The Assassination of Charlie Kirk Reveals not just What Happened, but Why it Matters — and the Imperative of Choosing Revival over Cultural Civil War
As we prepare to lay Charlie Kirk to rest in his public memorial at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday, our nation stands at the crossroads between revival or ruin. History will record the “what” of September 10, 2025, but our response must be grief without malice, truth without spin and courage without contempt.
Last week, I was about to board a flight to London when the tragic headline broke that Charlie Kirk had been shot. Within minutes, distressing videos were circulating across social media and millions of posts voiced grief, outrage and even shocking displays of jubilation. Before take-off, my wife Autumn opined on social media, “This could result in Civil War or Revival! May it be the latter.” That is the stark choice before us as a nation and the lens through which we must see this moment.
America has endured assassinations before – from President John F. Kennedy to Martin Luther King, Jr. – each leaving deep scars on the nation’s conscience. Yet this was the first to unfold in an era when a stunned global public could not only witness but also debate the senseless tragedy in real time, without perspective to process what we are seeing.
Being in London, a few steps removed from the non-stop American news cycle allowed me to focus less on the “what” and more on the “why.” In the wake of unspeakable tragedy, we need to turn to prayer before posturing and reflection before reaction.
To understand “why” is to confront a deeper cancer in American life. The public square, once a place for fair and reasoned debate, has hardened into a battlefield where opponents are no longer as fellow citizens to be heard but more as enemies to be destroyed.
Our polarized discourse has grown so toxic that some Americans, seemingly disconnected from reality and untethered from family, church and hope, now see violence as a permissible way of silencing voices they dislike: mistaking real life for a video game with endless resets. This is not the fruit of one ideology or party alone; it is the bitter harvest of years of contempt and fear – a poison that even affects the Church when leaders forget the biblical mandate to see enemies as neighbours “because he is like you.” Until we face that truth, this cycle will remain broken.
Long before social media sharpened our divisions, Billy Graham, whom I was privileged to serve as personal media spokesperson for nearly 34 years, was regularly sought out in moments of national shock – such as the Oklahoma City bombing and 9-11 attacks. Mr. Graham addressed the questions of “why” with sobering stewardship, aware that a grieving public was looking for leaders to steer them on the right path and to the right conclusion.
History teaches us that moments like this can either deepen divisions or awaken conscience. If our first instinct is to turn against each other, we will only hasten a descent into suspicion, recrimination, and despair. That path leads only to bitterness and a nation at war with itself.
Yet there is another way. This tragedy can become a mirror, forcing us to look not only at the culture around us but at the condition of our own hearts, calling us to resist losing our humanity or collective soul. It can prompt honest confession of the anger we too easily indulge, the contempt we too quickly spread and the fear that quietly drives us.
If we allow it, Kirk’s death can be a catalyst for a return to civility and morality in our culture. That renewal begins not with legislation or party platforms, but with kindness rekindled in our homes and neighbourhoods.
People would ask Charlie why he debated, to which he responded, “When you stop having a human connection with someone you disagree with, it becomes a lot easier to want to commit violence against that group. What we as a culture have to get back to is being able to have reasonable disagreement – where violence is not an option.”
In their tribute shortly after Charlie’s death, cultural influencers at The Conservateur noted, “More than anyone else in modern America, Charlie modelled what it meant to engage in civil discourse. His entire project was built on one conviction: that speech, not violence, was THE way to resolve our nation’s deepest divides and debates.”
Charlie repeatedly stated the most important thing in his life was Jesus, Who empowers those who are willing to love themselves and their enemies – or at least those with whom they disagree. His death has already sparked a national revival, as patriots, conservatives and leaders of all faith traditions are stepping up and leveraging moral clarity and context about his murder, reminding us that change begins in the heart before it takes root in society.
And myriad young people are volunteering to pick-up the “mic” from a generational leader who represented the balance of grace and truth that were the foundation of his Christian faith.
That is work we can begin today. It is the challenge that people of faith – and all citizens in America, especially the next generation – must now rise to meet. The future of our nation depends on it.
Larry Ross is President of A. Larry Ross Communications, a full-service agency founded in 1994 to provide crossover media liaison at the intersection of faith and culture. With more than 49 years' experience influencing public opinion, Ross has provided strategic counsel to numerous American evangelical leaders, including serving as personal media spokesman for evangelist Billy Graham for nearly 34 years and media representative for Pastor Rick Warren for over two decades.