The late Charlie Kirk, a prominent figure in conservative politics, is being remembered not only for his political influence but also for his unwavering Christian faith, which shaped every aspect of his life and work.
Since Kirk’s assassination in Utah last week, friends and mentors have highlighted his deep religious convictions. Among them, Dr. Frank Turek, a well-known Christian apologist, author, and radio host, shared a revealing anecdote in a YouTube video posted Tuesday, recounting how Kirk responded when donors urged him to downplay his faith.
“Donors would come up to him and say, ‘Hey, Charlie, we love all this conservative stuff. But keep the Jesus stuff out of it,’” Turek recalled.
Kirk’s response, Turek said, was unequivocal: “‘Give your money to somebody else, because without Jesus, we’re nothing. This is all about Jesus.’”
The story underscores the centrality of faith in Kirk’s work. Turning Point USA, the nonprofit organization he founded, reportedly raised more than $100 million annually, yet Kirk refused to compromise his Christian message for financial gain.
Turek connected Kirk’s approach to biblical teachings, quoting Matthew 10:32-33: “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”
Politics, Kirk reportedly insisted, was secondary to his religious mission. “He said recently, ‘Politics is peanuts compared to Jesus,’” Turek said. “It’s important, but it’s peanuts compared to Jesus.”
Kirk’s steadfast faith, coupled with his political influence, paints a portrait of a man whose convictions guided his public life as much as his personal one. Readers can view Dr. Turek’s comments in the YouTube video, with the relevant segment beginning around the 9:20 mark.
In short, Charlie Kirk consistently placed his faith above all else—a commitment that, tragically, made him a target for violence, even as some celebrated his death.
Reflecting on such loss, one might recall Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton’s famous words following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in April 1865: “Now he belongs to the ages.” Kirk, too, has left a legacy that transcends his earthly life.
As C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, Christians often achieve the greatest impact in a fallen world by keeping their focus on the next. “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next,” Lewis observed. “The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.”
Kirk’s life exemplified this principle. By keeping his eyes on Heaven, he sought to change the world around him, leaving a mark on politics, culture, and faith that will endure far beyond his years.