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Six weeks ago, I sent an email to Charlie Kirk. It was an introductory email regarding a pro-life project I’ve been working on for a while. I did so because I knew Charlie was fiercely pro-life and he championed that cause based on his Biblical foundations. Charlie was also an excellent defender of Christian values and this project is Christian fiction. I never received a reply but I truly didn’t expect one, given Charlie’s busy life and how many inquiries I’m sure TPUSA gets regularly.

When I first saw a headline that Charlie had been shot at a campus event, I was shocked. Then I watched the video and was horrified. I followed the news reports and even before his death was announced, I found myself grieving. It’s been harder since he was declared dead.

About a week ago, my wife asked me how I was handling the death of my mother so well. I told her it was because we knew it was coming and had time to prepare. It doesn’t lessen the loss but it makes it easier to bare. I told her the hardest deaths to handle are the sudden, unexpected ones.

Charlie Kirk being so brutally shot was sudden and horrific. It was in a peaceful setting where thousands had gathered to see Charlie do what he normally did: engage in thoughtful and intelligent debate. Whether one agreed with Charlie’s views or not, he challenged assumptions and listened to the people he interacted with. Sure, he tried to convince people or win them over, but he also knew he couldn’t reach everyone. The point was to try.

And he was killed by someone who wasn’t willing to engage in debate, someone whose actions were driven by the need to permanently silence the debater. Regardless of whatever their actual motivations were, they proved themselves to be a cold and calculating coward. And whether or not they are captured and convicted, unless they repent before God and change, they will face the Lord’s judgment for their actions.

This death hurt me. It’s saddened me deeply, and not because of Charlie’s political positions or allies. There are countless other allies and commentators to champion those positions. But Charlie was so young — 31 years old — a husband, father of two young children, and a dedicated Christian man.

And no matter what his critics may say, Charlie Kirk wasn’t a hypocrite or a narcissist or a fascist. Fascists don’t debate. Fascists force their will on others through violence, intimidation, or lawfare. Not only did Charlie not have the means to do any of that, he had no desire to do so, either.

He was a kind, modest man who shared what was important to him. He never claimed to be perfect and chances are, the people who admired and respected him didn’t think he was, either. He just tried to make a difference in a productive way. He built a business from the ground up and used it to go to college campuses to engage in discussion with students and people in the communities he traveled to. He positively influenced millions of people, many of whom are now profoundly saddened by his assassination.

I pray for the people who are celebrating Charlie’s death. I hope they can someday see that reveling in the death of one or a hundred or a thousand isn’t just ghoulish and unproductive, it’s actually spiritually destructive to those who harbor such feelings. If we can’t mourn for a single loss of life because we didn’t agree with that person politically, we are in a dangerous place, mentally and spiritually. I pray to the Lord for mercy on our deeply divided nation.

Violence begets violence and hate only brings about more hate. People of Charlie’s beliefs are often associated with hate and violence, but his “war” was with ideas and conversations, using peaceful means. He never brandished physical weapons or used force. Instead, he used facts, real life examples, and the Bible that he’d committed to memory, combined with his gift with the spoken word.

People of Charlie’s beliefs didn’t hate and kill him.

He was just one man, but I believe the Lord allowed him to accomplish a great deal during his short life. And I also believe his legacy will be a wonder to behold long after this dark day.


For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. – Matthew 16:25 KJV
1 Comments
Susan - 9 months ago
Well said.

About the author

Allen Steadham is a nondenominational Christian. Happily interracially married since 1995 and the proud father of two sons and a daughter. He and his wife have been in the same Christian band since 1997. He plays electric bass, she plays strings, they both sing. It's all good.

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