
Charlie’s passing also reminds us that life is short, but eternity is forever. Just weeks ago, I attended John MacArthur’s memorial, where his son recalled being asked by his father, “Are you ready to die?” This is the key question for every person. Are you ready to meet the Author of all things? John MacArthur was. Charlie Kirk was.
Are we?
Jesus says in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both the soul and the body in hell.”
The best way to honor Charlie is not merely by remembering his words, but by living them out—by standing for truth, by loving faithfully, by raising godly families, and by running the race with endurance until we, too, are welcomed home.
Charlie Kirk lived his faith in action. He has finished his race. We grieve because he was too young, but we grieve in the hope of knowing he is living eternally with our Lord and Savior. And now, along with the great cloud of witnesses, he points us to Christ and calls us forward. Let us run with endurance, looking unto Jesus. As MacArthur reflected in his last sermon, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭.
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