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Charlie Kirk, a man who can be argued to be one of the foremost conservatives in the country, was murdered last week by a leftist gunman, who evidently was motivated by transgender and “antifascist” ideology. This act of cruelty deprived the political right of one of its strongest advocates, America of one of her greatest patriots, and a family of a devoted father and husband. However, while these are all important to understanding Kirk, we must ultimately look at what motivated him: his Christian faith.
It must be noted that Kirk wanted his legacy to be primarily one as a Christian. Kirk was quite clear about this in his public remarks. “I want to be remembered for courage for my faith,” Kirk said in a June podcast. “That would be the most important. The most important thing is my faith.”
In Kirk’s work, he also often took time to honor Christ and proclaim his holy name. “Jesus is the answer,” Kirk told his followers, in what should serve as a reminder to us all that there are things greater than politics— namely God and His sacrifice on the cross.
More recently, and shortly before his death, Kirk reminded us to rejoice in the life that Christ has given us, writing, “Jesus defeated death so that you can live.” This quote spoke to me in particular, as it is easy to be sad about the state of the world and forget the beautiful fact that Christ rose from the dead, trampling down death by death, and granted us new and eternal life.
Kirk notably also went out of his way to honor the Theotokos in his work, encouraging respect and devotion to her among Protestants. While we, as Catholics, hold different views from Kirk on Mary, his promotion of respect towards the Theotokos is commendable as it helped, and will likely still bear fruit and help, greater mutual respect and admiration among Christians.
Above all else, one of the surest marks of Christian faith is the ability to recognize that one is but a helpless sinner without the grace of God. After all, the Way of the Pilgrim, the famous spiritual text on the Jesus Prayer (popular in Eastern Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox Churches), begins: “By the grace of God I am a Christian man, by my own actions a great sinner.” Kirk himself was quick to admit that he was a sinner, and many Christians would do well to emulate this humility.
While, as Postliberals, we may not agree with Kirk on everything, he was first and foremost a Christian, and we should pray for him and for his family. Beyond that, we must respond to his death in a proper and Christian way. Not with rage or a desire for vengeance, but instead with courage and prudence, which in this case may require the calm and proper use of lawful authority to defeat the power of far-left radicalism. Regardless, we must respond as Christians and respond prayerfully, and hopefully our actions can reflect the faith which Charlie Kirk held most dearly.
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