Tag: Charlie Kirk

Written by Dr. Marcus J. Serven

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” ——- 2 Timothy 3:12-13

When we hear the words “Christian martyr” typically we think of a person who died a long time ago for the sake of Jesus Christ. For example, the Romans brutally persecuted Christians in the Early Church putting many believers to death for their faith in Jesus Christ. Over the centuries, however, this horrendous practice has continued–Christians have been put to death because of their trust in God all around the globe. Interestingly, the word “martyr” actually means to be “a witness” (Gk. martureo = “to be a witness” “to bear witness” “to testify”; marturia = “a witness” “testimony” “a proof”). One of the wise fathers of the Early Church, Tertullian, prophetically wrote, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Indeed!

As most adults know, Charlie Kirk was gunned down this past week while engaged in civil discourse on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. It was a terrible moment that unfolded on the internet for all to see. In my opinion, Charlie Kirk is a “Christian martyr”–clearly he was “a witness” who bore a powerful testimony to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Watch a video from any one of his many debates on college campuses around the world and it is quickly evident that the foremost thought in his mind was to defend the core beliefs of his faith in Jesus Christ. Moreover, he sought to challenge the prevailing atheistic philosophies of this dark age–whether it was the ever-changing theories of evolution, the destructive purges of Marxism, the hopelessness of Nihilism, or the prevalent despair of Postmodernism. Charlie debated all of these errors with compassion, humor, irrefutable logic, a sharp wit, and an abundance of rational evidences for the reality of Jesus Christ. He was good at it, and those who hated God were threatened by his successes. For this he was assassinated.

Also, he will be widely remembered for making the important connection between his faith in Jesus Christ and how we are to live as Christians during this particular time in history. Dr. Francis Schaeffer asked the same essential question in his ground-breaking book, “How Should We Then Live?” Like Schaeffer, Charlie Kirk took his worldview from the Bible. As a result, he extolled the dignity of all humankind (Lat. imago Dei) in contrast to those who were eager to destroy babies in the womb through abortion. He defended God’s design of two sexes (male and female), rather than to undermine this fundamental reality. His political views probably got him in the most “hot water” as he debated all-comers on the college campus. But, it must be acknowledged that his political views were merely an extension of his faith in Christ and from what he read in the Bible. He brilliantly and forcefully answered the question–How Should We Then Live?

He was reviled for his views on various cultural issues: abortion, the blessing of children, election integrity, a Christian view of history, the sacredness of biblical marriage, the wrongness of men competing in women’s sports, his conviction that transgenderism was a mental disorder, and the priority of the America First agenda in contrast to globalism. Again, these views were all extensions from his basic starting point–the true revelation that God had given through the Bible. Charlie Kirk will always be remembered as a sincere disciple of Jesus Christ, a devoted husband and father, and the founder of Turning Point USA. The Bible affirms the following truth about all who die in Christ:

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’” Revelation 14:13