Charlie Kirk was assassinated two weeks ago by Tyler Robinson a resident of Utah. The mainstream media has used the assassination as a political football.
Charlie co-founded Turning Point USA to support conservative ideology primarily on high school, college, and university campuses. He was a superstar in high demand among millennials. Charlie was naturally authentic and shared equal amounts of energy and new ideas.
Charlie’s life and death drove not only political skirmishes between the left and right but also raised questions about the relationship between politics and religion, or to be more precise Christianity. To be sure, left media have labeled Charlie’s faith as “religion” while the right have described his beliefs as faith in Jesus Christ.
Remember when they told us not to discuss politics and religion in public? Well, after Charlie trusted Jesus as his Savior and Lord, he began answering God’s call to reach the world for Christ particularly among millennials. Charlie was a natural debater and could recite reems of facts on demand. He relished having conversations with others who challenged his beliefs.
Charlie was raised in the Chicago suburbs of Arlington Heights and Prospect heights. He saw no problem drawing Jesus into conversations about political issues. Charlie recognized a restlessness among his peers who were being essentially brainwashed in school to accept radical norms about gender fluidity and other social issues. Woke ideology had become solidly entrenched in education by the time Charlie began challenging anyone to debate his beliefs.
Charlie and TP-USA moved below the radar of many in the older generations until the 2024 presidential election. As he built his organization, he reached out to many conservatives including key players in the Trump campaign. President Trump himself admitted how impressed he was with this young man who had an effective way of recruiting followers to his cause.
Under the bright lights of a presidential campaign, President Biden’s supporters began to melt like an ice cream cone on a hot day. Biden himself melted every time he ventured into public. By comparison Trump’s rallies were like massive coronations. Pollsters began to notice how millennials were flocking to Trump, especially young men of all races. It had been a long time since millennial men had moved toward the conservative side.
The media never made a direct connection between this millennial move and TP-USA, but the Trump campaign did, and they rode that horse all the way to the White House. Of course, Charlie knew what was happening and began cashing in some of his good will chips to expand his ministry. President Trump has acknowledged many times how Charlie had become like a son to him. Each man made an indelible impression on the other for the good of both.
Charlie Kirk wanted most of all to be remembered as a follower of Jesus Christ, a faithful husband to Erika, and loving father to his two young children. This past Sunday thousands remembered Charlie that way. Moreover, they recognized Jesus Christ’s hand in Charlie’s ministry.
The media so wanted TP-USA and Charlie Kirk to be about politics. They could twist “facts” about Charlie and make him look like Elmer Gantry. But Charlie’s strong authenticity befuddled the media. His followers saw Charlie and Jesus as authentic. TP-USA has truly become God’s turning point for America.
Daniel L. Gardner is a syndicated columnist who lives in Starkville. His e-mail address is [email protected].
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