Scripture speaks of the men of Issachar, who “understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32). Yesterday, we lost such a man. Charlie Kirk understood what time it is in America, and he knew what that required.
Today, I’m trying to find words to explain to my three sons—sixteen, fourteen, and eleven—what Charlie Kirk’s death means, not just for our movement, but for them personally. This isn’t just another tragedy in the news cycle. This is the silencing of a voice that shaped their understanding of courage, faith, and what it means to be a man in this generation.
Though we never knew him personally, Charlie Kirk has been a fixture in our home. I’d often hear the sounds of Charlie debating leftists coming from my 16-year-old’s room when he should have been doing schoolwork. More often than not, I’d let it slide because he was probably learning more from Charlie anyway. We’d regularly watch his videos as a family and talk about his arguments. As parents trying to raise men our society so desperately needs, my wife and I were profoundly grateful for a voice we could trust in our sons’ lives, someone who embodied the courage and conviction we desperately want them to exhibit.
Charlie Kirk wasn’t just another conservative influencer my boys happened to discover. So many voices on the right are a mixed bag—admirable in some ways but unChristlike in others which make me hesitant to fully endorse them to my sons. Charlie was different. He was someone I could point to with complete confidence and say, “I want you to be like Charlie. I want you to be that kind of man who is willing to stand up and defend what he believes.” He was a cheerful warrior who always treated his opponents with the utmost respect and consistently encouraged young people to reject the toxic ideologies of victimhood and defeatism. In an age when so many young men lack strong role models, Charlie provided something vital: an example of boldness rooted not in arrogant machismo, but in his unwavering Christian faith.
What set Charlie apart from the crowded field of conservative activists was how his faith formed the foundation of everything he did. It’s easy to find fierce opponents of the left, people who wear their Christianity like a badge to build a conservative audience but don’t truly believe or live it out when the cameras aren’t rolling. For Charlie, his faith wasn’t a political accessory or brand enhancement. It was the wellspring of his conviction that propelled him into the culture war. He didn’t compartmentalize his faith—it was the engine that powered his courage and the lens through which he engaged every battle.
Too many Christians today view cultural engagement as a distraction from the gospel, as if standing against wickedness somehow diminishes our witness. Charlie demolished that false dichotomy. He made the culture war a platform for the gospel, never failing to share Christ at his events and point people to Jesus. He was an excellent apologist, skillfully answering objections to the faith with both intellectual rigor and genuine compassion. Charlie demonstrated that boldness in the public square and faithfulness to Christ aren’t competing commitments—they’re complementary callings. He showed my sons that being a Christian man means engaging the darkness, not retreating from it.
Charlie exemplified a boldness and courage so often lacking in the church today. While evangelical leaders remained silent or offered tepid responses to our culture’s moral chaos, he stepped into the arena with both conviction and grace. He taught a generation of young men that you can be fierce in your opposition to evil while remaining grounded in love for your enemies. This wasn’t mere political activism for Charlie. It was his Christianity in action.
The impact Charlie has had on my boys has been profound and lasting. They witnessed someone fearlessly articulating truth on hostile college campuses, never backing down and never losing his composure. They saw what it looks like to be unashamed of the gospel in a culture that mocks everything we hold dear. Charlie’s influence gave them language for their convictions and courage for their calling.
Now, as we process this devastating loss as a family, I pray that the blood of this martyred saint won’t weaken my sons’ resolve but strengthen it. I pray their roots will grow deeper, their spines straighter, their voices bolder. I pray that Charlie’s death will create a whole generation of young men who are that much stronger, that much more courageous. They’ve seen what it costs to stand for truth. Lord, let them not be intimidated. Let them be inspired. Let them be men of Issachar like Charlie.
The voice I could count on to reinforce what we were teaching at home is gone, but his influence continues to grow. In my sons’ determination to live with courage, in their commitment to engage rather than retreat, in their understanding that the gospel demands both grace and boldness, Charlie’s legacy lives on. He showed them what Christian manhood looks like in our generation, and they will carry that vision forward into theirs.
Charlie Kirk was a gift to our family and countless others. Though his voice has been silenced, the echo of his courage will reverberate through the lives he touched for generations to come.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
