In Memoriam: Charles James Kirk, “Charlie”
By Nancy Carlson
There is no doubt that Charlie Kirk, in his short 31 years, changed the way young people think. Many of us older adults were taught to think critically during our youth — to challenge and question respectfully. But now, instead of being taught “how” to think, our young adults are being taught “what” to think. Charlie saw this, and from an early age had a plan to help young people think for themselves, to debate, and know the importance of living a Christ-centered life. He founded Turning Point, USA, at age 19 to turn around the direction of our youth and our country.
As Christians, we are taught not to judge those who don’t share our beliefs, but to share our faith with them. Charlie believed this as well. He didn’t judge. Rather, he shared his faith, and he had respectful dialogue with those who were willing to speak with him. He believed that one should live every moment with conviction. His statements were sometimes taken out of context, and he was accused of racism, homophobia and sexism. He knew that speaking out against evil came with a risk of violence, but he was unafraid. He said, “Courage is a choice, it takes no skill to be courageous.” He wanted to be remembered as having courage for his faith; and he believed that the purpose of life was to know Jesus and make him known.
On September 10th, Charlie was cut down by an assassin’s bullet while he was speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah – while he was doing what he loved: sharing his beliefs with students and encouraging respectful dialogue.
Charlie died at 12:24 p.m. John 12:24 quotes Jesus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Prior to Charlie’s death, there were 2,100 high school and college Turning Point USA chapters. In the less than two weeks since his death, there have been 32,000 requests to start new chapters. Over 90,000 people were present at his memorial in Arizona (some say 200,000), and there have been 7.49 million views of his memorial on his YouTube channel. Much fruit…
Although Charlie did not formally attend college, he completed over 31 of Hillsdale College’s online courses and became a master at debating and discussing his faith as well as such issues as responsibility, abortion, and sexual orientation, with many thousands of students in numerous countries. His “Prove Me Wrong” banners encouraged dialogue at his events.
Charlie wanted to be remembered for his courage for his faith. He believed that the “fight” is bigger than politics and wanted to help young people find their way to Christ. What he built will endure and grow exponentially. PROVE ME WRONG.