Remembering Charlie Kirk, Creation Defender

Though science was not his
strong point, Charlie Kirk did not
shy away from defending creation
the best he knew how, publicly

Many in the United States are mourning the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, at a rally in Utah yesterday (September 10). He was only 31 years old and leaves behind a wife and two young children. At this time the killer is still on the loose, so his identity, motives and connections are still unknown. Was he acting alone? Was he part of a conspiracy to take him out? Speculations are running rampant, but there are some indications it was a hit job by a professional marksman [see update below].

Charlie Kirk engaged students at universities around the US respectfully, taking their questions and giving answers in a winsome manner that attracted large crowds.

For now, it’s worth remembering what Kirk stood for: conservative principles, family values, the rule of law (especially the Constitution), and the primacy of truth. Charlie was uncompromising about his Christian faith but attracted many young adults, high school and college students because of his friendly and respectful manner. He would answer any question asked from the audience without demeaning the questioner, appealing to the person’s common sense.

A clip from his YouTube channel from last October 2024 has the title, “I help college students understand the case for creation over evolution.” In it he respectfully responds to a student who left his Catholic faith in favor of evolution. Kirk led him to agree with the basic design argument from both probability and the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection.

Charlie Kirk’s answer is weak from CEH’s perspective, because he allowed for theistic evolution, but two things are noteworthy: Kirk did not chide the student at all, but respectfully tried to bring him to acknowledge the basic argument for God from intelligent design and from history. The other noteworthy observation is how intently all the other students were listening. Watch them; nobody shouted or wore an expression of disapproval or boredom. Charlie Kirk had a way of engaging students at their level that was attractive and persuasive. Clearly many of the others in the crowd had similar questions about evolution and were eager to hear how he would answer.

Charlie Kirk (1993-2025)

Update 9/12/2025: The murderer has been captured. 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, a straight-A student from a middle-class Mormon family in a good neighborhood, son of a member of the local sheriff’s department, was identified by his father watching videos posted by the FBI and was urged to turn himself in. Tyler at first said he would kill himself rather than do that, but is now in FBI custody and charged with aggravated murder and other federal crimes. Robinson was not a military man but had rifle marksmanship practice. According to Breitbart, an anonymous friend of the shooter said that the Robinson family was “very hard Republican” but Tyler had become “pretty left on everything” which led to him “ranting and arguing” about his views. The young man was radicalized within recent years by listening to media hate speech against conservatives like Charlie Kirk. Hateful rhetoric was found in his social media. One of the bullets in his gun was inscribed with “Hey fascist! Catch!!” Many Democrat leaders and commentators or guests on mainstream media programs have long used words like “fascist” and “Nazi” to describe President Trump and his supporters. The impact of this kind of inflammatory rhetoric on impressionable minds is being discussed fervently by commentators today. Whether perpetrators of anti-conservative hate speech will consider a ‘turning point’ remains to be seen (shockingly, some far-left commentators are accusing Kirk of inciting his own murder). The feds and state courts are considering the death penalty. A clearer case of premeditated murder worthy of that could hardly be considered.

CEH would agree that some questions about the Biblical account of creation, such as when it happened, are important but secondary to hearing the gospel. Charlie Kirk gave enough evidence in his short answer to get the crowd thinking about design and the resurrection of Christ. Many new converts to Christianity need time to sort out the details of creation and evidences against Darwinian evolution once the Holy Spirit begins to open their eyes and they begin to read the Bible anew. So while we disagree with his vacillating about the age of the earth, we understand that it was not as important in the limited time he had.

Charlie Kirk may have been growing more knowledgeable about creation since that YouTube clip. One of our acquaintances at ICR said that he had a good dialog with Randy Guliuzza, ICR president [details obtained after posting this: see this link]. Though creation was not Kirk’s primary focus, it was clearly an interest of his and he had studied some evidence. We suspect he would have embraced the arguments in Genesis and science for a recent creation, and the geological evidence supporting the Genesis Flood. It must be remembered that Kirk was only 31 when he was killed. Some in the creation movement have been studying the evidence for decades.

A more somber aspect of the assassination yesterday is witnessing the sheer hatred in the leftist mainstream media and in Big Science for Charlie Kirk’s views. His positions on politics, morality and science constitute a whole package that many on the left absolutely despise with irrational disgust. Kirk was for open civil debate; leftist radicals projected their own hate and intolerance onto him! At CEH, we have witnessed unilateral intolerance for everything in the conservative/Christian package of positions from Big Science and Big Science Media (example). Whether the topic is evolution, abortion, climate change, gun control, immigration, economics, gender, religion, marriage and family, human exceptionalism—or whatever could be called conservative—very few on the progressive/left side of the aisle will engage their opponents in rational discussions like Charlie Kirk did. When they are not ignoring conservatives, they are attacking them. Turning Point USA was trying to change that by going into leftist strongholds—the universities—to open minds and hearts with reasoned dialog. That used to be the hallmark of science. Not any more.

The assassination yesterday could be a turning point, indeed. Will the leftists finally tone down their rhetoric? Already, some very despicable responses from leftist media have insinuated that Kirk got what he deserved or caused his own death by sharing controversial views. One MSNBC commentator was fired yesterday for such comments. After learning about the shooter’s good family, this is a warning to Christian parents to never assume their children are following their path. The influence of social media, friends and radical leftists turned Tyler Robinson into a hater and killer. His parents must be absolutely devastated.

Jesus taught us to love our enemies and do good to those who persecute you. That is for individuals. Government’s responsibilities are different because they have the power and function of executing justice and preserving human rights, including speech and life. Citizens who want a stable society must ensure two things happen now: (1) Demand leaders to find the murderer and execute swift justice (Ecclesiastes 8:11). Fortunately, that appears to be the steadfast goal of the Trump administration. Another necessary reaction is: (2) Overcome evil with good. In the early days of Christianity, the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church. In the aftermath of yesterday’s horror, let 10 young adults or students rise to take Charlie’s place, and for each one shouted down, canceled or attacked violently, let 10 more arise. The leftists/progressives* need to learn that violence is a losing strategy.

And for each of us, let us strive to build a legacy of ideas rather than riches, remembering the words of James,

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)

If you died suddenly like that, would you be ready to meet your Maker? Are you on the right path? Follow the signposts.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5).

*We could say Hegelian, since progressivism is built on the Hegelian dialectic, as our contributing author Dr John Wise has shown (see here and here).