The assassination of Charlie Kirk today is a tragedy on every level: a young life cut short, a wife and small children left without a husband and father, an outstanding conservative Christian leader cut down.
My heart is breaking because of this.
But as a soldier, duty compels me to focus on the ongoing battle. That, I am confident, is what Charlie would want us to do, and what God wants us to do. “The king is dead, long live the king.” In the West, when a leader is no longer able to fight, command instantly transfers to the next in rank. Who will, who can take the place of Charlie Kirk?
The plain answer is, no one. No one has Charlie Kirk‘s unique blend of gifts and qualities that made him the leader he was. But God is calling you with your unique blend of gifts and abilities, to take up his mantle of leadership. God is not calling you to copy his style; none of us can do that. But He is calling upon you to commit yourself to becoming the best Christian activist you can possibly be.
I’m an old soldier. In a few weeks I’ll be 80. I will fight to my last breath, but my days are numbered.
And so, with God‘s approval I hope, I’m calling upon each of you, and especially the young people, to raise up 1,000 Charlie Kirks to reinvigorate the conservative Christian movement with your own unique qualities. Please pray and ask God to show you what he would have you do.
In this way, we can say of Charlie Kirk, as God said of Abel, “he being dead yet speaketh” (Hebrews 11:4)
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Thank you, Col. Eidsmoe. The “call to arms” is a call to peace through truth, as modeled by Charlie Kirk, in obedience to God’s Word. In his letter to the Church in Rome, the Apostle Paul wrote: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (12:18); and again, “Let us then pursue what makes for peace…” (14:19). What makes for peace? Truth. Truth spoken (and upheld) in love (Eph. 4:15). Martin Luther once said: “Peace if possible; truth at all cost.” It is truth — God’s truth — that sets free and transfers from darkness and hatred into everlasting peace and joy and harmony (John 8:3-32; 17:17). Apart from truth there is no (true and lasting) peace. Let us take the baton from Charlie, and run the race, pursuing what makes for peace: speaking truth in love.
Thank you Col. Eidsmoe for giving such inspirational direction. We all know that God will find a way to keep His Word flowing. Someone, and hopefully thousands, will surface and in their own way, using their God-given gifts will keep His message moving forward. Even through death there is life for all believers. Jesus is our Savior and Hope. Today we also remember 9/11. Tomorrow and every day we have much to share and God will show the way. We need to be ready to follow. May God have mercy on this precious country and may people of all ages open their hearts and minds to receive Him.
Thank you, Col. Eidsmoe and Two Kingdoms Ministry. Thank you to others who have commented here as well. In connecting with five leaders today in their 20s-30s, Romans 12-13 came into our conversation. The mercies of God for souls. The gifts of God for communicating the Gospel. The vengeance of God for addressing evil. The servants of God in the civil realm. The love of God for our neighbor. The focus on the Lord Jesus Christ in it all — “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
I grieve over the loss of Charlie Kirk. However, I appreciate your call for Christians to take up the mantle after Charlie. There are many talented people in America, and though they may not be a carbon copy of Charlie, they can and should do something Christ-honoring and culture changing.