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Who is Charlie Kirk?
Steve Tiebout stevetiebout@gmail.com
T o those in the Boomer or Gen X generations, the name Charlie Kirk might not have been a common name thrown around in your home. You’re probably wondering why his death has shaken our nation to the degree that it has, so per- haps I can explain. I knew of Charlie Kirk for the first time because my son began lis- tening to him. He wanted me to check him out because Charlie was starting a political organization with the goal of restoring conser- vative values back in the voting booth. Although I may have agreed with him on a lot of his views, I didn’t choose to follow because he was primarily targeting the younger generation. However, over the years Charlie had gotten married, had two children, and I began to see a big shift in the way he spoke and what was important
to him. I felt his primary message changed from needing a political turnaround in our country, to let’s see a spiritual turnaround in our country and I began to take notice. There are a lot of people that fizzle out in talk radio and/or activism as they get older, but Charlie was just the opposite, he seemed to gain momentum. I saw what seemed to be a change from feeling the need to win an argu- ment with someone who dis- agreed with him to genuinely wanting to listen to their side and find someplace to build a bridge with them as a fellow human being. There began to be a groundswell of interest because even many of the people he debat- ed and disagreed with spoke well of him. He was willing and capable of having an intelligent conversa- tion and not becoming angry about it but listening to both sides.
As he began traveling to colleges all over the country and giving the other side an open mic to ask any questions, he would engage in a dialogue with them. Although he didn’t go to college, but rather was self-educated, he proved to be a brilliant man and debater, even traveling to England to debate at Oxford. I found that especially for my kids’ generation (ages 18-28) he became somewhat of a beacon of hope for their generation. He demonstrated that you could still hold to biblical values such as mar- riage being between a man and a woman, or the idea that it’s unfair for biological men to compete against women in sports, without having to hate the other side. Charlie became to my children’s generation who Billy Graham had been to my generation. He became an example of someone who genuinely lived out their faith without hypocrisy, spoke truth in love, and was willing to die for his faith in Jesus. He helped millions discover that having a relationship with Jesus Christ is the most impor- tant decision they could ever make. When Charlie’s wife shared a memorial speech, she said she would carry on his main goal of making heaven crowded. If you have loved ones who are sad and you don’t understand why, go back and watch some of Charlie’s YouTube videos and listen to them with an open heart. I believe you will see God‘s truth and grace coming through in the same way a good Bible preaching church that loves God will show you he wants to impact the world with his love. I don’t believe you’ll ever regret it, I haven’t.
76 NOVEMBER 2025
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