Charlie Kirk (Part 1) noted his role as an American political and cultural icon as well as an American Christian martyr. I pointed out seven possible turning points emerging. This piece is about what those turning points might mean. Consequently, their meaning will reflect the enormous impact one man’s short life made. Charlie Kirk really mattered.
Charlie Kirk’s life mattered because Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield’s lives mattered. Likewise, Charles Finney and Lyman Beecher. Dwight Moody after that. Oh, Charles Spurgeon and on and on. Those ministers may not be household names, but Americans think and live differently because they lived. Their ideas impacted on “how now do we live” as English-Speaking Christians. Their preaching the Good News – the Christian Gospel – changed lives. Charlie shared the Gospel.
Charlie Kirk’s influence – in just 13 years – introduced Christianity to many people, strengthened it in others, and elevated it in many more. Yet, unlike the ministries of the late J.D. MacArthur and Voddie Baucham Jr., there’ll be less of a particular theological impact, but more of a widespread cultural wave.
We all know waves rise, fall, and are no more.
Except, Charlie Kirk’s wave may become a wave generator if Turning Point or any copycat organizations become institutions. Institutions transfer culture from one generation to the next.
It seems Charlie’s widow, Erika, intends to make her husband’s legacy live. That can happen.
Note: No Charlie Kirk 2.0 is needed.
There’s no Rush Limbaugh 2.0. Many tried, but none are equal. Yet, Rush’s legacy lives. He changed the institutions of Media, Arts & Entertainment, and even Government.
Many multitudes of mini-Charlie Kirks will do very well. Like, the tens of thousands of unnamed ministers in America since 1607 who repeated or expanded on the teaching and preaching of the Great Awakening ministers (names above) multiplied and sustained their impact across America.
Charlie Kirk may change Education as an institution. Potentially, he could have an impact on Media and Arts & Entertainment if his speaking tours become a generational calendar event. Like Rush Limbaugh was a generational touchstone for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week.
This matters, because as politics is downstream from culture, so culture is downstream from religion. That includes the anti-religion religion of Human Secularist Totalitarianism. The Left.
Finally, a few days before his sudden death, Voddie Baucham Jr. preached about how Charlie Kirk conducted his apologetics. (I’ll write a separate piece on Voddie Baucham Jr. soon) Baucham noted how Kirk engaged people with respect, dignity, and humility. Just as 1 Peter Chapters 2 and 3 instruct Christians.
Herein lies the challenge for Christians and the instruction and admonishment for critics.
American Christians can love (agape) others as they love themselves but support the deportation of illegal aliens.
American Christians can care about mentally ill “Trans” people and stand firm against the medical maiming and mutilation of children.
American Christians can love (agape) individual Muslims in their humanity and adamantly oppose their Islamist Totalitarian ideology, identity, and barbarian religion as Domestic Enemies of the U.S. Constitution.
American Christians can lament the loss of life in every conflict and support Israel in securing more safety by utterly annihilating the savages of Hamas.
American Christians should wake up to the slaughter of Christians in Syria, Nigeria, and continuing crimes in the Caucasus Region.
American Christians can love (agape), pray for, and forgive the same people they are fighting – literally.
American Christians share a worldview where every choice isn’t binary, but a series of “if-then” crossroads.
American Christians know that words aren’t violence. Opposing speech isn’t hate speech. Free speech includes speech you really hate hearing.
For example, if Muslims in America don’t believe in or follow the Koran and Hadith, then they can live peacefully among Americans.
American Christians can witness to individuals while criticizing their associated group identity (i.e. illegal aliens, Islam, criminals).
That’s hard to do but not impossible if it’s done in the way Charlie Kirk faced the critics who hated him. In the way 1 Peter instructs American Christians.
Be like Charlie Kirk.
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