Prior to September 10, 2025, there were most likely a lot of people in the United States and around the world who had not heard of Turning Point USA or Charlie Kirk. All that changed with one bullet and an assassination. The movement focusing on faith, freedom, and love of country was started by eighteen-year-old Charlie Kirk in 2012. For the next 13 years, Charlie advocated conservative thought in high schools, colleges, and university campuses.
Kirk's style of debate was so unique. One by one, students were invited to come to a microphone and ask a question. Students who disagreed with Charlie were invited to the front of the line. The tent under which Charlie sat displayed the banner "Prove Me Wrong". Kirk's debating skills were so developed and rational that he was not ever proven wrong. If you are unfamiliar with his debates, they can be viewed on YouTube or on the Turning Point USA website. The videos show the gracious, polite, and appreciative manner Charlie used when speaking to young people.
His assassination left huge shoes to be filled.
A very impressive list of speakers has stepped up to fill this gap. All of them know that the mission of Turning Point USA cannot, should not, and will not be silenced. Of course, they realize that in today's political climate, speaking up puts their lives in danger. But, they must speak. Included among these speakers now at Turning Point USA events are Erika Kirk, Vice President J.D. Vance, Michael Knowles, Megyn Kelly, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Vivek Ramaswamy, Glenn Beck, Benny Johnson, Rob Schneider, and Frank Turek.
Frank Turek, a Christian apologist and author, is probably best recognized as the founder and president of CrossExamined.org. He has a radio show and book entitled I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. And, the Turning Point USA club at the Ohio State University invited Turek to come speak on campus.
I was not about to miss it.
I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know how long lines would be. I didn't know what kind of security I would face on campus. So, with all the uncertainty, I arrived at the Archie Griffin Auditorium two hours before the event. I was the fifth person in line.
Security was good. There were police officers and campus security officers to monitor the situation as well as four to six very large former military men who followed Frank Turek wherever he went. Everyone passed through a scanner to enter the site. It was a rather intimate gathering with a few hundred people present.
Since I was the fifth person in line, I had a front row seat at the event.
Turek was gracious and friendly before, during, and after his time to speak. People of all ages snapped selfies with him. When it was time to begin, the podium was on a stage, surrounded by a guard rail, with those military men on either side of the entrance.
If you watched the funeral of Charlie Kirk, you know that it was like one very large church service where speaker after speaker spoke of the Christian faith, Jesus Christ, and the message of salvation. I don't think there has ever been a service like it where the president, vice president, members of the Cabinet, and members of Congress gathered to so very clearly speak their faith -- and millions of people around the world witnessed it. Frank Turek's message at the Ohio State University was a continuation of this theme.
Turek was present with Charlie Kirk in Utah on September 10. He stood about 25 feet away from Charlie when the shot rang out. He said that when he arrived on campus that day, he looked around at the setting and told Charlie he didn't like it. There were too many buildings. Charlie focused on the crowd of four or five thousand young people and said to Turek, "Welcome to the big time." Conservative speakers like Charlie Kirk are well-aware of death threats. Charlie just believed that he had a message that he had to share. Threats wouldn't stop him.
Back in Columbus, Ohio, Turek's theme was "Why does God allow evil to happen?" Why didn't God just send that bullet another few inches away from Charlie Kirk? It's a common question when problems come our way. Why do babies die? What does cancer strike? Why do bad things happen to good people? As Turek explained, with our human limitations, we don't see the whole picture the way God does. However, in Romans 8:28, Paul explained that all things, every event, work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose.
All things means all things, even an assassination.
Jesus stated in John 12:24 that unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, it remains a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. This is why Erika Kirk could so confidently tell the world during Charlie's funeral, that those who hated his message had no idea what the assassination would unleash. Charlie's message was going to multiply exponentially.
As Turek explained in Columbus, the events in our lives have ripple effects. Some of the effects we clearly see, others not so much. Some of the ripples have an impact that lasts for generations. As a result of the assassination, 75,000 people gathered at the funeral in Arizona as well as 100 million people around the world heard the message of Christ. Turek personally has received messages from people around that planet who have come to Christ as a result of these events. According to Turek, Charlie's assassination hadn't caused a ripple; it caused a tsunami!
There are Biblical stories that show the ripple effect and how God knows the whole story when we suffer things that we do not understand. One of the best examples is that of Joseph of multi-colored coat fame. His brothers hated him. They sold him into slavery in Egypt. The guy was imprisoned for years. Eventually, finally, God helped him interpret Pharoah's dream which led to his elevation to the number two position in Egypt. Then, Joseph was able to save his family from starvation when a famine struck. At his reconciliation with his family, Joseph told his brothers that they meant their actions for evil, but God meant it for good. Their family was saved and God had everything under control the whole time.
A current-day example of ripples took place at another one of Turek's events at that unnamed university to our north in "X"ichigan. A man stood up to tell of a young woman who was raped. She decided to keep the child who was conceived during that horrific event. That baby grew up to become a minister who helped bring many people to Christ. Then, he dropped the bomb. "I am that boy. If my mother can bring about something good from that situation, imagine what God can do through the events in our lives!"
Yes, the events in our lives have ripples.
If Charlie Kirk's death started a tsunami for Christ in the two short months after his death, imagine what further good will happen in the coming years. I can't think that big. I have no idea what will happen. But, I do know that God sees the full picture.
1 comment