09/10/2026
๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐
๐ข๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ข ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ฌ
One year ago today, September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was assassinated on a college campus while doing something he had done countless times before: standing before young people, speaking about what he believed, and engaging people who disagreed with him.
On that day, I was in Washington, D.C., at the Library of Congress in meetings with David Barton and a number of pastors and national political leaders. Senator Ted Cruz was speaking when the first messages began arriving on phones around the room.
๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐น๐.
Suddenly, everything changed.
Senator Cruz stopped speaking and shared what had happened. More phones began receiving the news. The room that moments earlier had been filled with conversation became quiet.
Then came the words from Senator Cruz:
๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐, ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐.
A pastor began praying, and within moments voices throughout that room were lifted toward heaven.
Tears were falling. Voices were cracking. Men and women who personally knew Charlie were praying while waiting desperately for another message, hoping the first reports would not become the worst possible news.
While we waited, Senator Cruz shared how he had met Charlie. That opened the room for others to tell their stories and memories of him.
Then the news came.
๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐.
Again the room fell silent.
And again we prayed, this time for Erika, their children, their family, and everyone whose world had just changed.
Charlie Kirk was 31 years old when he was murdered at Utah Valley University. A year later, the man accused of killing him faces trial, and prosecutors allege that Charlie was deliberately targeted because of his political and religious beliefs.
๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐.
๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ต๐ผ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ.
There also needs to be an honest national examination of political rhetoric. For years, political figures and commentators on the left have used rhetoric portraying conservatives and their beliefs as dangerous, hateful, extremist, or threatening. That rhetoric contributed to a deeply hostile political environment in America.
After Charlieโs assassination, Republicans pointed directly to that rhetoric, while Democrats rejected claims that their party bore responsibility. Political violence has also targeted people on the left, and the immediate moral and criminal responsibility for Charlieโs murder belongs to his killer. But acknowledging that fact should never prevent Americans from confronting dehumanizing political rhetoric wherever it originates or recognizing the dangerous environment such rhetoric can help create.
But something else happened after September 10.
๐ง๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ก. ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ข๐.
Across America, people gathered in churches and at vigils. Students prayed. Christians spoke publicly about their faith. Some people testified that Charlieโs death caused them to reconsider God, return to church, or begin conversations about faith within their families. Reports in the days following his death documented vigils on college campuses and accounts of people returning to church after years away.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐น.
A r***e could end Charlieโs earthly voice, but it could not stop millions of other voices from speaking.
People who had never heard Charlie heard about him.
People who had never listened to his discussions began watching them.
People who had rarely spoken publicly about Christ began speaking.
People prayed in churches, homes, college campuses, government buildings and public gatherings.
๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐น, ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ.
That does not make the murder good. ๐๐๐ถ๐น ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐น. ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐บ๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ.
But Scripture repeatedly shows that evil does not have the authority to determine the final outcome.
Joseph said in Genesis 50:20, ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐, ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐น ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐บ๐ฒ; ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ด๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ.
Paul wrote in Philippians 1:12 that the things which happened unto him had ๐ณ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐น.
The cross itself remains the greatest example. Men intended humiliation, suffering and death. ๐๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ช๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ง๐๐ฅ, ๐๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ง ๐ง๐ข ๐ช๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ก๐.
One year ago today, a young husband and father was murdered. A wife lost her husband. Children lost their father. Friends lost someone they loved. America witnessed another terrible act of political violence.
But the story did not end on that campus.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
And the name of Jesus continued to be proclaimed.
๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ง ๐ช๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐๐.
๐๐จ๐ง ๐ฆ๐ข ๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐๐ข๐ช๐๐ ๐๐ง.
๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐โ๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ, ๐๐ข ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ก๐ง.
Remember Charlie by becoming engaged in Franklin and Southampton County.
Be like Charlie and know the issues. Attend the meetings. Have the difficult conversations. Volunteer where you can make a difference. Defend the right of every American to speak without fear of violence. And when election day comes, exercise the right generations before us sacrificed to preserve.
๐๐ผ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ, ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ.
๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ฒโ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ต๐ถ๐บ. ๐ข๐๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐.
From Doug York
Chairman of the FSRC
