Written by Emily Jenkins Staff Writer
Charlie Kirk was fatally wounded in the neck with a bolt-action .30-06 rifle at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. He is survived by his widow and two young children. Many are left astonished, confused and heart-broken.
Kirk, a conservative political activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA which advocates for students engaging in conservative ideals, was famous for challenging students in debate. He was debating and answering students' questions at Utah Valley University at his “American Comeback Tour” when he was murdered while answering questions about mass shootings from the LGBTQ+ community..
The next Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, The State of Utah indicted Tyler Robinson on a charge of aggravated murder. According to Robinson’s indictment, a family friend, who is also a retired deputy sheriff, met with Robinson at the request of Robinson’s father and convinced him to present himself to the authorities.
According to the indictment, when asked why he murdered Kirk, he answered that there was too much evil and Kirk spread too much hate. Robinson’s mother explained that Robinson had become more political and LGBTQ+ rights oriented.
Robinson hated Kirk nonnegotiably and believed Kirk to be hateful, although it is not completely clear whether he hated Kirk for speaking against LGBTQ+ rights, for blatantly sharing his faith or for a different political or nonpolitical reason.
Aaron Blake reported on CNN “Such acts of violence often feature suspects and perpetrators with sometimes conflicting sets of beliefs and characteristics that don’t necessarily fit neatly on the right-left political continuum…”
Whatever the reason for his murder, Kirk was outspoken in his beliefs and values. Kirk’s actions were righteous while Robinson’s were evil. First John 3:12 says, “Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.”
In response, Americans in Washington, Arizona and elsewhere have been holding memorials for Charlie Kirk as reported by PBS News.
Marty McMahone, a UMHB business professor who has a PhD in Church and State Studies and teaches political science this semester, said in a phone interview. “One thing I have noticed is that some people who are pretty clear that they didn’t agree with Charlie about a lot of things have … been very positive about him [and] about what he was doing in terms of trying to start conversations on college campuses.”
Even in Belton, Texas, the Young Republicans of Central Texas invited all sides of the political spectrum to a candlelight vigil to honor Kirk on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025 outside the Bell County Courthouse as Caroline Reed reported in the Killeen Daily Herald.
Reagan Keith, 20-year-old president of the Young Republicans of Central Texas, said in the Killeen Daily Herald, “He made a strong impact on my life. So I chose to use my small platform to create an event to honor him and his mission.”
Kirk was bold in sharing his beliefs right until the end.
"It’s not just intrabiblical evidence, but extrabiblical evidence that Jesus Christ was a real person. He lived a perfect life, he was crucified, died and rose on the third day, and he is Lord and God over all," Kirk said before his assassination as reported by Rachel Wolf on Fox News on Sept. 12, 2025.
On his final day, Kirk proclaimed this gospel, the same gospel that Paul wrote about to the Corinthians in First Corinthians 15:1-2. “... I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved…”
In her public address entitled ‘His Movement Will Go On,’ Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, said, “One of the final conversations that he had on this earth, my husband witnessed for his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now and for all eternity, he will stand at his Savior’s side, wearing the glorious crown of a martyr.”
Just days before his murder, Charlie Kirk was sharing the gospel on his YouTube channel. Charlie Kirk said in a video posted Sept. 7, 2025, during a debate-style conversation with a Christian man who repented by leaving the LGBTQ+ community, “We want people to be free from sin because sin means suffering and then when you are captive to sin…You should never affirm the struggle, you should try to break free of the struggle and only Christ Jesus is able to do that.”
This is the human question: why do bad things happen to good people? If God is in control of everything, why would someone who loved him get murdered in such a brutal fashion?
Instead of a human answer, we must look to Scripture for God’s perspective. Erica Kirk said, “And our world is filled with evil. But our God, you guys, our God is so good. So incredibly good.” Then she quoted Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good. For those who are called according to his purpose.”
Bad things happen to good people because, really, only one good person ever suffered and he died willingly.
Jana Harmon, senior fellow for Christian apologetics at the C.S. Lewis Institute, said, “...we realize that it is the very presence of God that provides meaning and hope amid the pain. Christ was the ultimate, innocent bearer of unjust suffering. In the face of abject pain, self-sacrificial love, goodness, and power are met on the cross.”
Jesus, a historical figure who was both fully man and fully God, died on the cross for sinners to satisfy the just wrath of God. Now whoever believes in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection will be saved and changed to be like Him.
Jesus said in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
