‘A Martyr For The Christian Faith’: Attendees Highlight Charlie Kirk’s Legacy Of Faith At Packed Kennedy Center Vigil
'Charlie touched a generation,' one attendee told The Federalist, 'he activated them.''Charlie touched a generation,' one attendee told The Federalist, 'he activated them.'Pastors help their congregations process Charlie Kirk's assassination: 'How could this be, God?'
Pastors have a sacred duty. They are shepherds of flocks and responsible for discipleship, biblical teaching, spiritual counseling, and the administration of sacraments. It's a high calling.
In recent days, pastors from all across the nation did something they might not do at a "typical" church gathering: They preached based on what happened last week, helping their congregations process the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
'I'm sad. I'm mournful. But I'm not in despair, because we serve a God of hope.'
And how could they not?
Speak to almost anyone — aside from the liberals celebrating Charlie's death — and they will tell you that something about this tragedy feels different. It's heavy in a way we cannot understand, process, or describe. Charlie's murder represents the collision of good and evil: a loving husband, father, and man of God so violently and unjustly murdered under the influence and inspiration of demonic forces.
We cannot ignore the spiritual warfare taking place in our country. Charlie certainly didn't, and neither did countless pastors who knew it was necessary to guide their flocks through unfathomable tragedy.
Here is a roundup of how pastors addressed Kirk's murder.
How could this be, God?
Pastor Luke Barnett of Dream City Church answered the question he received from many, including his own board members.
"Pastor, what are we going to do? What are we going to do? Charlie is gone to be with the Lord."
Barnett answered, saying that it was his role, and the role of followers, to double down. "We're going to feed more people," he explained, save more people, and call out a sin when it is a sin.
The pastor explained that Kirk was not only a friend to him but a lover of Jesus Christ and an American patriot.
"He loves the United States of America. He not only loves it, he's vested. He's bled for it. He died for it," Barnett said.
Not only has Kirk been a motivating factor for living his life and showing his faith unashamedly, but he has been a role model for those in the faith who have been afraid to preach the truth.
"How could this be, God?" Barnett repeated. "This man's being used by you to shape and mold the young minds of America. How could this be, God?"
This turning point, as Barnett called it, should be a point to rise up and defend faith like it has not been defended for decades. It's a time to defend traditional marriage, to defend the fact that God chooses your gender, and to harness the explosion in faith that is to come after Kirk's death.
RELATED: Charlie Kirk sparks viral Christian revival: 'I'm going to go take his seat for him'
You might have pulled the trigger yourself
Bishop Patrick Wooden Sr. warned followers at the Church of God in Christ that once people are put in office and then viciously demonize their political opponents, they, figuratively speaking, may have pulled the trigger themselves.
Calling out the media's inability to criticize religions other than Christianity, Wooden cited politicians like Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) for inciting political confrontations in public against those who disagree.
"When you start saying stuff like that, calling your political opponents Nazis, fascists, stuff like that. Well, sooner or later, a kook is going to hear that. A crazy person is going to hear that, and they're going to act on it," the pastor explained.
A lack of logic and consistency among those who oppose Kirk, including his assassin, are showing that they "don't know God," Wooden continued, focusing on the sheer audacity of taking Kirk's life over a disagreement.
"I pray that our country has not degenerated to the point that if you cannot overcome someone's point of view, someone's stated position," he said. "I hope we haven't degenerated to the point where the response is, then you shoot him with a gun."
People may disagree, and they should stand their ground, Wooden added, but they should never turn to violence.
RELATED: Grieving Charlie Kirk: How to cling to God in the face of evil
You'll see it in their eyes
Pastor Michael Clary of Christ the King Church rightly revealed that pastors can expect to see many first-time visitors in their pews following Kirk's death.
"Perhaps even many non-Christians, who are seeking answers and guidance as they process their anger, sorrow, grief, and confusion," Clary said.
Describing Kirk as a "threat the left cannot tolerate," Clary described Kirk as a martyr, "unusually gifted by God," and so uniquely attractive to young people that he could lead a spiritual movement and shift what it means to be Christian for an entire generation.
Kirk gave his life identifying good and evil, the pastor went on, appropriately drawing attention to that which is tearing the United States apart and "sending people to hell."
As such, Clary advised that pastors give their parishioners the medicine they seek in mourning Kirk's death.
"So give them Jesus. Give them the Bible. Give them the gospel. Give them hope. Help them apply God’s word to their lives. Give them a vision for the supremacy of Christ in all things."
More alive than ever
Pastor Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel spoke of Kirk's character, and as his pastor, he said that in death, Kirk would be more alive than ever.
"He honored those who disagreed with him. He'd let them go to the front of the line because he knew that debate and and the use of words would stave off violence," McCoy said, echoing comments that have been shared across the globe.
Kirk even traveled to South Korea with McCoy a week before his death, a report a churchgoer revealed.
"I'm running out of tears," McCoy, reportedly said, fighting to harness his emotions. "I didn’t think I could cry that much ... but I'm crying."
Many shared the feeling, including McCoy, that Kirk did more for Christianity than any minister in modern-day America. The key was being unafraid to have Christ in the center of his politics and to bring God into the town square where he shared his views.
Kirk is an example of why truth-tellers are targeted, McCoy continued. But "the truth is never afraid of a lie."
Armed with the truth, prophets, apostles, and faithful others are silenced with bullets instead of reason, McCoy said at one point.
"I'm sad. I'm mournful. But I'm not in despair, because we serve a God of hope."
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Charlie Kirk sparks viral Christian revival: 'I'm going to go take his seat for him'
Stories of renewed religious fervor have flooded the internet since Charlie Kirk's assassination.
The September 10 murder of Kirk was captured on video from multiple angles for all in the world to see. Socially, Kirk's murder has invigorated a passion among supporters not seen for generations.
'For some reason, whenever he's been talking about God, I am just trying to not lose control.'
In June, Kirk appeared on "The Iced Coffee Hour" for a 90-minute conversation on fake news, corruption, and greed. Just before the podcast ended, host Jack Selby asked Kirk, "If everything completely goes away, how do you want to be remembered?"
"If I die?!" Kirk quickly clarified.
Selby specified: "If you could be associated with one thing, how would you want to be remembered?"
Kirk's answer was clear.
"I want to be remembered for courage for my faith," he said. "That that would be the most important thing. Most important thing is my faith in my life."
Posthumously, Kirk's wish is coming true.
RELATED: Charlie Kirk: Loving father, fearless communicator, happy warrior — 1993-2025
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Kirk's grassroots activist organization, Turning Point USA, has already seen signs of a faith and freedom revival in young people across the country.
According to TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet, the organization has received more than 32,000 inquiries over the past weekend about starting new campus chapters of the organization.
Kolvet added, "To put that in perspective, TPUSA currently has 900 official college chapters and around 1,200 high school chapters, with a presence on 3,500 total. Charlie's vision to have a Club America chapter (our high school brand) in every high school in America (around 23,000) will come true much much faster than he could have ever possibly imagined."
Kirk has clearly inspired Christians both new and old to head back to church or pick up a Bible. That much is clear even in the comments section of TPUSA's pages.
"I went to church today for the first time in 15 years. Thank you, Charlie, for bringing me to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Until the day we meet, brother," a man named David Perez wrote on a post about an event honoring Kirk.
On another TPUSA post with a drawing of Kirk, a woman named Samantha Lynn said that while she had not been to church in 10 years, she would be taking her entire family to service the Sunday after Kirk's death.
"I've never felt more called to incorporate God more in our lives. I owe that all to Charlie and the legacy he leaves behind," Lynn wrote.
These comments were only the start; tens of millions of viewers have tuned in to TikTok, for example, to hear similar accounts.
RELATED: Why Charlie Kirk’s assassination will change us in ways this generation has never seen
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A man named Kevin Leonard spoke to over 1 million viewers on his TikTok account when he revealed he had only been to a church service twice in his entire life, but he wanted to go last Sunday to fill Kirk's seat.
"Since Charlie Kirk is unable to go this Sunday, I'm going to go take his seat for him," the man revealed.
"It was really good," Leonard said in a follow-up video. "I will continue to go back."
The content creator added that he would start donating the money he had made off the video views to a worthy cause.
Furthermore, a quarter of a million viewers watched a woman named Brittany explain that she and her husband were inspired to go to church for the first time in 20 years.
"It was the first time for our children," she explained.
Brittany added that she wanted to raise her three sons to be "as strong in their convictions as Charlie Kirk."
Thanks to Kirk's tireless work, not only are church parking lots full, but followers are expressing feelings that they have never felt before. In fact, many who were just casual viewers of Kirk's content have been exposed to more faith-based videos.
"I've seen his content before, but only him debating the college kids. I've never seen anything else," explained one young male.
"Brother, ever since he passed away three days ago, every time I see a video of him talking about his faith, bro, straight water works, like, I can't," he stated. "It's almost hard to control."
"For some reason, whenever he's been talking about God, I am just trying to not lose control.
"And I've had a few people telling me, like, maybe it's God trying to reach out to you, which sounds crazy to me because I've never believed in God, ever. I've always been like, that doesn't exist. It's not real. But it doesn't make sense. It's like, why would I get so — I'm not an emotional dude at all. So for me to get like uncontrollably emotional about this thing that I don't even believe in, it's like, well, why is that happening?"
These powerful words are everywhere online and prove that Kirk is being remembered exactly how he hoped.
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Let Your Tears Over Charlie Kirk Lead You Back To Church
As many nonreligious folks are now seeing through tearful eyes, we need more than mere men who can temporarily help us. We need a God who can eternally save us.Charlie Kirk’s Legacy Shows The Need For Bold, Muscular, Unflinching Christianity
Charlie Kirk humbly considered others and looked to their interests. We must carry on his legacy.Science's God-denying narrative just got crushed again
Scientists have made a discovery that should shake the foundations of modern biology.
When organisms die, some of their cells might not simply shut off like light bulbs. Instead, they reorganize, build new structures, solve problems, and make decisions. These researchers call it a “third state” of existence.
Once you accept that life itself shows signs of intention, you must also acknowledge that there is an Intender.
But to anyone steeped in Christian thought, it sounds less like a new scientific category and more like an old truth, a glimpse of the life that refuses to be reduced to chemicals and chance.
Mind in matter
Consider the strange case of xenobots, tiny clusters of frog cells lifted from their natural role and placed in a lab dish. They were expected to wither.
Instead, they began to move, formed patterns, and worked together in ways that showed clear intention.
Dr. William Miller calls this consciousness. Not the kind of awareness you and I possess, but the raw ability to adapt, to choose, to pursue a purpose. When placed outside their usual role, cells don’t behave like blind molecules colliding at random. They behave like agents. They cooperate. They solve problems. They move toward goals.
That fact alone shatters one of materialism’s deepest dogmas.
The evolution lie
For more than a century, the reigning narrative has been that consciousness is a late arrival on the evolutionary stage. It's nothing more than an accidental byproduct of brain complexity, born only after countless mutations stumbled into neurons, then into networks, then into awareness.
The atheist worldview depends on this sequence. It argues that life has no inherent meaning because what we call “mind” is simply chemistry scaled up. In this view, free will is an illusion generated by firing synapses.
But these cells expose the lie of that story.
If consciousness exists at the cellular level, then it doesn’t wait for brains. It doesn’t emerge as a lucky accident after billions of years of trial and error. It’s present from the beginning, written into life at its smallest scale.
That flips the entire evolutionary tale on its head. Instead of matter groping toward mind, we see mind animating matter. Instead of dead particles producing life, we see life infused with purpose at the very first step.
The intender revealed
What if mind, not matter, is primary? This is a profoundly important question, one that doesn’t just challenge the materialist narrative but annihilates it. Once you accept that life itself shows signs of intention, you must also acknowledge that there is an Intender.
The real shock is that these cells don’t compete; they collaborate. They don’t claw for survival but sacrifice for a greater whole. Every one of the 30 trillion cells in your body could, in theory, serve itself — yet they don’t. They choose unity. Skin cells shield. Heart cells pump. Brain cells think. All of them working in harmony with no central command.
RELATED: The Dawkins delusion: Why atheism can't explain the one thing that matters
Random mutation cannot account for this. Natural selection doesn’t explain why self-interest gives way to selflessness billions of times a day inside your body. Something is directing the orchestra.
And consider the scale of the information problem. DNA contains more information than our minds could possibly fathom. Cellular machinery reads, copies, and executes these instructions with astonishing speed and near-perfect accuracy, millions of times every second. Our best computers look painfully clumsy beside such precision.
Materialists insist that this miracle of information arranged itself over billions of years. But information doesn’t just organize itself. A letter always points back to an author, a painting to a painter, and a symphony to a composer.
God's living code
The xenobot research confirms this reality. It's what some scientists call “biological agency.” And where does this awareness come from? Scientists can describe what it does, but not where it begins. They can measure its effects, but not locate its source.
Christianity, on the other hand, has always given the only coherent answer: Consciousness originates in God, the eternal, self-existent Being who imprinted His image on creation, a God who designed life not as machinery but as community.
The Bible says humans are made in God’s image, reflecting His consciousness, His creativity, His moral compass. What Miller and others are now uncovering is that this reflection stretches deeper than we imagined. Every cell of your body participates in it. Right now, as you read these words, trillions of cells are making choices, collaborating without rest, preserving your existence.
Some might view this as a fortunate accident, another curious quirk in the endless lottery of evolution.
But randomness doesn’t yield purpose. Blind collisions don’t generate systems that adapt, collaborate, and surrender for one another with unfailing order. What we see isn’t chaos but choreography, not accident but authorship.
I see it as divine purpose. The God signal has been there all along, humming beneath the fabric of life. And now even the microscopes are beginning to see it: design in the details, direction in the data, destiny in the DNA.
The day of separation: Why every Christian must wake up now
Can you feel it? Do you sense that something big is about to happen? And by big, I mean an event or events affecting people on a global scale.
I am convinced that Spirit-filled believers are detecting what the Puritans called the "quickening." To quicken is to bring to life, accelerate, or incite. Pregnant women experience quickening with a baby’s first movements, and more importantly, the term also describes an advanced stage of pregnancy that alerts the mother that her long-awaited day is near — even imminent.
Christian, you and I have the greatest motivator ever — we have an appointment with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible says that people are spiritually quickened or made alive when they are born again and will be physically quickened at the resurrection.
Now, ask yourself: Are there signs that events are accelerating before us, moving us toward the end of the age? Is there a tension that seems to indicate that God is about to intervene in our lives?
I would say: Yes! This quickening is a reminder to the church of what is soon to come. And it is a tremendous time to be alive. It is true that anti-Christian sentiment is rising — as we should expect — because believing in Jesus Christ divides. I can say any name at any given time, anywhere, and it’s not a problem. Yet division is guaranteed when anyone mentions the name of Jesus Christ outside the walls of a church. If believing in Jesus is divisive, believing in the rapture and its imminency creates an even greater divide.
How so? It was Jesus Himself who introduced the doctrine of the rapture in John 14:1-3.
The Bible tells us that the rapture will separate believers from non-believers. Suddenly, without notice or any prerequisite, believers will instantly vanish, being transformed and translated into the spirit realm.
Though believers are awaiting that day, many others are not. Sadly, husbands, wives, family, and friends who do not know the Lord will not experience this blessed hope. Many even mock the rapture as a fairy tale, the proverbial pie in the sky, or escapism. But being raptured is not without precedent. It has happened before.
Christians believe in the rapture because it is clearly taught in the Bible. It is a biblical doctrine. Some challenge that statement because the word "rapture" doesn’t appear in our English Bibles, but it does appear in the Latin Bible as rapturo. To be raptured is to be “caught up or pulled up suddenly.”
Remember, Jesus introduced the doctrine of the rapture in John 14:1-3, when He said: "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
RELATED: Is the rapture actually coming soon?
To skeptics who doubt the veracity of the rapture, I have a couple of questions. Following His resurrection, did Jesus ascend to heaven?
Yes, He did. According to Acts 1:9, the disciples watched as He was taken up. So is Jesus in heaven right now? Yes, He is. And did Jesus say He was going to prepare a place for us and come back just long enough to pick us up and take us back to where He is? Yes, He did, in John 14:2-3. I submit to you that the way Jesus will accomplish this is through the rapture.
Every Bible-believing Christian familiar with scripture understands that the rapture is a fact. They may disagree on the timing of it — before, during, or after the seven-year tribulation period — and that is OK with me. Believers can disagree on timing, but we cannot say, “There is no rapture.” To say that would mean deleting John 14:1-3 and numerous other passages right out of the Bible.
When God’s word speaks of the coming separation of the righteous from the unrighteous, it doesn’t leave us in the dark as to how it will happen. Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers, "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Paul understood the rapture to be imminent, meaning there is nothing more that needs to be fulfilled in biblical prophecy before this event occurs. This exciting news would have thrilled the hearts of the Thessalonians, as it should for us today.
Wherever you are right now, can you take a moment to say, “Thank You, God, for this ever-present blessed hope!”
God’s great gift to mankind was manifested in Jesus because God the Father “so loved the world that He gave” — gifted the world — “His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). A gift is meant to be received, but it cannot be received unless the recipient chooses to accept it.
'Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.'
It is tragic when gifts are rejected with the words “return to sender.” Refusing an extravagant gift from someone who cares deeply about you is a heartbreaking form of rejection. Yet people do that with the gospel. The gospel goes out, and they say, “I don’t want or need it.”
But believe me, when the day of separation comes, you will want to have received the gift of salvation through Christ. He is your passport to heaven.
I cannot stress this enough: No one will want to be an earth-dweller when Jesus Christ returns at His second coming!
The Lord knows who you are and how to deliver you, dear saint. In this age of facial-recognition technology, air travelers can now move through international customs by facing a screen and allowing it to scan their faces, which it does instantly. If a green light appears, the customs door opens. No identification or passport is needed.
If we, through technology, can identify others, how much more can God identify us who are marked by His Holy Spirit? We will not be forgotten or left behind when Christ comes for His own! “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).
What stimulates, encourages, provokes, and compels you to do what you do? In other words, what motivates you in life?
I don’t know about you, but when there is a special appointment or a long-awaited event I’m looking forward to, I am motivated to get ready for that day. Christian, you and I have the greatest motivator ever — we have an appointment with the Lord Jesus Christ.
How do we get ready for such an important date?
“Do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:11-12).
Excerpted from "Called to Take a Bold Stand." Copyright © 2025, Jack Hibbs. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon. www.harvesthousepublishers.com
How James Dobson's leap of faith helped reshape Republican politics
Dr. James Dobson left a 14-year career on faculty at the University of Southern California Medical School to embark on a far more speculative quest to combat progressive influences on family formation and the rearing of children.
It was an unusual choice for a man born to a generation that prized security and institutional membership. After decades of successful organization, audience building, book sales, and political influence, Dobson accurately perceived the opportunity before him when he made the leap.
Of all the evangelical attempts to participate in America’s mass media culture, Dobson’s projects may have been the most successful.
But it was more than an opportunity to be successful that Dobson grasped. It was the chance to contribute to the common good, to demonstrate obedience to God, and to speak prophetically to the nation and the world.
Spiritual guide
Dobson was known primarily as an expert on family and the raising of children. His early work made an impact as a kind of counternarrative to the tradition-busting, more permissive views of Dr. Benjamin Spock (not the one from "Star Trek").
His influence, however, grew far beyond the realm of family even as the umbrella organization of the work was and still is called Focus on the Family.
Dobson was also a true spiritual guide and encourager for Americans of all ages. Young people listened to stories encouraging virtue and Christian faithfulness on Focus on the Family’s outstanding "Adventures in Odyssey" series.
Millions of adults listened to the radio broadcast Dobson did with a series of co-hosts. While his broadcasts often focused on advice for raising children or for building a flourishing marriage, he also platformed Christian testimonies and effective Christian advocates and ministries. Being featured on his broadcast could lead to an explosion of interest and support for an organization such as the still-flourishing Summit Ministries.
Of all the evangelical attempts to participate in America’s mass media culture, Dobson’s projects may have been the most successful.
Faith in motion
Someone who preceded Dobson in changing evangelical thought was the missionary turned author and filmmaker Francis Schaeffer.
There is a kind of narrative some Christian academics promote about Schaeffer, which is that he was on the right path until he began to engage in political activism. It is certainly the case that, as Schaeffer aged and experienced more influence, he felt the need to use it for political ends.
A similar narrative is applied to Dobson. After his death, many people demonized him. But others argue that he had the right ideas early on, only later succumbing to the temptation to get involved in politics and the culture war. But I think those narratives about Schaeffer and Dobson are wrong.
Schaeffer wrote mostly about Christian theology and worldview more broadly until 1979, when he made the film and wrote the book "Whatever Happened to the Human Race?" in conjunction with C. Everett Koop.
Schaeffer and Koop — a pediatric surgeon who would eventually become the most famous surgeon general in United States history — toured together to promote the film, answering questions from audiences in an effort to appeal to American consciences and stop the killing of unborn children by the millions unleashed by the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision.
There is little question that taking on abortion drew Schaeffer more deeply into American politics and into alliance with Republicans.
Turning point
It certainly didn’t have to be that way.
Schaeffer was hardly a libertarian or someone predominantly concerned with limited government. Instead, he had natural sympathies with workers and was a kind of environmentalist. The life issue drew him further to the right because that was the way the issue evolved. Early on, politicians such as Al Gore, Teddy Kennedy, and Jesse Jackson had pro-life sympathies. At the same time, there were plenty of pro-choice Republicans.
But over time, the American political binary did its work.
Ronald Reagan declared forcefully for the pro-life cause even though his own advisers often tried to tamp down his support. Nevertheless, the life issue became a Republican issue. As it did so, it gained purchase with figures like Schaeffer and the previously progressive Richard John Neuhaus, who found himself surprised that commitments to civil rights and opposition to war violence in Vietnam did not translate into determination to protect the unborn.
Dobson also found himself powerfully committed to protecting the child in the womb. That issue, more compellingly and powerfully than any other, drew him into the political fray. Early on, he would make noise about liberal sympathies exhibited at the White House Conference on the Family. But it would be abortion that really pulled Dobson into the political limelight.
Dobson's threat
There was a time when many Republicans considered the pro-life issue to be a liability, as, for example, various Reagan handlers pushed hard to prevent him from centering the life issue in his speeches.
And after hoping desperately that Republican nominees to the Supreme Court in the 1980s and early 1990s would lead to the overturning of Roe, pro-lifers were badly stung by the Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision — co-authored by three Republican appointees — that cemented Roe’s status.
The dealmaker knew this was one deal he had to make.
GOP pro-choicers likely hoped that would be the end of the matter. It wasn’t. Battles over Supreme Court nominations continued with ferocity, including the bizarre debacles we witnessed in confirmation hearings for nominees from Robert Bork to Clarence Thomas to Brett Kavanaugh.
Dobson was one of the major reasons the Republican Party did not abandon pro-lifers and relegate the issue to the margins. In the late 1990s, Dobson proved just how serious he was when he threatened to leave the Republican Party and to take as many people with him as possible.
The threat was impossible to ignore and resulted in a decisive shift in political gravity.
When faith leads
The Republican Party became a pro-life party virtually full-stop. Notably, the one Republican star who thought he could safely stay pro-choice was Rudy Giuliani. But he failed, as his 2008 presidential campaign proved. In 2012, Mitt Romney ran as a pro-life candidate, which he didn't do in 1994. And in 2016, even Donald Trump, who had never pronounced himself to be pro-life, made the turn and subsequently won the nomination. The dealmaker knew this was one deal he had to make.
Dobson’s eventual support of Trump in 2016 and beyond is often used as proof that Trump forced conservative evangelicals into a position of deep and unjustifiable compromise. After all, they repeatedly criticized the philandering of then-President Bill Clinton in the 1990s only to look past the alleged same behavior by Trump.
But I think we’re telling the wrong story.
The simple truth is that Dobson helped bend the will of the Republican Party in the direction of opposing abortion reliably and consistently. And when Trump finally declared himself pro-life, it was he — not Dobson — who found himself in a new substantive policy position.
We all know how the story ended. Roe was finally overruled. Abortion returned to the moral and democratic consideration of the American people. And I would argue that Dobson got far more than he gave and with the highest stakes on the line.
People mocked Dobson's hope that Trump had become a kind of “baby Christian,” but it reflected his own desire to believe in the possibility of redemption and a changed life.
'Triumph of the Heart': An unflinching depiction of what it means to follow Christ
The current landscape of Christian cinema is more desert than garden. Too many films settle for pandering and saccharine depictions of the faith, as if doing the bare minimum to attract what they assume is a captive audience. Meanwhile, moviegoers thirst for stories that challenge them with reality of the Christian life.
With the success of "Sound of Freedom," "The Shift," and "Cabrini," Angel Studios has shown that viewers will show up for more nuanced, high-quality fare, but most "faith-based" films still seem content to take as little risk as possible.
As Kolbe, Marcin Kwaśny embodies an ordinary man who makes the extraordinary decision to pick up his cross and follow Christ, whatever the consequences.
This was all in my mind as I attended the premiere of "Triumph of the Heart." I wasn't sure what to expect; word of mouth has been strong, but would it live up to the hype? I'm happy to answer that question with a resounding yes.
Greater love hath no man ...
"Triumph of the Heart" tells the incredible true story of the Polish Catholic priest and newspaper publisher who would become Saint Maximilian Kolbe (Pope John Paul II canonized him in 1982). Arrested and sent to Auschwitz in 1941, Kolbe volunteers to take the place of a prisoner condemned along with nine others to die in the camp's starvation cell.
As the men cope with despair, starvation, and ideological division, Kolbe's humanity and their shared Polish identity forge a brotherhood that allows them to face down evil and die with honor.
A humble saint
Not since Paul Roland’s "Exemplum" have I seen such a truthful and realistic depiction of Catholicism. These characters are far from perfect, and that includes Kolbe himself. He smokes, he has regrets, he makes mistakes. But he’s also relentlessly hopeful, courageous, and brave in his faith in Jesus Christ, which empowers him to be a source of light for his fellow cellmates who struggle to maintain their dignity.
This is no sanitized depiction of sainthood. As Kolbe, Marcin Kwaśny embodies an ordinary man who makes the extraordinary decision to pick up his cross and follow Christ, whatever the consequences.
The weight of despair
The actors playing the other prisoners are equally astounding, making you feel the weight of their despair and claustrophobia in the confinement of the hellish, one-window bunker.
Especially impressive is Rowan Polonski’s Albert, who gets the film’s central arc. As he mourns the life with his wife that he passed up to fight in the war, he struggles to accept the inevitability of death and resist the temptation of suicide. It's a dark but layered portrayal of suffering that took me aback like nothing I've ever seen in a Christian film.
RELATED: Father Maximilian Kolbe: A man who lived, and died, for truth
As camp commandant Karl Fritzsch, the man who condemns the prisoners to death, Christopher Sherwood makes a chilling antagonist. But the more deadly foe is Satan himself. He never shows up, except for some artistic shots of a snake peppered throughout the third act, but his presence is tangible as the heroes grapple with despair. All of which makes Kolbe's admonition to “finish the race” (as seen in the movie's trailer) ring with such emotional power as they reject Satan and embrace the hard way out.
Trusting in God
Writer/director Anthony D'Ambrosio has created a deeply Catholic film. That D'Ambrosio himself struggled with anxiety and insomnia while bringing this story to life comes as no surprise; this is a movie that exudes the painful uncertainty that comes with trusting in God's plan.
"Triumph of the Heart" is also a triumph for Christian/Catholic cinema, a profoundly moving examination of the suffering that often accompanies the pursuit of holiness. I can only hope its example inspires other filmmakers to bring the full richness of the Christian faith to the big screen; the possibilities are endless. For now, go see "Triumph of the Heart." The hype is real.
Grieving Charlie Kirk: How to cling to God in the face of evil
“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1).
Why we should read this reminder: God is sovereign over suffering and, in His time, repurposes unspeakable evil for redemptive good. The question of evil appears to be eternal, but evil did, in fact, have a beginning. And just as evil had a beginning, it will have an ending. Evil is not eternal.
Evil may wound, but it cannot win. Pain may overwhelm, but it cannot overcome the resurrection hope we have in Jesus.
On Wednesday, my heart was shattered. Charlie Kirk and I had been texting late Sunday night, finalizing details for his surprise appearance at our Prestonwood Biblical Worldview Conference. Just hours later, our brother and friend was ushered immediately into the presence of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:8). His life was cut short in an act of unspeakable evil. He was brutally murdered and assassinated.
When we are struck by evil atrocity, our hearts cry out: Why, Lord? We feel the weight of grief pressing down, and worry and fear become destabilizing forces. But in these moments, we need a deeper anchor for our souls.
George Müller, the great 19th-century prayer warrior, once said: “My faith is the same faith which is found in every believer. It has been increased little by little for the last 26 years. Many times, when I would have gone insane from worry, I was at peace because my soul believed the truth of God’s promises.”
Müller’s words remind us of a vital truth: Peace is not found in explanations but in God’s promises.
Worry, even fear, is destabilizing so many of us right now. We need a steady anchor for our souls to stabilize our emotions and help us put one foot in front of the other today.
Oh, how we all need the reminder that our God weeps with us today. Through His Son — and now through His Spirit — God has entered our world of suffering. In the midst of heartbreak and loss, He offers His presence, His peace, His hope, His joy, and the promise of eternal life, even when life makes no sense.
Evil does not make sense, so there is no spiritual value in trying to understand or make evil make sense. Evil is a disruption in all the good God has created for us.
RELATED: Charlie Kirk: Loving father, fearless communicator, happy warrior — 1993-2025
We also do not have the right words. That's OK. Scripture reminds us, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words" (Romans 8:26).
In light of this, I want to share four biblical anchors that can steady our souls as we grieve Charlie’s loss and face the problem of pain and evil.
1. God allows and is in control of all my challenges
When Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and cast into prison, he suffered unjustly for 13 long years (Genesis 39). Was he in God’s will? Yes. Was God still sovereign? Absolutely.
Only years later, standing before his brothers who had betrayed him, Joseph declared, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). What was meant to destroy Joseph, God used to save a nation and preserve the line of promise that would lead to the Messiah.
The same God is at work in our pain today. That situation in your life that feels unbearable, even senseless — He is still in control. He is not absent. He is bringing good out of evil in ways we cannot yet see.
Please join me in praying for Charlie’s precious wife, children, and family. We cling to the promise that “the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). And we take comfort in the truth that “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).
2. When evil strikes, we live on promises — not explanations
Ultimately, there is little spiritual value or peace from explanations. Explanations rarely heal a broken heart. In fact, answers alone fall flat in the face of evil. But the promises of God never fail. As seekers of truth, we will find the assailants and pray they are brought to justice, but as a pastor, I know more peace will still be needed when “those questions” are answered.
To experience peace, we must learn to live by faith in the promises and character of God. No one lives by having faith in explanations. All of the faith heroes of the scriptures (many who greatly suffered) lived by faith in the promises of God. Faith is taking God at his word, not asking him for an explanation. That doesn’t mean we cannot ask God, “Why?” But in my experience, God wants us to trust him in the moment, rather than ask for an explanation.
When we suffer, we realize how insignificant our lives are apart from living them in the will of God.
Here’s the key when evil strikes: Living by faith means obeying God’s word in spite of feelings, circumstances, or consequences. It means holding on to God’s truth no matter how heavy the burden or how dark the day, knowing that He is working out His perfect plan.
It means living by promises and not by explanations.
We may never know why Charlie’s life was taken so horrifically. Evil does not make sense, nor should we expect it to. Our hope is not in explanations but in the unchanging goodness of God.
3. Suffering can confirm my faith
Suffering strips away our illusions of self-sufficiency and reminds us that apart from God, our lives are fragile and fleeting.
Think of Abraham, who was asked to sacrifice Isaac — the very son of promise (Genesis 22). That moment of unimaginable testing revealed the depth of his trust in God. And in the right time, God provided a ram.
In the same way, when trials overwhelm us, we are given the opportunity to see God as our true provider. Suffering, as painful as it is, refines our faith, anchors our hope, and draws us closer to the Lord who holds our days.
When we suffer, we realize how insignificant our lives are apart from living them in the will of God.
When we walk through suffering, we are reminded how small and fragile our lives are apart from the will of God. Trials strip away illusions and reveal that the true value of life is not found in the temporary, but in what is eternal.
4. Someday everything will become clear, and God’s ultimate purpose will be accomplished
Biblical heroes like Abraham, Joseph, and Job did not understand their trials while they were in the midst of them. Clarity only came later, when they could look back and see the hand of God at work in the crisis.
Even our Lord Jesus entered the depths of sorrow.
On the night before His crucifixion, He confessed to His disciples, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (Matthew 26:38). In agony He prayed, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). Only hours later, He would endure such profound abandonment that He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
In our darkest moments, we discover this unshakable truth: Jesus understands, Jesus remains, and Jesus redeems.
This week, with the heartbreaking news of Charlie’s murder, we feel that same weight of sorrow and confusion. Like the great saints of old, we don’t yet have clarity on why such atrocities happen. But we cling to the same promises they did.
The writer of Hebrews reminds us: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15).
And we hold fast to God’s unchanging word: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
Charlie loved Jesus and was unashamed of the gospel. Today, we grieve his loss, but not as those without hope. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we know this is not the end. The God who provided for Abraham, who redeemed Joseph’s suffering, who restored Job, and who raised Jesus from the grave will one day wipe away every tear.
Until that day, we trust His heart, we rest in His presence, and we lean on His promises.
And God promises us still: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
In our darkest moments, we discover this unshakable truth: Jesus understands, Jesus remains, and Jesus redeems.
A final word
In this season of heartbreak, let us cling to Christ, our unshakable anchor. Evil may wound, but it cannot win. Pain may overwhelm, but it cannot overcome the resurrection hope we have in Jesus.
Until that day when faith becomes sight, we will trust His heart, rest in His presence, and hold tightly to His promises.
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