A tsunami wave of young Americans, from teenagers to those in their early forties, are feeling the effects of Charlie Kirk’s bold adherence and proclamation of truth, both political and spiritual. Many are referring to this as, “the Charlie Kirk effect.”
The initial surge began within minutes of Kirk’s assassination on September 10. I personally received a phone call from one of my sons who was in literal tears as he spoke of the tragic news. He was an avid follower of Charlie on social media and told me Kirk’s murder caused him to realize he needed to “get off the fence” with his own personal Christian faith. A multitude of news reports confirm my son was certainly not alone in that conviction as millions of younger Americans have been inspired to take their faith in Jesus as Lord much more seriously and personally—as Charlie did. Churches that openly promote traditional, conservative values have seen spikes in attendance. This is occurring as liberal congregations have been experiencing just the opposite. A recent report from The National Council of Churches states mainline Protestant denominations (who tend to lean liberal) are experiencing thousands of churches closing their doors this year for lack of attendance.
In Irvine, California, a 20-year-old student named Bryce Bohorquez shared a video of the overflowing parking lots surrounding Oceans Church, where he is a member. “Charlie Kirk, look what you did,” he says. “No parking. Everyone wants to come now. Amen!” Bohorquez’ post has been viewed by millions.
It’s also been encouraging to see and hear of so many teens and twenty-somethings openly articulating conservative political values following Kirk’s death, not just online, but in verbal conversations with their peers.
But the Kirk effect is not just an American phenomenon. I have Christian friends in Nigeria who tell me videos of Charlie defending the faith have gone viral in their country. Prior to Kirk’s death my friends had never heard of him before. This is particularly notable given that radical Islam is at war with Christianity in Nigeria.
Charlie Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of eighteen, soon building the organization into a nationwide campus powerhouse for conservative ideas with over 2,000 chapters nationwide. In 2021, he created TPUSA Faith to, as he often stated, “Eliminate wokeism from the American pulpit.” In the weeks following his assassination, thousands more chapters are now in the works.
Why was Charlie Kirk’s message so effectively impactful? I’ll provide three examples.
He eagerly engaged with his opponents. This was one of Kirk’s great qualities. Without angst, he would invite people to prove him wrong. He honored such individuals by listening to them and not bashing them.
He was unashamed of the Gospel. Charlie left no doubts regarding being a follower of Jesus. When I first interviewed him on my San Francisco radio program in 2017 he was all politics, but in successive years I witnessed his faith become the centerpiece of his messaging. His example influenced many to become more outspoken in their spiritual convictions.
Kirk placed a high value on dialogue with influencers he did not always agree with. Charlie wisely possessed the courage to interact with political and other high-level influencers who did not always demonstrate Christian, or even strictly conservative, values. By not distancing himself from such people, whether Republican or Democrat, he wielded a positive influence on them.
Let’s pause and learn from Charlie’s example, as we all do our part to sincerely make America great again.