Who Was Charlie Kirk?

The murder and subsequent grieving of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk rocked not only the world, but the Christian Church; and not only the Christian Church, but the Adventist Church. As with other crises (the COVID pandemic, for example), the initial pressing together in shared horror gave way to deep division. Soon after Kirk’s assassination, sides formed. On one side were those mourning the loss of a fallen hero; on the other were those who’d been deeply hurt by his words.

I did not know much of Kirk before his murder, but it hit me hard. Part of this stemmed back to the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK, which occurred within a five-year period during my formative years—I was six and 11 (JFK died in 1963, RFK and MLK died in 1968). All these men were larger than life but not stronger than death. That’s a sobering reality for a child to face. It’s a sobering reality now.

Given the fact that brothers and sisters expressed outrage that leaders within the Adventist Church celebrated Kirk’s life when he, in their view, held “Christian nationalistic, racist, xenophobic, sexist, and other discriminatory ideologies,” I felt more curious about Kirk than I’d ever been. I also felt the need to have an informed position.

This document is the longform research I was able to squeeze in between mad dashes to the airport. It is by no means comprehensive, and I hold my views lightly. I’m a work in progress. We all are. Charlie Kirk was, before his life was cut short by an assassin’s bullet. And that may be the most important point.

So, here’s my best attempt to answer the question: Who was Charlie Kirk?

I have broken this document into Kirk’s most oft-cited offensive ideas. I have transcribed actual conversations and/or comments off videos. I have tried to see him objectively. I hope this helps you do the same.

Abortion

On a college campus, a young woman in rainbow outfit and green hair, asks, “Would you say that you’re very religious?”

Kirk- “I am religious, however every one of my political positions is defensible from a non-religious perspective.”

Student- “Okay great! Um, so, I was under the impression that your beliefs on abortion stem from your religious beliefs.”

Kirk- “Well at its core, that is correct, but I can get . . . it is defensible using reason and prudence as I have done the last couple of . . .”

Student- “Cool! So you’re not trying to, um, illegalize abortion based on the Bible.”

Kirk- “Well, no not based on the Bible. My personal conviction comes from the Bible, I want to make abortion illegal because it is the only applicable extension of laws...and standards we already have in the West.”

Student- “I’m sorry, can you maybe rephrase that . . .”

Kirk- “Eliminating abortion is the only logical step while we apply the standard we already have in this country to unborn life. So we have murder laws, therefore murder laws should apply to unborn life as it applies to born life.”

Student- “So, again, you’re not trying to instate laws based on Christian beliefs because that would be unconstitutional, right?”

Kirk- “. . . I am not using scripture to defend my beliefs, however, my personal convictions start with scripture, but the political views we’re talking about here are all defensible using reason and western tradition.”

Student- “So, great! That’s all I needed to know—that you weren’t trying to instate laws based on Christian beliefs because I would not be able to support anything that was so blatantly unconstitutional. Thank you for clarifying that for me. I had a whole thing ready, but I guess that wasn’t necessary. Thank you so much!”

Kirk- “What was . . . tell me more about how you view politics, is that okay?” She declines. He thanks her and says,

Kirk- “I can tell you have a negative impression of Christianity maybe? I hope one day we can earn back your support to making Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, I’m sorry if the church has failed you in that way, because I do have strong religious convictions and beliefs, and there is a God who made you and loves you and He sent His Son to die for you.”

Student- “Her name is Mom.”

Kirk- “Thank you. I do appreciate the candor and the courage to come up here, but, we will pray for you, thank you.” Source

Affirmative Action

On a college campus a black man says, “When you see a black person . . . the assumption is that that person is not qualified when, literally, you have to be qualified to even get in that position.” 

Kirk- “So, let’s take college admissions as a great example. At Harvard, we learned because of new reveal documents that black students were having test scores that were 30 to 35 percent lower than their white counterparts. . . and so therefore if you saw a black kid at Harvard, it’s a fact that they were not having the same test standards as their white counterparts.”

Man- “Still doesn’t matter. The kid has to get through the classes, do the tests, do all the research.”

Kirk- “Well actually they drop out at a greater rate, too. The point being is just the idea that they were there. Number one, took a spot from an otherwise qualified individual that might be white. And they were not there on the same merits. So, what we want is the same rules for everybody.”

Man- “You’re making the assumption that they’re not qualified in order to get in there in order to even get there.”

Kirk- “It’s not the assumption, it’s the data So for example it’s literally at Harvard you had kids with perfect SAT scores, perfect ACT scores that were white—”

Man- “So that makes a degree from Harvard worthless, then.”

Kirk- “Well, you’re exactly right, yeah, actually Harvard’s degree is becoming more worthless because it’s more race-based than merit-based. You’re exactly right.” Source

Critical Race Theory

On a college campus, a black woman says, “Until you have walked as a black person on this campus, y’all truly don’t understand.”

Kirk- “CJ, come here.” (CJ is a young black man who then comes to the mic.)

Kirk to CJ- “You’re a black person, do you feel hunted at this university?”

CJ- “I don’t feel hunted. I guess the difference between me and some people here is I don’t choose to be a victim, Charlie. Which I think is the biggest problem we have here today are people who wake up every single day looking for reasons to be oppressed, looking for reasons to cry, and make excuses about why they’re not in a position to go (?). I don’t see the color of my skin as a disability. I see it simply as an accessory I can’t control. I’ve been black all my life today. I’m black today. I’m thriving here.”

Kirk- “So CJ, let me ask you. CRT—racist?”

CJ- “It’s not just racist, it’s the exact iteration of white supremacy, just in reverse. I think it’s important that we start teaching young people not to hate other people because of the color of their skin. We can teach black people to be proud of who they are without telling white people to be ashamed of who they are.”Kirk- “So, closing thoughts CJ. Is this trying to divide the country?”

CJ- “It’s not only trying to divide the country, it’s trying to break apart the foundation of our western (?). You know, people forget the words of MLK, Rosa Parks, all those people who fought so hard for us to be united country where we didn’t see the color of one’s skin but the character. This is about taking us away from the vision and the dream of Martin Luther King and taking us to the dream of Kamala Harris. And I don’t want to live that.”

Kirk- “CJ, you’re a great American.” Source

Empathy 

Kirk said offhandedly while talking about the abuse of empathy for the purpose of emotional manipulation- “Empathy is a made-up New Age term that does a lot of damage. But it is very effective when it comes to politics. I prefer the word sympathy.” Source.

Homophobia

On a college campus, a young person says, “I’m a gay conservative and I just wanna kind of ask you, what do you have to say for people like me?”

Kirk- “Welcome to the conservative movement. I don’t think you should introduce yourself just based on your sexual attraction, cuz that’s who you are.”

Man- “I like to be thought of as a person.”

Kirk- “For sure! You are a complete human being, and I’m sure you treat people well and you’re studying something, so I wanna get away with this idea that you’re gay anything. I just think that we have gone a long way in a negative direction in this country where we act as if the most important part of your identity is what you do in the bedroom. It doesn’t mean that much to me, but if you asked from a perspective as a Christian, I don’t agree with that lifestyle but politics is about addition and multiplication. I imagine you agree with a lot of what we talk about, like strong borders, strong country, and for that we welcome you to the conservative movement.” Source

Illegal Immigration 

Young brown man- “I don’t like your t-shirt. I’m an immigrant. I don’t understand why you’d want to deport some of my friends and family who’ve been working hard in this country.”

Kirk- “What’s your name, son?”

Young man- “I’m Claudio, sir.”

Kirk- “This is just a thought exercise, but it’s very revealing. You are king. And you find out that there are 30 million uninvited people in your country. What do you do with them?”

Claudio- “I try to find the most humane way of sending them back to their country.

Kirk- “That’s what we’re doing! So what country did you immigrate from?”

Claudio- “Are you gonna, like, discriminate against me?”Kirk- “I’m going to do the opposite actually.” Claudio- “I’m Mexican.”

Kirk- “But you came here legally, correct?”

Claudio- “I did.”

Kirk- “You followed the rules. But people that you know didn’t follow the rules. So I divide America not into Hispanic and white, but into rule follower and rule breaker. And so, when someone breaks our rules, there must be justice done. And the most humane way is, you go back to your country of origin.”

Claudio- “Some of my boys, like ‘They’re being like persecuted, like back home, them and their families, like, they’re in drug-related, like, wars and violence, and the only way out is that they escape and they break the American law but that’s the only way they’re gonna survive.”

Kirk- “If that’s correct, we have a special asylum status that they could seek legally at a port of entry.” Claudio- “But if they’re being persecuted, wouldn’t it be justified to cut the line?”

Kirk- “No. If we all of a sudden say if you have a lot of gang violence and issues...You have to draw the line. If your plane is going down, what do they tell you to do first? You put your mask on first. It’s the same way as a country. We need to put our own oxygen mask on first and then we can worry about helping other people.” Source

Racism

1. Speaking on his podcast, Kirk says in reference to DEI policies: “If I see a black pilot, I’m gonna be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’” He goes on to say, “That’s not who I am, that’s not what I believe!” Source

2. Speaking to a young black man at a university:

Kirk- “You are here in the wealthiest country ever, at an amazing university, with all the opportunity imaginable in front of you and all you want to do is look backwards at everything that prevented you, when you are a glaring example that there is no systemic racism and you can actually achieve your wildest dreams.”

Man- “I’m not the only black person who exists out there, there are so many people who this culture is affecting to this day.”

Kirk- “Do you know black Americans are the richest black people on earth?”

Man- “Pull that up.”

Kirk-“You cannot find a black majority country, or any country where black people have significant representation where they are as wealthy. Even the poorest people in America are in the top 2% of wealth around the world. So, my whole belief is ‘Stop acting like you’re a victim and start making better choices.’” Source

3.  Kirk relates the story of a pregnant white woman who rented a bike in NYC. There was an altercation between the woman and a black man. He relates that the video of this “Karen” went viral and she lost her job, but that it was all a lie. He asked, “Now, were they trying to hijack her, were these blacks trying to rob her? Happening all the time in urban America. Prowling blacks go around for fun to try to target white people, that’s a fact. It’s happening more and more.” Source

4. Kirk mentioned that several prominent black women admitted to benefitting from Affirmative Action. In response, he says, “They're coming out, and they're saying, 'I'm only here because of affirmative action.' Yeah, we know. You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person's slot to go be taken somewhat seriously." Source

5. In 2018, Kirk hosted the Young Black Leadership Summit for young black people all across the U.S., inviting them to DC to meet the president. Helped found Blexit which helps people in low-income neighborhoods, mostly black, to provide mentors, rides, school supplies, field trips. Source

6. In 2019, Kirk gave hundreds of black students the opportunity to visit the white house, covering their flights and hotels. Source

Second Amendment

“You will never live in a society where you have an armed citizenry and you won’t have a single gun death . . . but I . . .think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth the cost of unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year.” Source

Transphobia

1. At a college campus, a woman asks- “At what age should people be able to get hormone therapy. I don’t know what’s true, what’s not.”

Kirk- “Are you comfortable telling me your story?”

She shares.

Kirk- “First of all, thank you so much for that. So, I’m going to have an opinion that very few people will ever tell you, which is I want you to be very cautious putting drugs into your system in the pursuit of changing your body. I instead encourage you to work on what’s going on in your brain first. I think what you need first and foremost is just a diagnosis. Just someone that is going to listen to what you’ve gone through, listen to what else is going on . . . my prayer for you, and again very few people will say this, I actually want to see you be comfortable in how you were born. I know you might not feel that way but I think that is something that you can achieve. I think that with the right team and the right people you don’t have to wage war on your body, you can learn to love your body.” Source

2. A man in a dress says, “You’re part of the problem, I think. It’s really not that deep. Like, if someone wants to dress up however they want, that’s totally fine.”

Kirk- “Okay, so I’m not preventing you from dressing up like this. However, let me ask you a question, I will flesh this out. So let’s pretend you say you are a woman. I know you are a man but I refuse to call you a woman. Who’s the hateful one?”

Man- “I would say you are.”

Kirk- “So you’re going to force me and shame me . . .”

Man- “It’s common courtesy,”

Kirk- “It’s never common courtesy to lie. You do not become a thing just because you say you are the thing.” He explains the immutability of chromosomes. “And it is an insult to women. . . to say you can wear makeup, dress up, and undergo surgery, that you magically become a woman.” Source

My Take

Charlie Kirk, like all of us but perhaps more so, was a complex character, a mix of good and bad traits, and right and wrong ideas.

As a political agent, no one can deny that he connected Christianity with politics. He was an icon of American contemporary conservatism, one of the most prominent voices of the MAGA movement within the Republican party, and a very close ally of Donald Trump. At the same time, he unapologetically proclaimed faith in a crucified and risen Savior, believed and promoted Christian family values, attended church, and even observed the biblical Sabbath. He was a religious-political figure if there ever was one.

His public communication was style as much of a mixed bag as his politics. Let’s take the charge of racism as an example. Are these charges true? By the definition of racism as a conscious belief in the inferiority of a specific race, I can’t conclude they are. Here is a series of videos that seem to say no. He opposed DEI, critical theory, BLM, and other groups and practices, but opposition of those these things is not, in and of itself, racism.

However I will freely admit that when addressing racial and other sensitive issues, Kirk did not always adhere to the Christian principle outlined in Colossians 4:6- “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

“If one is a follower of Christ, he cannot be sharp in deal, he cannot be hardhearted, devoid of sympathy. He cannot be coarse in his speech. He cannot be full of pomposity and self-esteem. He cannot be overbearing, nor can he use harsh words, and censure and condemn.” -SDA Bible Commentary 6:111.

“Harsh expressions grieve the Lord; unwise words do harm. I am charged to say to you, Be gentle in your speech; watch well your words; let no harshness come into your utterances or into your gestures. Bring into all you do and say the fragrance of Christlikeness. Let not natural traits of character mar and spoil your work. You are to help and strengthen the tempted. Let not self appear in rash words. Christ has given His life for the flock, and for all for whom you labor. Let no word of yours balance souls in the wrong direction. In the minister of Christ there must be revealed Christlikeness of character.” -GW 163

Charlie Kirk caused unnecessary pain with his biting rhetoric. But his courage in confronting popular lies was exemplary. Like most prominent religious and political figures, he accomplished some good even while falling woefully short. This piece seems to indicate a pattern of self-reflection. I have hope of seeing Charlie Kirk in heaven. I would also love to see a few conversations take place during the 1000-year therapy session Jesus has promised us.

A Few Actionable Takeaways

We love certainty. It makes us feel safe. And indeed, God gives certainty in the Bible, including the wrongfulness of murder. But He also helps us accept some ambiguity. “Now we see through a glass, darkly.” The rush to label, to assume, and to take sides in the online polemic harms us and others. CBT therapists recognize labeling as a cognitive distortion that makes us more prone to anxiety and depression. So let’s refrain from so much labeling.

-We tend to want people to fit into “good person” and “bad person” categories. This impulse does not make room for the complexity nor the transitory nature of humans. We are who we are for complex reasons, and we are all a work in progress. Sadly, online wars have broken up the brotherhood of believers in alarming and increasing ways. Studies are showing that online communication destroys our better social impulses. Looking in other people’s eyes creates affiliative impulses in the brain. So, as far as reason allows, let’s assume the best about people.

It is impossible to be judgmental and curious at the same time. In other words, curiosity is the cure for judgmentalism. The asynchronicity, anonymity, and impersonality of online communication encourages our most ungenerous impulses. Let’s reverse that and learn to ask questions. Let’s use the skill of curiosity.