The nation changed on September 10, 2025. An assassin’s bullet cut short the life of Charlie Kirk while he was speaking on a Utah college campus.
The coward who pulled the trigger chose political violence over debate. Reports indicate the weapon and its ammunition carried “anti-fascist” slogans — a chilling reminder that ideology now drives some Americans to kill.
Do what Charlie did. Do what Christ commands. Love your neighbor. Show grace. Demand justice — but refuse to become the thing you despise.
Charlie Kirk did not deserve to die. The founder of Turning Point USA was murdered for defending what he believed, walking into academia’s den of hostility, and calling students and faculty back to truth. He embodied both the American spirit and, more importantly, Christian faith. Kirk welcomed argument, offered the gospel, and lived it in an age when many Americans are turning away from Christ.
His wife should not be left without her husband, and his children should not be left fatherless. They certainly should not have to endure online mobs mocking and defaming their murdered husband and father. Yet, they do. Teachers, federal employees, even military personnel — people sworn to serve the public — joined in the sick celebration.
An active-duty Army captain called Kirk “a monstrous ghoul.” A Navy petty officer wrote “better luck next time friend.” An Army sergeant piled on. A Fort Bragg elementary school teacher employed by the Department of War branded him “a garbage human.” Most grotesque of all, a War Department supervisor posted that Kirk “got what he deserved,” sneering, “rest in pieces,” and warning that more killings could come for “those who choose to spread hate and division.”
This is not fringe behavior. It is radicalization in plain sight, coming from people in positions of trust. And it has metastasized. On the left-wing social platform BlueSky, users are openly fantasizing about assassinations of Ben Shapiro, Michael Knowles, Andy Ngo, President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Matt Walsh, J.K. Rowling, and more. When hate this brazen circulates unchecked, another attack is not hard to imagine.
Regardless of your opinion of Charlie Kirk — his politics, his faith, or his legacy — the American way of life rests on peaceful discourse and on the Judeo-Christian command to love our neighbor. That foundation is under assault.
But not all the signs are dark: Younger Americans are turning to Christ in increasing numbers. If anything can pull us back from the abyss of political murder, it is the renewal of faith.
Ephesians 4:26-27 admonishes, “In your anger do not sin: do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” Anger over this atrocity is justified. What we do with that anger will determine whether America chooses vengeance or redemption.
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Photo by Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images
Kirk wanted to be remembered as a man courageous in faith. To honor that, we must follow Christ’s example. Forgive those who dance on his grave. Forgive those who cheer for the next act of political bloodshed. Forgive even the soldiers, sailors, and public servants who lent legitimacy to his assassination with their words.
Forgiveness does not mean forgetting. It does not mean impunity. Without accountability, this poison spreads and more violence follows. But accountability can be Christ-like: firm, just, and free of vengeance.
So to those who read the online bile and feel tempted to answer hate with hate: Turn to prayer. Do what Charlie did. Do what Christ commands. Love your neighbor. Show grace. Demand justice — but refuse to become the thing you despise.
That is how we ensure the assassin’s bullet does not win.
Opinion & analysis, Opinion, Charlie kirk, Charlie kirk dead, Charlie kirk assassination, Justice, Forgiveness, Religion, Christianity, J.k. rowling, Donald trump, Jd vance, Ben shapiro, Andy ngo, Robert f. kennedy jr., Matt walsh, Michael knowles, Leftists, Freedom of speech
