I Learned This From Charlie Kirk

Don't Lie to People and Don't Give Up on Them

Civil debate is extremely rare in our country at the moment. Discussions are bitter, tempers run hot, and friendships across the aisle seem increasingly uncommon. In the midst of this atmosphere, there was a man I deeply admired for his willingness and ability to just talk it out. YouTube can be an absolute cesspool. X can be a maelstrom of fury. But right in the middle of it all, I would find Charlie Kirk having an actual conversation with an actual person.

One of the first things that sticks out about Charlie in these videos, even if they are only several seconds long, is that he really did like all those college kids (especially the purple-haired ones that told him he was a fascist white Christian nationalist bigoted Hitler Jr.). He took the time both to hear them out and to spar with them. He treated a no-name college student at Big State U like they were an adversary worthy of civil engagement, whether or not they expressed the same sentiments about him. And he genuinely loved them, something that many older folks (including this relatively young Marshwiggle) have struggled to do with what we consider to be a young crowd with a whole host of issues.

But Charlie's love did not have any room for compromise. He was as unabashed about reality as anyone I have come across. He told the truth about all the cultural pressure points (men cannot be women, abortion is murder, Christians cannot vote for people who support such nonsense, etc). And he was murdered for that. He was gunned down for being unwilling to do what so many in our day have been all too eager to do: he would not lie to people. He looked college students all around the United States in the eyes, and he refused to give them anything but the unvarnished truth.

This will be a significant part of Charlie Kirk's legacy. What is immediately obvious in hundreds of clips of his interactions is that he was entirely unembarrassed by the truth. This boldness and candor was a breath of fresh air to millions of people who were fed up with leaders and politicians (yes, even Christian ones) dancing around the truth. Those leaders made sure to qualify for 10 minutes and apologize if they ever got around to saying anything that might ruffle the feathers or anger the masses or disturb the Karens. Charlie did not have time for that. He was there to serve up the no-nonsense truth with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

We can all learn from Charlie in this regard. He did not come to campuses to posture in front of his fans. He came to deliver the truth about God's world that he really believed and really cared about to folks that could not be more opposed to him. That is admirable. And I pray that millions of young men and young women wake up and learn from his example. Tell the truth to people. Refuse to lie to them like Charlie Kirk refused to lie to them.

Speaking of young people waking up, that will be the other significant part of Charlie's legacy. While an abundance of people have given in to the temptation to despair over the up-and-coming generation with all their problems, Charlie Kirk never did. He spent himself on the grounds of the institutions that we all thought were already lost. The breeding grounds of leftism became the birthplace of a young movement that was likely responsible for and certainly massively impactful in the results of the 2024 election. And no one played a bigger role in that than Charlie Kirk.

In such a polarized environment, it has never been easier to give up on people. The urge to simply halt all dialogue with people that we think have already gone all the way off the deep end affects all of us. Why talk with someone when the chances of a productive conversation come in at about a half of a half of a percent? Just as he refused to lie, Charlie Kirk refused to give way to this type of thinking. He was relentless in his ground game with young people, his hunger for productive conversations, and his mission to convince the students of America to ask a few more questions and think a little harder before they sold out to leftism. That should prick all of us hand-wringers over the Gen Z-ers to the heart.

There will never be another Charlie Kirk. Those who knew him best have described him as a singular talent. The velocity at which he tore through the political atmosphere is astonishing, and we may not see anyone like him in the conservative movement for decades to come. But fear not. The God who made Charlie still sits on His throne. He is Lord of this nation and every nation, as I am sure Charlie would remind us if he were here.

So where do we go from here? This tragic and evil event feels like a knife in the back and a sucker punch all at once. The nation is deeply divided, and a man who gave his all to talk it out with all comers has been murdered. What now? Jesus is king, and this nation must hear His truth proclaimed with boldness. We cannot be ashamed of the truth. We dare not stutter over it or beat around the bush. Be like Charlie Kirk. Look people in the eyes and refuse to lie to them. And when it seems like you are surrounded by people who have had a few too many crazy pills, do not give up on them. Pray for them, love them, and prod them. Engage with them. Pour rocks into their shoes. Answer them according to their folly and be merry and glad while you do so. I learned that from Charlie Kirk.

Photo by Xiangkun ZHU on Unsplash