President Donald Trump is no stranger to dropping jaws and turning heads with his rhetoric, bombastic commentary, and sometimes shocking statements.

While these reactions are typically sparked by the comical names he concocts for his opponents, his hot political takes, and other bold moves, the commander in chief has recently made headlines for some of his more theological proclamations and curiosities.

'I'm not sure I can make it, but he's going to make it. He's there. He's looking down on us right now.'

Trump was aboard Air Force One when he told reporters last Sunday that he’s unsure if he’ll make it to heaven. He prefaced his words by noting he was being “a little cute,” but proceeded to drop some thoughts about the afterlife.

“I don’t think there’s anything going to get me in heaven,” he said. “I think I’m not maybe heaven-bound. ... I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make heaven.”

Just a few days later, while giving the late Charlie Kirk a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, Trump again brought up heaven.

“In his final moments, Charlie testified to the greatness of America and to the glory of our Savior, with whom he now rests in heaven,” he said. “And he is going to make heaven. I said I'm not sure I can make it, but he's going to make it. He's there. He's looking down on us right now.”

There have been other similar instances. Trump once pondered whether ending the Ukraine war would help secure his eternal glory. And at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service last month, the president made another headline-grabbing comment. Heralding Kirk’s love for his enemies, Trump painted a disparity between himself and the late Turning Point USA founder.

“[Charlie] did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them,” Trump said. “That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent and I don't want the best for them. I'm sorry.”

Responses to these proclamations have been swift and harsh. They have also rightly raised some questions about “earning” eternal salvation and the biblical command to love enemies. While some of those questions are fair, much is being missed in the mix of commentary and conjecture about Trump’s theology.

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First, it’s often tough to discern when Trump is being facetious or comical, making it almost impossible to know his real intent behind these remarks. Beyond that, the critics lambasting Trump should consider a different approach: prayer.

Anyone can be an armchair critic, but if Trump vociferously continues to bring up heaven, eternal salvation, and other related theological topics, there’s a solid chance it’s something he’s been contemplating personally. This seems incredibly likely in the wake of the attempts against his own life and after Kirk — a staunch friend and ally — was killed so publicly.

Some people seem to have missed the glaring reality that now is the time to move ceaseless critique to the side and double down on prayer for Trump to discern, comprehend, and embrace the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But there’s another element being missed amid the mix of reactions.

Some people claim that Trump needs better faith advisers, deriding the Christians who have coalesced around him. The assumption is that these leaders aren’t sharing biblical truth with the president.

But I know for a fact that Trump has heard the gospel. The late Phil Robertson of “Duck Dynasty” fame once personally told me how he shared Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection directly with Trump leading up to the 2016 election.

“[I discussed] God becoming flesh … dying for the sins of the world, and, in his case, I said, ‘Dying for your sins, Donald, all of them, I figure there’s a lot — what do you think?’” Robertson told me. “He didn’t disagree with me.”

Robertson also drew an image of “an arrow coming down out of heaven … God becoming flesh, a cross, where Jesus took away the sins of the world.”

The point is: Trump has heard the gospel, and rather than trashing him, we should be doubling down in prayer that he comes to a place of full repentance and understanding.

Still, we must consider the deeper theological issues at the center of Trump’s remarks.

In the New Testament, James makes it clear that “faith without works is dead.” Interestingly, Trump has been talking a lot about peace deals and good deeds, pondering whether those acts can get him to heaven. The Bible has much to say about this topic.

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” James 2:14 reads, with verses 15-17 continuing: “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

James’ words are important not because works save us, but because the Holy Spirit, which dwells in us when we accept Christ and live a life for him, sparks in us a quest to live out Jesus’ call to love God and love others.

Simply stated: We do good because we’re guided by the Lord and His heart for others.

This message is boiled down beautifully by Christ himself in John 3. In that chapter, Jesus tells Nicodemus, a religious leader, that “you must be born again” to enter heaven. Nicodemus seems confused, pondering how one could re-enter his mother’s womb after birth.

That’s when Jesus explains that the rebirth in question is a spiritual one — a death to self and a life for the Lord. John 3:16, arguably the Bible’s most famous verse, tackles God sending his son to die for mankind so that people can have eternal life.

But what comes next is often overlooked.

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him,” John 3:17 reads, with verse 18 continuing: “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Ultimately, one must die to self and live for Christ. There’s no action — without this move — that affords anyone eternal life. Trump might be the most powerful person in the world, but he, like all of us, must decide whether he will embrace this reality.

Rather than endlessly lambasting him over his attempts to understand, we should devote ourselves to praying for him while also pondering whether we, too, have fully embraced this truth.

Why Gen Z is rebelling against leftist lies — and turning to Jesus

Picture it: 8,000 college students packed into an arena. Not to watch basketball but baptisms. Hundreds stepped into portable tanks while their friends cheered, with 500 professing faith in Christ that night alone.

This scene unfolded recently at the University of Tennessee, a major state university. It wasn’t an isolated incident. The Unite US revival movement, which began at Auburn University two years ago, has now spread to more than 20 college campuses nationwide.

The problem with building your worldview on sand is that eventually people notice that they’re sinking.

Here’s what’s happening: For decades, secular progressives positioned themselves as countercultural rebels against the oppressive Christian tradition. But they overplayed their hand. They became the establishment.

The result? Young people are now rebelling against them by turning to Jesus Christ in record numbers.

Since Charlie Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10, churches report attendance increases of 15% and campus ministries are seeing even higher numbers. Bible sales in 2025 have surged past 10 million copies, already over a million more than last year.

The establishment's overreach

The secular left didn’t just ask for “tolerance” of its beliefs — leftists demanded total capitulation. Over the past six decades, they captured universities, media, entertainment, corporations, and government agencies, then wielded these institutions like weapons.

They told young men their masculinity was toxic. They told young women that marriage and motherhood were a trap. They flooded schools with gender ideology and characterized objecting parents as “domestic terrorists.” University DEI offices became enforcement arms for ideological conformity. During COVID, they locked down churches while keeping abortion clinics and strip clubs open. They promised liberation and delivered loneliness, anxiety, and existential despair. Then they called Christianity oppressive.

The problem with building your worldview on sand is that eventually people notice that they’re sinking.

Scripture tells us that God has written His law on every human heart (Romans 2:15). You can suppress that truth, but you cannot erase it. When a generation has been fed nothing but lies dressed as progress, the hunger for truth becomes overwhelming.

Why young men are leading

Research from Pew shows that for decades, each age cohort was less Christian than the one before it. But that trend has stopped with Gen Z. Americans born in the 2000s are just as Christian as those born in the 1990s, the first generation in decades not to show further decline.

Even more striking: Gen Z men now attend weekly religious services more often than Millennials and younger Gen Xers. The gender gap in religious participation has closed, with young men flooding back even as some young women leave.

The secular progressive vision has been particularly hostile to biblical masculinity. Men were told that their natural inclinations toward strength, protection, and leadership were “toxic,” that the desire to work hard and keep your feelings private promoted aggression toward women and the vulnerable, that embracing traditional marriage roles reinforced gender power imbalances and made society less safe.

Kirk recognized that men who fear God more than they fear man build the foundations of civilization.

By contrast, the church doesn’t tell young men that they’re inherently evil. Instead, it calls them to be servant leaders after the pattern of Christ, to lay down their lives as He laid down His for the Church (Ephesians 5:25), and to be strong and courageous in the face of evil (Joshua 1:9).

Scripture has always offered a vision of masculinity that is both strong and sacrificial. When a generation of young men have been told they’re “toxic” simply for being masculine, the gospel’s call to biblical manhood becomes irresistibly attractive.

Charlie Kirk understood this. He often told young men: “Get married. Have children. Build a legacy. Pass down your values. Pursue the eternal. Seek true joy.”

Kirk recognized that men who fear God more than they fear man build the foundations of civilization.

His assassination, meant to silence a voice calling people back to faith and family, had the opposite effect. As one pastor noted, “Charlie Kirk started a political movement, but he ended it as a Christian movement.”

His memorial, attended by 100,000 and viewed by millions, became a gospel proclamation. Young people decided they wanted what Kirk had found: purpose, meaning, and hope anchored in Jesus Christ.

Expect a backlash

Amid all this good news, Christians should never underestimate the resistance that will come from the cultural elites.

Expect increased persecution on campuses. Institutions that previously celebrated every sexual deviation will now express concern about “cultlike behavior” when students undergo baptism. University administrators, who previously ignored the Black Lives Matter riots, will now seek to restrict Christian gatherings. Media outlets that praised “mostly peaceful protests” will warn about the dangers of “religious fervor.”

That’s because spiritual warfare is afoot, and the enemy knows what’s at stake. When young people turn to Christ, they don’t just become saved, they also become transformed. They get married, have children, and raise the next generation in biblical truth. Civilizational renewal begins with revival.

True revival or cultural moment?

It’s also crucial not to mistake enthusiasm for revival. True revival brings conviction of sin, genuine repentance, hunger for God Himself, and hearts transformed by the gospel, not just increased church attendance.

Time will tell whether these professions of faith endure. Jesus warned that many hear the word with initial enthusiasm but fall away when trials come (Matthew 13:1-23). We must pray that these young believers sink roots deep into scripture and persevere.

But we should also recognize what God may be doing. When thousands pack arenas across multiple campuses to worship Christ, that’s not normal in modern America. As Paul wrote, “What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice” (Philippians 1:18).

The apostle Paul. Wirestock/iStock/Getty Images Plus

This isn’t just about individual souls, though. It’s about Western civilization itself. Strong families produce stable societies. If this revival takes root, we’ll see the reversal of family collapse, demographic decline, and cultural decay.

The secular left knows this. Leftists built their project on the destruction of the family, the confusion of gender, and the rejection of biblical authority.

Every young person who turns to Christ, gets married, and raises godly children is a defeat for their vision. Every young man who embraces biblical masculinity is a threat to their power. Every young woman who chooses motherhood over careerism is a rebellion against their ideology.

The gospel offers what secular humanism never could: forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice, transformation through the Holy Spirit, adoption into God’s family, and a purpose that echoes into eternity.

Most importantly, it offers Jesus Himself: the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Not a system of self-improvement or a political ideology, but a Savior and friend who loved us enough to die for us and who conquered death and rose again.

What we must do now

At key points, there is always a moment when God’s mercy is clearly apparent. This is one of those moments, and Christians must seize on it and fan the flames.

How? Take the following steps:

Preach the full gospel: Not a therapeutic version that makes Jesus your life coach but the biblical truth that we are sinners under God’s just wrath, that Christ died in our place, that He rose conquering death, and that all who repent and believe in Him will be saved.
Live lives that reflect what we proclaim: Young people are watching. If we want this generation to take Christianity seriously, they need to see Christians who love faithfully, raise children in the Lord, and stand for truth — even when it costs them.
Disciple intentionally: It’s not enough for young people to make a profession at a revival event. They need scripture, mentorship, and biblical thinking for every area of life. This is the Great Commission: Make disciples, not just converts (Matthew 28:19-20).

Finally, if you’re a student reading this, recognize that your campus could be next for real revival. How can you help advance it? Start a regular prayer meeting. Invite your skeptical friends to church. Be bold when professors mock Christianity. Defend biblical truth.

You’ve been trained for this moment. Now step into it.

The victory is already won

The gates of hell will not prevail against Christ’s church (Matthew 16:18). We don’t fight for victory — we fight from victory.

The secular left’s project was always doomed because it was built on lies — and lies cannot ultimately triumph over truth Himself. The same God who sparked the Great Awakening, who raised up Luther to reform His church, who turned the persecutor Saul into the apostle Paul is still at work today.

The question isn’t whether God will prevail. That’s already settled. The question is whether we’ll have the courage to stand with Him while He does.

If He chooses to use the overreach of secular progressives and the hunger of a desperate generation to turn society back to Him, that’s precisely how God works. He uses the wrath of man to praise Him (Psalm 76:10). He takes what enemies meant for evil and works it for good (Genesis 50:20).

So let the secularists tighten their grip on their failing institutions. Every act of overreach, every attempt to silence the gospel only makes Christianity’s countercultural appeal stronger.

They made rebellion against God the establishment position. Now, young people are rebelling by turning back to Him.

The age of comfortable, culturally acceptable Christianity is over. What’s rising in its place is something far more dangerous to the powers of this world: a generation that has counted the cost and chosen Christ anyway. A generation that knows following Jesus might cost them jobs, friends, and status and has decided He’s worth it.

This is how reformation begins. This is how revival spreads. This is how civilizations are rebuilt from the rubble of failed ideologies.

The question isn’t whether God will prevail. That’s already settled. The question is whether we’ll have the courage to stand with Him while He does.

The revolution has already begun. The only question left is: Which side of history will you be on?

This article is adapted from an essay originally published at Liberty University's Standing for Freedom Center.

How to bring Charlie Kirk's vision to life — starting in your own family

When Charlie Kirk was brutally martyred last month, I was only about a month postpartum. The news hit me like a freight train. That night, I woke up repeatedly, not to feed my baby, but because my heart was pounding. I kept asking myself, “Is this real? Is he really gone?”

Like so many others, I was shaken — stunned, unsettled, and deeply disturbed. As a mom, all I could think about was his wife, Erika, and two children left behind to pick up the pieces. Charlie’s legacy lives on, and his death has ignited a fire in a hopeless world. His impact has rippled across the nation and the globe — especially in the younger generation.

We’re not just raising kids. We’re training warriors for a fight that’s already begun.

I’ve always resolved to raise strong children, those who love God, love others, and courageously stand for truth. That conviction has only deepened. As a mom now of two littles — a toddler son and a newborn girl — I’m determined to do my part in raising the next generation to be like Charlie Kirk.

I’m more emboldened, unwavering, and unapologetic in that calling — and I want to encourage others to stand just as firmly.

The culture war is here

When the Israelites were exiled to Babylon, captives in a godless country, the prophet Jeremiah told them to seek the “welfare” of the city. He said, “For in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7). The Hebrew word for "welfare" is shalom, meaning peace, wholeness, or flourishing.

Though devastated and disoriented, the Jewish exiles were charged to build homes, plant gardens, raise families, and pray for the peace and prosperity of the very nation that had conquered them. For 70 years, they were to live as a distinct people in a foreign land — engaged, not removed — trusting that God’s purposes extended even into exile.

If they were called to bless a wicked nation that wasn’t their own, how much more should we, living in the freest country in the world, rise to that responsibility?

It starts in the home; it starts with us. The Jewish exiles were called to have families and raise godly children, and so are we. We’re in a culture war — no matter how we feel about it or whether we like it.

As parents, we hold a sacred and irreplaceable role in shaping the hearts and minds of our children — future leaders who will either transform the culture or be shaped by it.

One day, our children may ask: “Where were you when they were killing innocent babies? Where were you when boys were allowed in girls’ locker rooms? Where were you when the truth was under attack?”

What will we say?

Scripture is clear: We are called to teach and train the next generation. We weren’t made to sit passively on the sidelines while the world unravels. Comfort, complacency, and silence are not options in a culture that is increasingly hostile to truth. We have a weighty, joyful, and urgent responsibility to raise bold warriors for Christ.

Let’s raise children who are like sharpened arrows, aimed at the heart of the culture with courage, conviction, and clarity. But here’s the deal: We can’t call them to be what we’re not. We must be the bright lights first — refusing to cower in fear, shining truth into the darkest places.

Let’s raise them to stand — and let’s show them how.

Faith is the great stabilizer

Without faith, it’s impossible to please God, and it’s impossible to have a thriving society.

At Charlie’s memorial, pastor Rob McCoy said: “Charlie looked at politics as an on-ramp to Jesus. He knew if he could get all of you rowing in the streams of liberty, you’d come to its source, and that’s the Lord.”

It’s all about God.

Our priorities must always be clear: Faith, family, and freedom — in that order.

Boonyachoat/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Jesus calls us to be salt and light in a dark and decaying world. Salt doesn't just give flavor, but it preserves, purifies, and sustains. Jesus warned, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot” (Matthew 5:13).

We are at a crossroads. We can either stay silent — choosing comfort and curated lives on the sidelines — or we can engage, stand firm, and live out our faith with boldness and conviction. Because if we don’t show up, our freedoms will quietly disappear, and so will the future we hope to hand our children.

Where do we start?

For me, part of that answer has come through the example of my friend Katy Faust, founder of Them Before Us. Her clarity, courage, and commitment to truth have shaped the way I approach parenting and cultural engagement. She speaks boldly on the issues others avoid and models the kind of conviction I hope to carry into every stage of motherhood.

Her book “Raising Conservative Kids in a Woke City” is a must-read for any parent navigating today’s cultural landscape.

One of its most powerful takeaways is her challenge to parents: Know your stuff, study the issues of the day, understand the world your kids are growing up in, and, most importantly, know your Bible deeply and thoroughly.

Charlie Kirk’s assassination wasn’t an isolated tragedy but a symptom of something deeper: a cultural war rooted in the rejection of God and biblical truth. And the only way we fight back is by getting our own houses in order.

That means:

God first. Family second. Country third. In that order!
Making our homes fortresses of faith and places of refuge.
Knowing the Word. Studying the issues. Teaching our children.
Modeling the courage we want to see in them — starting with what may seem like the “small” things, such as refusing to affirm falsehoods by using preferred pronouns that contradict biological reality.

We’re not just raising kids. We’re training warriors for a fight that’s already begun.

The moment demands courage

When my son was growing in my womb just over two and a half years ago, I often thought, “He’s going to be a world-changer.” That’s our prayer as parents — not just to raise good kids, but to raise world-changers and strong leaders.

But the truth is: Leaders aren’t born — they’re forged.

Charlie Kirk was forged by fire. Tested, tried, and unwavering, he stood for truth when it cost him everything. He was bold. He was brave. And he refused to back down. Characteristics I want to see in my kids as we train them.

Now it’s our turn, not just to admire that kind of courage, but to cultivate it in our children.

Here’s where we start: Lead by example. Let them see you live with conviction. Take them to church. Root them in eternal truth. Teach them what’s true — and how to stand for it. Help them think critically and speak clearly. Show them how to live courageously in a world that fears truth.

In 1 Peter 3:15, the apostle Peter exhorts believers to “always be prepared to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” with “gentleness and respect.” This isn’t optional. It’s a call to know what we believe, why we believe it, and how to communicate it thoughtfully and confidently.

If we want to make an impact, being believers that obey God’s commands, this means we must dive deep into the scriptures, study apologetics, and understand the cultural issues of our time through a biblical lens.

If we want to raise warriors, we must be warriors. Raising the next generation of leaders begins with intentional, everyday decisions — in the home, at the dinner table, and in how we respond to the culture around us.

The battle isn’t coming — it’s already here.

How Charlie Kirk’s popularity exposes the cost of silent pulpits

The sudden wave of grief and admiration from young people after Charlie Kirk’s death caught many parents and grandparents off guard. High-schoolers and college students didn’t just know his name — they were fans. They followed him closely, quoted him, and saw him as a guide in confusing times.

But why? Kirk was not a movie star, athlete, or pop-culture influencer. He didn’t set fashion trends or headline concerts. What made him connect so deeply with a generation?

Silence does not comfort the searching. It leaves them adrift.

The answer is simple: Charlie Kirk had answers.

While America’s pulpits too often fell silent about cultural issues, Kirk spoke plainly about them. And young people, desperate for clarity and confused about the way forward, finally had a leader.

Silence in the pulpit

I once interviewed a 19-year-old in Madison Square Park who was visibly frustrated. He insisted he didn’t hate women or minorities and wasn’t extreme politically. He simply wanted the chance to live his life without being branded a "bigot" because of his identity as a white male. His frustration wasn’t anger — it was despair.

What struck me was not just his words, but the hopelessness behind them.

If he attended most evangelical churches in America, he would not have found answers. Many churches, even when disagreeing with progressive ideas, avoid speaking against them. Instead, they sidestep controversy, hoping silence will win them credibility.

But silence does not comfort the searching. It leaves them adrift.

What young people face

Several years ago, a megachurch youth pastor asked me what challenges high-schoolers face. I told him this generation is drowning in questions of identity. They don’t know who they are, how to discern truth, or how to recover from failure. Depression and suicidal thoughts are widespread.

He dismissed my concerns until days later, when both gender-identity questions and suicidal struggles appeared in his ministry. Even then, when I offered to help equip his students, he rejected the offer — in anger.

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This isn’t an isolated story. For decades, many youth leaders have minimized cultural and moral questions, reducing Christianity to behavior management and vague encouragement. Students are left unprepared for the real battles they face.

Of course, I’m grateful for the pastors and leaders who reject this trend, but make no mistake: The trend was very real. Students needed answers. Charlie was giving them.

A hunger for clarity

That's why Kirk struck a chord. He didn't shy away from questions about gender, identity, politics, and morality. Agree or disagree with his conclusions, young people heard in him something they rarely heard from pastors: conviction.

When I was once given 50 minutes to “equip” high-school seniors for college with apologetics, I found the proposition laughable. You’ve had services twice a week for four years, and you think 50 minutes of apologetics is enough to prepare them for the lies and untruth they will face day in and day out?

But it illustrates the deeper problem — leaders who thought silence is safe. They were told by all the church gurus that if they were silent, somehow that would turn into gospel opportunities.

Big mistake. It isn’t until people know the truth that the truth will set them free. Silence brings slavery. And into that vacuum stepped Charlie Kirk.

The lesson for the church

Kirk’s popularity among young people should encourage us: This generation's young people are hungry for answers, and they are not turned off by clarity.

At the same time, it should warn us: If pastors will not equip the next generation with biblical truth about cultural issues, someone else will step in to fill the void.

Charlie Kirk did not captivate young people because he was trendy. He did it because he was clear. And that is precisely what too many pastors have been unwilling to be.

I’m thankful for the exceptions. Men like Rob McCoy, Jack Hibbs, David Engelhardt, and many others have been faithful to equip their congregations.

The challenge is before us now. Will the church continue in fearful silence? Or will it recover the courage to declare what scripture says — not just about heaven and hell, but about identity, morality, truth, and life in the public square?

Young people are listening, and they are desperate for your voice. Let’s learn from the life of Charlie Kirk and boldly speak truth in love.

Charlie Kirk's legacy exposes a corrosive lie — and now it's time to choose

Charlie Kirk’s memorial service was wasn’t just a remembrance — it was a revelation.

The memorial service was Christian nationalism in nascent, immature form. Not everyone who spoke was a Christian — and Christian nationalism does not require that. Yet what stood out most was that even people who do not share Charlie’s faith in Jesus showed open respect for the gospel. Everyone at the service was operating under the Christian gaze.

As the left grows more openly hostile to Christian belief, the right is becoming more consistently Christian.

The truth is this: We cannot make America great again without making America Christian again, which in turn means making America biblical again.

MAGA needs MACA and MABA.

No neutral ground

For too long, Republicans spoke in vague religious clichés, paying lip service to an undefined faith in a nameless god. But Kirk’s memorial service was different. We saw speaker after speaker dare to define his faith in explicitly Christian terms.

This marks a seismic shift in a very short period of time. At the memorial, civil magistrates openly proclaimed the lordship of Christ as public truth. Media influencers called on us to repent of our particular sins particularly. A new widow forgave her husband’s alleged killer, in accord with Jesus’ teaching, and civil magistrates promised to use their power to terrorize evildoers, in accord with Romans 13.

As the left grows more openly hostile to Christian belief, the right is becoming more consistently Christian.

The lines are more clearly drawn than ever before. Both the service itself and the events of the last two weeks illustrate this reality.

Perhaps the most important part of the memorial was that Charlie Kirk’s legacy was accurately portrayed. Charlie consistently emphasized the cultural, political, and civilizational impact of Christian faith. Unlike many pastors, he was willing to connect the dots, linking his Christian beliefs to every sphere of life: economics, marriage and family, immigration and nationhood, limited government, and more.

For him, the Christian faith was not a private set of religious ideas but a comprehensive system of truth that works in the real world. He challenged people (especially college students) with a biblical worldview, demonstrating that Christian faith offers coherent and compelling answers to both the pressing personal and political questions of the day.

That conviction came through in the memorial service, and for that I am grateful.

Third-wayism fails

It's now becoming painfully obvious that the “third-wayism” of so many “Big Eva” leaders has been exposed as untenable.

Third-wayism treats both sides of the political spectrum as morally equivalent, with each side getting some things right and other things wrong. Third-wayism advocates attempt to remain neutral, in order to avoid controversy and causing offense.

But in reality, there is no middle ground between progressive/secular and conservative/Christian political commitments. Those who want to avoid the culture war will still be drawn into it — just on the wrong side.

Third-wayists try to stay above the fray, but in doing so they actually compromise with evil. Because they insist on balancing left and right, if the left radicalizes and moves farther left, the third-wayist must also shift leftward in order to remain in the “middle.” In the process, third-way advocates end up justifying extreme progressive positions simply to maintain their supposed neutrality.

They are constantly chasing an Overton window that keeps moving leftward.

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At its core, third-wayism attempts to treat progressivism as equally compatible with the Christian faith as conservatism. It's true that there exists a kind of Christ-less conservatism that reduces faith to cultural nostalgia or civic religion. This kind of “bar-stool conservatism” should be critiqued and rejected. But in general, conservative positions overlap with biblical truth, whereas progressive positions stand as its direct antithesis.

Conservative, or traditional, Christian theology simply cannot mix with progressive politics any more than oil can mix with water.

Third-wayism is not humility or evangelistic wisdom. Rather, it's a form of the fear of man disguised as humility. It seeks to ingratiate itself with the left — never to the right. It's surrender rather than engagement, following rather than leading. It lacks substance and depth. It has no coherent political philosophy of its own. Its positions are dictated by how far to the left the progressive zeitgeist is willing to go. Third-wayists are easily manipulated precisely because of their refusal to take a firm stand. The third-wayist cannot draw a line in the sand.

The third-wayism dynamic, therefore, produces the familiar “coddle the left, punch the right” tendency, where progressive evils are gently excused while conservative shortcomings are harshly condemned. It assumes there is neutrality in the culture war when, in reality, there is none.

The third-wayist paradigm that has dominated the church in recent decades has allowed the culture to keep moving leftward without resistance. It never actually fights the battles that most need to be fought.

Christian faith, however, is not a private sentiment that can remain above political conflict.

Christ or chaos

The Christian faith is a fighting faith. It's a civilization-building, culture-transforming faith. It claims to be public truth, rooted in hard-edged historical fact. It's inherently political because it makes demands on rulers and the ruled alike. It includes an ethic that governs all of life, including political life.

America is dividing between those who embrace a consistently Christian vision of life and those who oppose it.

When King David commanded the kings of the earth to “kiss the Son,” there was no third way. When the apostles proclaimed “Jesus is Lord,” they were not splitting the difference between competing political poles. When Jesus said all authority in heaven and earth belong to him, he left no middle ground. When Christians say that life in the womb must be protected, there is no third option; the baby will either live or be murdered. When Christians say men are men and women are women, there is no place for the third-wayist to run and hide from the truth.

The gospel does not call us to neutrality. It calls us to allegiance. Third-wayism, by pretending otherwise, only serves to mask compromise as virtue. Third-wayism is a denial of Jesus’ lordship.

Charlie’s legacy is at the heart of this moment. Charlie never took the third way. He took the Christian way. He refused to compromise with the madness and folly of the left. Charlie’s ministry and martyrdom are a sign that the time for fence-sitting is over.

The lines are drawn.

America is dividing into two camps: one that bows to Christ and one that rages against him. The future belongs to those who have the courage to say what Charlie Kirk said with his life — that Christian faith is not optional if we want a civilization worth living in. America is dividing between those who embrace a consistently Christian vision of life and those who oppose it.

Which side are you on? Only two options are on the table — not three.

The memorial service revealed something profound: a clear contrast between two moral and spiritual visions of America and the need for courage in identifying with the one that aligns with biblical truth rather than cowardly compromise. Charlie embodied that courage, and his legacy continues to press the church and the nation toward a faith that is not abstract but applied — a faith that shapes culture, politics, economics, and civilization itself.

The memorial marked more than the remembrance of one man. It revealed a cultural realignment that Charlie helped bring about. His courage in connecting Christian faith to every dimension of life is the kind of legacy that points the way forward.

The Left Accuses The Right Of Hate To Avoid Debate And Silence Opposition

Conservatives' views on marriage, transgenderism, abortion, race, and more are based on reason, science, economics, and the Bible — not hate.

Charlie Kirk’s Death Is Filling Churches Across The Country

In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, we are witnessing a renewed hunger for timeless truths, amplified by the moral listlessness of secular leftism.

The 'AI Bible' is here — but something important is missing

AI is coming for us all. For our jobs, our schools, our relationships — even our prayers. Nothing is safe from its reach, not even the Bible.

What was once the bedrock of faith is now being mined for content, carved up by algorithms, and served back as digital slop.

This is much more than bad taste. It’s bad theology.

Behind this push is Pray.com, an app that sells itself as the digital home for faith. One of its newest creations is the “AI Bible,” a controversial project that promises to bring scripture to life with computer-generated imagery.

'AI Bible'

In the app's hands, the Red Sea parts like a movie trailer. Revelation’s beasts look like they’ve stepped off a comic-book page. Christ’s words are framed with cinematic flair meant to hold the eye but not the soul. To those hard of sight and lacking neural firepower, it may look like innovation. But in truth, it turns the Bible into content. One more product in the stream of things we swipe past and instantly forget. What was once revelation becomes just another reel.

Think of the AI Bible like a pear. Whole, raw, pristine, this piece of fruit is truly glorious. It's nutritious, natural, sustaining, a gift from above. Now, imagine squeezing that pear into juice, then pumping it full of preservatives, chemicals, and sugar. Ostensibly the same fruit, but, in reality, a syrupy poison. That’s what happens when you take scripture — alive with mystery and insight — and feed it into a godless black box.

This isn’t sanctimonious pearl-clutching or fear of progress. It’s a sober warning about what happens when the sacred is ground down into pulp and poured back as pop culture.

We’ve seen it before. Christmas, once holy, became little more than an extensive shopping spree. The cross, once a symbol of sacrifice, became little more than a cute piece of jewelry. Each time, the revered was reduced to something retailed, commodified, and corrupted.

What we lose

What’s lost is the humanity that gives these stories their weight.

Abraham’s anguish as he raised the knife. David’s trembling faith as he faced giants. Peter’s shame when the rooster crowed and he realized what he had done. These moments are not mere side notes but the marrow of the faith itself.

When AI turns every prophet into a caped crusader and every psalm into a stadium anthem, we have a serious problem. The fragile, flawed, human vessels through which God works are erased. You don’t see a fisherman break down in tears after denying Christ; you see a subplot for the next Netflix series. You don’t hear the gentle whisper that steadies the brokenhearted; you hear the booming roar of an action trailer, half expecting Tom Cruise to drop in from a helicopter.

Audiences don’t file these images in their hearts. They file them next to Marvel, Fortnite, anime, and whatever else the algorithm feeds them.

And once that switch is made, where does it end? Today it’s Psalms in IMAX; tomorrow it’s Paul’s letters as TikTok skits; then the beatitudes on Broadway.

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The AI Bible invites consumption — not reflection. It trains people to treat sacred text like a season of television. Genesis turns into a pilot episode and Revelation becomes a cliff-hanger. But wisdom isn’t designed for marathons. Wisdom and understanding require pause, not playlists. Faith is not built for autoplay, and the soul can’t be nourished on fast-forward.

This is much more than bad taste. It’s bad theology. Passages that demand contemplation — the Nephilim, the visions of John — get twisted into definitive depictions that erase centuries of debate.

The real danger

The result is religious entertainment. The word becomes just another franchise to be monetized, its characters reduced to archetypes, its stories to HD clashes between good and evil. But the gospel deserves reverence — not a reboot.

Christians are not called to resist technology. But the line is clear: The printing press spread the gospel. Radio and TV amplified it. AI, in this case, distorts it. The motivation behind the "AI Bible" program may be noble, but noble intentions don’t sanctify rotten results.

And that is where it crosses into blasphemy. Not because it uses new tools, but because it erases the truth those tools are meant to carry. Scripture is testimony, commandment, and covenant — not special effects. To recast it as entertainment is to drain it of authority and credibility.

The danger is not that people will reject the Bible outright, but that they will absorb a counterfeit version and never know the difference.

Why Charlie Kirk's murder feels personal — even if you never met him

I’ve heard it over and over again from people across the country: “I can’t believe how much Charlie Kirk’s death has impacted me. I’ve never been this shaken by the death of someone I didn’t personally know.”

Grief and righteous anger over his brutal assassination have resonated with millions, creating a palpable sense of shock and loss unlike anything we’ve experienced in our lifetimes. Charlie Kirk wasn’t just another influencer, and his death wasn’t just another senseless crime.

Charlie stood for truth, and the father of lies hates truth-tellers. Jesus made it clear that spiritual neutrality isn’t possible.

There’s a deeper and more spiritual reason why we’ve been shaken by this tragedy.

1. You're more connected to Charlie than you might think

Many of us felt a deep, personal connection to Charlie. We listened to his voice or watched his videos for hours on end, and over time, you really do develop a personal connection whether you’ve met in real life or not.

Especially because Charlie was so likable, it’s easy to think of him as your brother, son, or close friend. That’s not weird or unearned. It's natural.

But there’s also a supernatural reason you feel this loss. We feel connected to Charlie as a reflection of our spiritual unity. The apostle Paul wrote, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. ... But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:12–13).

The same Holy Spirit who dwelt in Charlie is in all who’ve received Jesus as Lord. For Christians, Charlie is our brother in Christ, and when he was wounded, we all felt the pain. Further, his murder grieves the Holy Spirit in us. Our collective grief is a sign of our shared faith and unbreakable bond as Christians. When one part suffers, we all suffer.

2. We're in a spiritual war

Charlie’s assassination wasn’t just a political act. It was a demonic attack.

The same evil spirit that killed the prophets, crucified Christ, and martyred Stephen has now manifested itself in our day against Charlie Kirk. And it’s jarring to realize you’re smack dab in the middle of a spiritual war.

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Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that our true enemy is spiritual, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Charlie stood for truth, and the father of lies hates truth-tellers. Jesus made it clear that spiritual neutrality isn’t possible. He said, “He who is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30).

For the children of God, we will overcome the enemy, not with bullets, but with our Bibles and the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. We mourn with his family

While we all feel the loss, our hearts break for his family — his brave wife, Erika, and his young children who will grow up knowing their father was great without the blessing of enjoying him personally. The sadness we feel for them is biblical compassion.

Romans 12:15 commands us to “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Our grief for the Kirk family is a righteous and compassionate response to a pain that grieves the heart of God. We must continue to pray for them, knowing that the Lord loves Charlie’s family even more than Charlie, and He will take care of them as only He can.

This tragedy also serves as a poignant reminder to cherish our own families and not take a single moment for granted.

4. Murder desecrates image-bearers of God

The video of Charlie’s death, widely shared online, made us witnesses to murder. This marks the human soul in a traumatic way. It’s hard enough to see an animal slaughtered, but destroying a human being — made in the image of God — with such gruesome malice is the ultimate act of desecration.

Murder is a sin against man and God, and it’s why we should support capital punishment.

Genesis 9:6 states, “If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image.” The death penalty assigns the highest punishment to those who commit the highest crime, affirming the sacred value of life.

Charlie’s death reminds us that while our earthly bodies are fragile and easily destroyed, our hope is in Jesus Christ. One day, at the sound of the trumpet, our perishable bodies will be raised imperishable, and death will be swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:52–57).

5. It could have been you

This was not a political assassination. Charlie wasn’t a politician running for office; he was a truth-teller combating lies.

Everything he believed and stood for was based on his faith in Jesus Christ. His entire worldview was shaped by the Bible. Make no mistake, Charlie Kirk is a Christian martyr — perhaps the most significant in American history; he was slain on American soil, by an American, fighting to liberate Americans from the bondage of deception.

There will never be another Charlie, but we can honor his legacy by picking up the torch and taking even more ground.

As fellow believers, we stand for the same truths he was murdered for.

This forces us to confront a sober reality: Following Jesus courageously may come at a high cost. Occasionally, we must all look in the mirror and ask, “Am I willing to die for this?” The answer must be, "Yes."

Jesus said in Matthew 16:25, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." We must not allow fear to silence us. We must become even more committed to our righteous cause.

Be encouraged: The martyrdom of Stephen gave rise to the ministry of the apostle Paul, and Charlie’s martyrdom will give rise to thousands of bold voices who will not shrink back from death.

6. We lament over lost potential

Charlie was a uniquely gifted leader who was helping to change the political and cultural landscape of our nation. Many believed he might one day become president. His sudden death leaves us mourning over the lost potential of what he could have accomplished with so many more years of life ahead.

But we can trust in God’s sovereignty. As Psalm 33:11 reminds us, “The Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken." We are shocked by Charlie’s death, but God is not; and this tragedy won’t thwart God’s plan. The Kingdom of God doesn't advance through the gifting of a single “superman,” but through ordinary men and women empowered by the Spirit of God.

Charlie’s death requires all of us to step up and fill the void. There will never be another Charlie, but we can honor his legacy by picking up the torch and taking even more ground.

7. We can feel helpless

In the face of such a tragedy, we feel helpless. We prayed for a miracle, but God did not heal Charlie or raise him from the dead.

It's OK to be disappointed with the outcome, but we must never be disappointed in God. He is always good, even when our circumstances are not. Even when we feel helpless, we are not hopeless. We can make a difference by standing for truth, sharing the gospel, raising our families, and doing our civic duty. We will do our parts and trust God to do His.

8. The wicked are celebrating

The evil, celebratory comments from Charlie’s critics reveal the wickedness in their hearts. These are people so blinded by sin that they call good "evil" and evil "good." They are too hard-hearted to hear reason, and only God can change their hearts.

Our lives on earth are short, but eternity is forever.

Remember what Jesus commanded in Luke 6:27–28, "Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you." The fact that hell is throwing a party over Charlie’s death is a testament to the difference he was making. The demons also cheered when Jesus was crucified, but their celebration was temporary, while our victory is for eternity.

Let's live our lives so courageously that hell throws a party when we die, too.

9. Earthly justice is incomplete

The news that Charlie’s alleged murderer was caught provides a measure of satisfaction, but it won’t bring him back. Even the swiftest and most severe earthly justice will not provide perfect retribution for this crime. This is why we hold onto the hope of God's final, complete justice.

The Bible promises that one day Jesus will return to judge the righteous and the unrighteous. For those who have placed their faith in Him, our sins are forgiven, and we will receive eternal reward. For those who reject Christ, there will be eternal punishment.

We can thank God for a justice system that holds murderers accountable, but we find our ultimate peace in knowing that God will settle all accounts perfectly on the final day.

10. Life is short, but eternity is forever

Charlie was only 31 years old — young, healthy, and strong. His life was cut short, a stark reminder that our days are numbered.

As Psalm 39:4–5 says, “Remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered — how fleeting my life is.” This tragedy should be a call to action for all of us. Don’t waste your life on things that don’t matter. Don't be a spectator.

Our lives on earth are short, but eternity is forever. While we mourn, we do not grieve like those who have no hope. We have the blessed assurance that for Charlie, and all believers, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Charlie's assassination was meant to silence him, but the enemy has made a grave miscalculation. His martyrdom has awakened a sleeping giant. Let our grief be a catalyst for strengthening resolve. We will weep, we will heal, we will fight, and we know that we will win. We’ve read the back of the good book, and it says that in the end, we win.

We will not be silenced, and the truth Charlie died for will not be buried. It will only get bolder, louder, and stronger!