The Charlie Kirk Assassination: Unleashing a Turning Point Revival?

Charles James “Charlie” Kirk was assassinated by a 22-year-old gunman at 12:23 PM, Wednesday September 10, at an outdoor rally before thousands of students at Utah Valley University. The suspected killer was apprehended within days after an extensive manhunt and will probably face the death penalty.

I was leading an outreach meeting for my Class of ’71 classmates when phones began to buzz about the tragic events unfolding. The time and place is now etched in our minds as it was during the JFK assassination (1963), the Reagan attempted assassination (1981), and the 9-11 terrorist attacks (2001).

We ended our meeting by praying for Charlie’s family and movement while beseeching God for revival in America.

Has a turning point revival been unleashed in America?

The Charlie Kirk Assassination: Unleashing the Turning Point Revival?

This is a kairos moment (“critical and opportune situation”) in U.S. and possibly world history.

Details are emerging every hour about Charlie’s Kirk’s tragic death at the age of 31 (fifteen years younger than JFK was when he was shot). In this article I’d like to explore the meaning of his murder and what our response should be.

I will do it in question form for clarity.

Who was Charlie Kirk? 

He was born in 1993 in at the end of the millennial generation (Gen Y) and raised in a Chicago suburb by a church-going family. He gave his life to Jesus at age 11, and launched Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in 2012 at age 18 from his garage during the middle of the Obama era.

TPUSA’s focus was to mobilize American youth for social and civic transformation in the USA.

Charlie was tall (6’5″), wise beyond his years, charismatic, fearless, and a “once-in-a-generation” talent who, in a short 13 years, built a passionate movement of faith-based government reformers. He married former Miss Arizona Erika Frantzve in 2021, and they have a three-year-old daughter  and one-year-old son.

Why are so many Christians unfamiliar with Charlie Kirk?

The Body of Christ on earth has three major roles: 1) Evangelistic – sharing the Good News of Jesus with all people, 2) Pastoral – training and nurturing  believers in Jesus and leading in mercy and works of compassion, and 3) Prophetic – being “light and salt” in the culture and training Jesus’ followers to live their faith in every sphere of life 

Charlie was primarily called to the “prophetic” dimension of the Church which has been minimized in the 21st century by ignorance of God’s mission in the world, seeker-sensitive churches (fear of man), and persecution by atheist/secular forces. Millions of American Christians are “unengaged” in the cultural war for America.

Charlie Kirk was not.

Was he “hateful” of other people and ideas?

No. This is a continuing lie from a corrupt media and the online “sewer.” Charlie Kirk was known as the “Happy Warrior” who believed in tactful, courteous debate of important issues and hearing other people’s opinions. Thousands flocked to hear him and other TPUSA leaders on high school and college campuses because he offered freedom of speech and healthy debate” that many professors denied.

Even at home, his wife said she never heard him raise his voice in their four years of marriage.

Kirk’s killer didn’t believe in free speech, and according to the FBI, posted on social media prior to the murder, “Some hatred can’t be negotiated with.”

Is sharing your heart-felt convictions on any subject “hatred” or “criminal?”

No. Only totalitarians (radical atheists, communists, socialists etc.) believe that “if you don’t agree with me then you’re a hater and I can harm or kill you.” Free speech is not criminal. It’s a mark of liberty and loving diversity. 

Why was he targeted for assassination?

Miriam-Webster defines an assassination as “the willful, sudden, or secret killing of a prominent or important person, typically for political, ideological, or religious reasons.”

Charlie Kirk received many death threats in his young life because he was a major cultural influencer (especially among youth) for faith, family, and freedom in the USA. His grassroots involvement in the 2020 election was pivotal to the Trump-Vance election (who support traditional American values). He was the natural inheritor of the MAGA movement after J.D. Vance. 

Some people believe he could have become president of the United States in 10-15 years. That’s why he was targeted.

Who is responsible for his murder? 

I see at least three influences behind the Charlie Kirk murder: 1) The demonic world headed up by Satan or Lucifer. They deceive vulnerable human hearts. 2) The progressive movement in America including the Democratic Party and left wing academia. Their megaphone is ten times greater than faith-based Americans, and 3) The left wing media, including numerous vitriolic social media websites and chat rooms.

There is only one cause of the assassination: A disturbed and angry 22-year old male who committed murder and deserves the death penalty for it.

Why is America so polarized in the 21st century?

Because half of America still holds to the biblical worldview that made the United States great, godly, and prosperous. The other half want to destroy America’s heritage and usher in socialism/communism/totalitarianism. We are in the midst of a cultural “Civil War” similar to the War Between the States over slavery. 

Charlie Kirk was martyred in the fight to rebuild “In God We Trust” in American society.

What is the solution to the division in our nation?

One side will win (ascend in influence) and the other will lose (and diminish). This is a battle of ideas, of worldviews, of competing faiths.

What might be the positive effects of Charlie Kirk’s death? 

Prior to Charlie Kirk’s assassination, there were 900 TPUSA campuses on high school campuses and 1100 at the university level. Since his passing, there have been (and still counting) 37,000 requests to start new chapters and money and volunteers flowing into the organization he founded. Prayer vigils and movements are growing ( I participated in one at my home church this past weekend). 

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Charlie Kirk’s death could truly be the “turning point” for a national and worldwide revival. I wonder if he knew this might be the cost?

How can I be a part of the revival?

Pray the most passionate prayers of of your life. Get involved in the evangelistic, pastoral, and prophetic dimensions of the Church. Help start a TPUSA chapter in your schools and colleges.

Revival is God’s finger pointed at you. 

Only 48 hours after her husband’s tragic passing, Erika Kirk addressed the American nation in the most personal, powerful, and poignant speech I have ever heard on national television. Here are her stirring words. 

A turning point revival has been unleashed because “what men meant for evil, God meant for good” (Genesis 50:20).

Tony Perkins gives this wise perspective:

This is an incredibly charged moment for our country…If our nation is to heal, we cannot let our righteous indignation at this unspeakable tragedy rule. We must not answer anger with anger or bloodshed with more bloodshed. Justice must be upheld, lawlessness restrained, and truth defended — but the cycle of hatred must be broken. That can only happen when love — rooted in eternal truth — guides our actions.

Charlie Kirk laid down his life to awaken the American nation to repent of its backsliding, renew our cultural foundation “under God,” and continue to do our part in fulfilling the Great Commission around the world.

His memorial service will be held on Sunday, September 21 at 2 PM at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Turn off the football game and join in.

What role does God want you play in the turning point revival?