President Donald Trump ordered the flag to be flown at half mast because of the assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025, and announced he will posthumously award Charles James Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Trump called Kirk a “giant of his generation” and a “champion of liberty.” When he announced Kirk’s death, he said, “The great and legendary Charlie Kirk is dead.” Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “a lionhearted friend of Israel.”
Charlie Kirk was born October 14, 1993, and reared in the Arlington Heights area of Illinois, where his parents were professionals. In high school, through listening to Rush Limbaugh, Charlie had already begun participating in conservative Republican activities, which caught the attention of a Tea Party-backed legislative candidate Bill Montgomery who encouraged Kirk to pursue political activism. At eighteen years old, he founded Turning Point USA in 2012. There are now active student groups on about 1000 college campuses doing the work of bringing the truth of the Christian gospel, patriotism, and conservatism to young people, bringing morality and decency back all over the country. He leaves his wife Erika, their two children, and his legacy.
I realize many people do not know who Charlie Kirk was and never had the chance to see him in action, because the mainstream news media is not conservative. YouTube on the internet is the main source of conservative content, which means Charlie’s activities are easy to find there. I always loved watching him debate college students and others on many videos. While being kind and respectful to everyone, he exhibited his great knowledge and articulate speech.
In watching so many news shows and podcasts since the shooting yesterday, I heard several words used repeatedly to describe how people were feeling about the death of this young man, who could have become a successful politician but who chose to give his life trying to save a generation of youth of our nation. People spoke of experiencing “absolute devastation,” being “heartbroken,” “very angry.” These were some of his many friends; however, there were many who intently disagreed with Kirk’s conservative Christian message. MSNBC had to fire a senior analyst because of his remarks suggesting on air that Kirk’s own “radical rhetoric” may have contributed to the cause of his death.
During family conversation after the event, one commented, “This is going to backfire tremendously on the left. They just made a martyr out of him.” Many are calling him the first real Christian martyr in America, because his “free speech,” spoken boldly from the biblical texts and his own beliefs offend people. Charlie stood for truth. He used reason and logic to discuss ideas with people because we have freedom of speech. People in the mainstream media made comments that Charlie deserved to die because he thought and said things they didn’t agree with. This is a very dangerous place to be–to reject the ideals of freedom of speech. When we become afraid of the expression of ideas we don’t like, we cannot grow as individuals or as a nation. Killing a person because they spoke with knowledge and reason is cowardly.
Another family member Kurt Glennon texted us the verse John 12:24, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” He added, “Hopefully his death will be the seed in the ground for a new revival for college age kids.”
People get ready, Jesus is coming soon!
You may contact me at lagnesrussell@gmail.com or 601-635-3282.
