Charlie Kirk

The Mislabeling of Christian Patriots as Christian Nationalists Must Stop

The uneven and unhinged have always been susceptible to the delusional and fantastical, but the normalization of the abnormal is now getting people killed and threatening the lives of far too many.

Case in point:

On Thursday, police arrested Jacob Wenske, 26, for threatening to assassinate Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, the slain Turning Point USA founder.

Erika Kirk is now CEO of the organization. In the months since her husband’s murder, she’s been subjected to an ongoing stream of grifters lobbing baseless accusations, countless conspiracy theories and downright wicked and evil commentary.

This latest attack comes just ahead of a planned three-day Women’s Leadership Conference in San Antonio where Mrs. Kirk is scheduled to speak.

The would-be assassin shared the motive for his planned attack on social media. In part, here is what he wrote:

“Death to Erika Kirk and every single speaker there! America will live on without those scum on this earth. Every Christian nationalist shall perish in the bombing that will take place at every single Turning Point rally and event.”

So, in addition to Erika Kirk, who are these supposed “Christian nationalists” slated to speak at the June event?

Podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey, Riley Gaines, Kayleigh McEnany, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kristan Hawkins and Judge Jeanine Pirro, to name just a few.

None of them are so-called Christian nationalists, but many may not know that thanks to the reckless, relentless and irresponsible fanning of the term these last few years.

Socially conservative patriotic Christians are tagged with the term because media and radical activists see the labeling as an effective tool to degrade, diminish and hopefully derail their activism. It’s become a slur, and even some Christians are falling for the nonsense.

To be clear, a true Christian nationalist would be someone who puts their allegiance to their country in front of their Savior, Jesus Christ. It might even be someone who elevates a politician to the same level as God. It’s a distorted and disordered prioritization of things.

It happens – but it is rare.

Charlie Kirk was often called a “Christian nationalist” by detractors simply because he recognized that America’s founders were driven by their faith and a sense of Divine destiny. But Charlie Kirk did not worship America – he worshipped Jesus, a prophet and King whom he believed had blessed the United States of America.

Deliberately or irresponsibly tossing around the term gives license to radical or mentally unstable actors. In their sick minds, it justifies violence and encourages them to right what they perceive to be wrong.

The mislabeling of Christian patriotism as Christian nationalism isn’t just a mischaracterization. It’s now proving to be a dangerous and even deadly tactic that must be stopped and called out.

Please join us in praying for the protection of Erika Kirk and all Christian believers who are responding to God’s call on their lives to engage culture in the public square. 

Please Keep Praying for Erika Kirk

It’s been almost 8 months since Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder and beloved Christian conservative broadcaster Charlie Kirk was gunned down in cold blood on the campus of Utah Valley University.

Whenever tragedy strikes, Christians offer condolences and prayers for the families and friends of the loved ones left behind. We do this because we believe God hears our prayers (Psalm 55:16-17) and is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18).

Many of us have been praying for Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, who was left not only as a grieving spouse, but also as a mother of young children. But she’s also been forced to bear the wicked, evil, and outlandish claims of clearly unstable and unhinged grifters accusing her of nearly everything under the sun – including playing a part in her husband’s murder.

On Wednesday, Erika Kirk released a video in partial response to some of these outrageous accusations. The now CEO of TPUSA was a guest at the White House Correspondents Dinner and explained why she chose to attend.

“It was because many of the journalists in that room have attempted to dehumanize me,” she shared. “And I wanted to meet some of them face to face, quite frankly.”

Mrs. Kirk noted the curious dynamic of camaraderie in the ballroom prior to the evacuation after the shooting in the lobby of the Washington Hilton. She remarked to a reporter with the Daily Mail, “For one night, you are able to put aside all of your differences for the sake of freedom of speech. And then by Monday morning, things will go back to being an absolute bloodbath between all of you.”

In the video released Wednesday, Erika Kirk noted the sad irony of how it was a schoolteacher who was trying to kill President Trump.

“You have these people who are supposed to be teaching our children the future of this country,” she observed. “And he’s so unhinged that he’s able to teach children by day and then attempt to murder the president of the United States by night.”

Mrs. Kirk went on to make a profound and chilling observation:

“While we may have big problems with illegal immigration in this country, I have to tell you, we have an even bigger problem when it comes to the systemic indoctrination and radicalization of our own citizens. This is what got my husband killed. This is what has led to three legitimate attempts on President Trump’s life. And I can speak firsthand to that unbearable toll that this must take on our First Lady.”

This is one more reason why Christians should continue to pray for Erika Kirk. The death of her husband was shocking and unsettling. But life eventually goes on for the observer, even someone deeply moved and upset by the evil everyone saw on September 10, 2025. And life has gone on for Erika – but in a very different and difficult way. 

“Every morning, I wake up to a new headline lying about me,” Erika Kirk stated. “I have comedians dressing up in whiteface. I have people saying I’m not fit to be CEO. And I have Candace Owens claiming I murdered my husband. And the list goes on and on and on.”

Why is this happening? 

“There is a serious epidemic of dehumanization plaguing this country,” she continued. “The most unthinkable tragedies have now become commonplace in our daily headlines. And yet the media finds a way to conveniently explain away violence.”

This grotesque and gutless treatment of a grieving widow is heartbreaking and maddening. But it can also ignite and steel the resolve of Christians to pushback and double down on their commitment to face the evil head-on. 

That’s precisely how Erika Kirk is responding to the ongoing barrage of bullying.

“The evil forces working to divide us, to distract us, and to pull us apart have never been stronger,” she acknowledged. “This is a moment for Americans to come together and decide what kind of country we’re going to be before we lose our country altogether. In Romans 12, verse 21, it says, ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’”

May the Lord bless Erika Kirk’s resolve and may He do likewise regarding our steadfastness, too.

Erika Kirk: “The opinions of this world mean nothing to me.”

It’s been 134 days since an assassin’s bullet killed her husband, Charlie Kirk, but Erika Kirk has soldiered on, including speaking last night at Harvest Church in Los Angeles to kick off Turning Point USA’s “Make Heaven Crowded” tour.

Billed as “A gospel centered gathering calling people to repentance, faith, and bold obedience to Jesus,” the event is planned for 29 other cities this year throughout the United States. They’ll be at Awaken Church in San Diego on Thursday night.

In addition to TPUSA president Erika Kirk, Wednesday’s service featured Pastor Greg Laurie.

At the time of the slain TPUSA founder’s death, Pastor Laurie had stated, “The greatest tribute we can pay to Charlie is calling people to Christ and speaking unashamedly on cultural issues.”

That’s precisely what many within the TPUSA orbit have done, especially Erika Kirk. For doing so, she’s been vilified by some radical activists and even accused by unhinged conspiratorialists for being implicit in her husband’s murder. Others have judged her for jumping back into the work, even questioning how she’s been grieving.

Rather than engage the criticism or defend her actions, Mrs. Kirk has kept her focus on the work at hand. She told Fox News’ Shannon Bream, “If myself or Charlie spent every single second responding to every accusation, responding to every insult, every judgment, we’d get nothing done. We just wouldn’t. I’m not gonna ask God to remove those people from life. It just makes me stronger.”

Speaking on Wednesday night at Harvest Church, Erika picked up on that philosophy, sharing a perspective that is both refreshing and instructive for those of us who understand that the Lord commands us to be engaged in culture. She told those gathered:

I operate very clearly. Whatever decision is in front of me, it will go through a very strict lens. Is this going to bring me closer to Heaven or is it going to bring me further away from Heaven? If it is going to bring me further away from heaven, step aside Satan, I do not want to touch you with a 10-foot pole.

I do not want to be around anything that is going to take me further away from my home in Heaven. I don’t. That’s where my heart is.

She then delivered a statement that every Christian can personalize and take to heart:

And so as long as I remain obedient to God and abide in His Word, and I’m in the jet stream of His Will, the opinions of this world mean nothing to me. Nothing. 

With the advent of social media and the explosion of citizen and activist journalists, there are more opinions than ever being pushed out — and often to decry or to diminish the socially conservative point of view. The drumbeat is persistent and consistent. It’s easy to be swept up in it, especially given the worldly trappings that often surround the popularly held opinions of the day. 

But millions of followers don’t make a foolish opinion right. The acclaim or acceptance of others won’t soften or forgive sin. As King Solomon advised, “Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge” (Proverbs 14:7).

As the late Dr. Adrian Rogers observed, “It doesn’t matter if you please the whole world and don’t please Jesus. But if you please Jesus, it doesn’t matter whom you displease.”

Please continue praying for Erika Kirk and her family.

The 3 Questions Found on Charlie Kirk’s Desk After He Was Killed

It’s been almost two months since Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was killed by a radical assassin at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. In the weeks following his tragic death, Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, has made a few select public appearances – including her first since her husband’s death on a college campus last week at Ole Miss.

Returning to an academic venue was a “spiritual reclaiming of territory,” Kirk told students. “And the more that I am coming to grips with the permanency of this nightmare, the more that I am starting to realize and witness that the enemy, he doesn’t want you.”

“He wants your territory. He wants your influence. And I could just hear Charlie in my heart. I could just hear him say, ‘Go reclaim that territory … the battles that God’s love conquers.’ And that’s why I’m here today,” she continued.

College campuses have long been a hotbed for the robust exchange of ideas. Often monopolized beginning in the 1960s by liberal activists eager to launch a social revolution on various fronts, conservative groups like TPUSA and the Young America’s Foundation have enjoyed a growing presence at both high school and colleges across the country.

Appearing alongside Vice President JD Vance last week, Erika Kirk encouraged the thousands of students in attendance to “earn” their voice. “You are the courageous generation,” she told them.

Choking back tears, Erika shared a moving story about sleeping on her late husband’s side of the bed and waking up to see a sign on a bookshelf that he had put there: “They will be known by the boldness of their faith.”

Luke wrote in Acts,

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”

Nonbelievers watch and study Christians. While some may be looking for hypocrisy, it’s the faithful and bold servant whose strong witness can leave them hungry to learn more about the Jesus we worship.

Erika Kirk also shared that she found three questions on Charlie’s desk at home. They were in his handwriting and they were questions he asked himself every day:

  1. What is something I can do for someone today?
  2. What is something I can do to add value to the world today?
  3. How can I honor God today?”

“Those were his action points for courage,” Erika said. “Ask yourself those questions every day, and I promise you, you will get courage. What death amplifies even more is that you only get one life. So live like it matters.”

She then urged the crowd at Ole Miss,

“Love your family fearlessly. Love your spouse fearlessly. Love this country. Defend her and serve our God. And don’t think that it’s someone else’s role to do it. You do it.”

Christians who have passed from this world to the next can still influence us by their memory and sometimes, with the words they leave behind. Charlie’s Kirk’s three questions are biblical, practical, convictional, and timeless. How we answer them will impact how we live – and how we serve the Lord and those we’re privileged to cross paths with each and every day.

Image from Getty.

Charlie Kirk’s Generosity Sowed Seeds for Future Generations

If the name Brilyn Hollyhand sounds familiar, it’s likely because you’ve heard or seen him this past month on radio and television discussing the legacy of his friend, the late Turning Point USA founder, Charlie Kirk.

At 19 years old, the Alabama native has been described as someone cut from the same cloth as the youthful and engaging slain apologist and political commentator – and even a possible successor, at least in style and passion.

Growing up in Tuscaloosa, Hollyhand began publishing a political newsletter when he was just 11 years old. That led to the launch of a YouTube channel when he was 12. He began interviewing political movers and shakers – including then Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.

When Hollyhand learned that Charlie Kirk was coming to Tuscaloosa for an event in 2018, he requested 10 minutes to interview him.

“I’ll give you 30 minutes,” Kirk responded to the youngster. A friendship was born.

Between then and Kirk’s assassination on September 10 in Utah, the two regularly exchanged texts and emails. Hollyhand has even described Charlie as “one of his closest friends in politics.”

In the aftermath of the horrific tragedy at Utah Valley University, Hollyhand has visited colleges calling for a return of civil political discourse.

Dubbing his efforts the “One Conversation at a Time” tour, the conservative Gen Zer was blunt while speaking to students at Clemson University.

“When our generation gets frustrated with politics, what do we do?” Hollyhand asked. “We shoot somebody or scream at somebody. We don’t know how to have a civil discourse.”

Teaching and preaching restraint and self-discipline, Hollyhand advocates for taking personal responsibility and countering the emotional escalation with a humble and controlled posture.

“Every single one of you have the opportunity to turn down the temperature,” he reminded students.

In a recent New York Times profile, Hollyhand was accused of unfairly leveraging his friendship with Charlie Kirk.

“There’s no way that I could have done this on my own,” he said. “The Lord opened these doors.”

A devout Christian, Hollyhand was wearing a “Jesus Saves” T-shirt while talking with students at Clemson. Unashamed and unapologetic, the teen has said that he’s a Christian first and a conservative second.

“Politics is temporary,” he recently posted. “Faith is eternal. Give your life to Jesus and trust Him. The best decision you’ll ever make!”

The growing influence and increasing reach of young voices like Brilyn Hollyhand should encourage those who have been praying and hoping for a younger generation to succeed those who have been engaging culture for decades.

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity,” wrote the Apostle Paul to Timothy (1 Tim. 4:12).

Charlie Kirk’s tragic death has devastated not only his immediate family, but also a movement hungry for youthful leadership.

Yet, the Lord has made it clear that He gives and takes away (Job 1:21) and what man intends for evil, He uses for good (Gen. 50:20). The coming years will demonstrate that the slain communicator and evangelist’s work and influence not only served the immediate moment but also sowed seeds that will produce fruit in the future.

Image credit: Brilyn Hollyhand.