Had He Lived, Would Charlie Kirk Have Become the Next Billy Graham?

Charlie Kirk is being celebrated primarily as the driving force in the amazing shift of millions of young voters to the right side of the American political spectrum, and thus providing what might well have been the critical margin in Donald Trump's return to the Oval Office.

There is no doubt that Kirk was a remarkable man, gifted with a unique set of talents for speaking elegantly, firmly, and persuasively on behalf of conservative political principles like civil discourse, individual liberty, and limited government, as well as for the traditional virtues, including marriage between a man and a woman, the nuclear family, and personal responsibility.

Kirk spoke on thousands of college campuses around the country in which for generations students were told endlessly and dishonestly by their professors that such views were reactionary, ridiculous, and/or racist. America is entirely a product of white supremacy, they were told, and thus evil, worthy of nothing but disgust and rejection.

And Kirk may well have been second only to Trump in drawing the intense hatred of the radical left on campus, in the political arena, and in the mainstream media. His campus appearances over the years grew steadily from small gatherings to huge outdoor crowds. And the vitriol and outright hatred from mindless students and their professors on those campuses was endless.

Yet, Kirk succeeded spectacularly in uniquely demonstrating among contemporary American political figures the eternal truth of Proverbs 15:1, which tells us that "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

The man had the gift of being able to speak truth firmly, with a personal winsomeness that never conveyed anger mockery. The fact that thousands upon thousands of young Americans all over this nation responded so positively is the best evidence of the truth and utility of that Proverbs maxim.

Trump often credited Kirk with being a key factor in his 2024 presidential election victory, and it was obvious during a September 12 interview on "Fox and Friends" that the young man from Chicago held a special place in the President's heart.

"I’ve never seen young people or any group go to one person like they did to Charlie. He’d go out to Arizona, to any school, to Utah — where he was — but any school … and he would have bigger rallies than any radical left speaker, and it was killing them," Trump declared while sitting on the Fox morning show's familiar "curvy couch."

"No, he was an unbelievable talent, but it wasn’t really so much a talent. He just really believed it. He just believed it. He loved young people. He wanted to help young people, and he didn't deserve this," Trump continued. He will soon posthumously present Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

But, as articulate and persuasive as Kirk was in defending and advancing conservative political principles and traditional virtues, his ultimate significance may well be that he never failed to make clear that the highest priority in his life was his personal relationship with his savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was a rare public appearance in which Kirk did not talk about Jesus and why knowing Him is the single most important factor in anybody's life, but especially in the lives of young people at the outset of their adult journeys.

And one need only watch a few of his speeches, debates, or campus question-and-answer sessions to appreciate the depth of Kirk's knowledge of the Bible, his passion for Christian apologetics, and, most important, his devotion to the Apostle Peter's injunction to "always be prepared with a ready defense" of the Gospel and to present it "with gentleness and respect."

This clip of Kirk speaking about Jesus makes clear why I believe that, had he lived, Charlie Kirk could well have become the next generation's Billy Graham, the evangelist who presented the Gospel of Jesus Christ to hundreds of millions of people around the entire world.

Kirk shared with Graham the priceless gift of being able confidently and calmly to present the Gospel with that "gentleness and respect" described by the Apostle Peter, as well as Graham's gritty determination to cut through the lies, deceptions, and rationalizations that seek to stand in the way of so many men and women responding to the Word.

Which raises a question that will perhaps be uncomfortable for some: Why didn't God keep Charlie Kirk here longer? The same question can be asked about Jesus Himself. Why didn't He perform more miracles before becoming the Lamb whose blood atones for all of His followers' sins and whose Resurrection defeats death for all time?

The truth is we imperfect humans cannot possibly know on our own the full magnificence and all of the reasons underlying the Lord's perfect will. And I certainly do not intend to suggest in any sense that Charlie Kirk was comparable theologically to Jesus Christ.

But, let's not forget that Jesus commanded all of His followers to take the Gospel to the ends of the Earth. Peter, John, Paul and the rest of the apostles did exactly that; they took the Gospel wherever and however they were able, and their labors produced millions of devoted followers of the Gospel who went on to change the world.

So also did Charlie Kirk take his message wherever he was able and he, too, left behind legions of followers who he taught and inspired to yearn for and labor after a better tomorrow for every American, including leading many to the eternal grace of God.

I have no doubt that Rev. Graham was there to help welcome Charlie to his eternal home.   

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