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“I want to be remembered for courage and for my faith … the most important thing in my life is my faith,” Charlie Kirk said on a podcast last year.
The Turning Point USA founder died after he was shot Thursday at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Kirk was a significant figure who inspired hundreds of young students, encouraging them not only in their political interests, but also in leading lives guided by faith.
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Pastor Rob McCoy, co-chair of Turning Point Faith in California, told Fox News Digital Wednesday that Kirk called him his pastor, but that he prefers to be known as “his friend and greatest fan.”
“My friend Charlie Kirk was murdered today by a coward,” said McCoy. “His life will be remembered for many wonderful things — Charlie’s life will be remembered for many wonderful things.”
Charile Kirk and his wife, Erika Lane Frantzve, are pictured with their two children in Dec. 2024. (Charlie Kirk via Facebook)
“He built it all with the power of the spoken word,” said McCoy, who traveled to be with the Kirk family on Wednesday.
“He never used violence, but was threatened every day with violence by those who couldn’t contend with logic and truth — and now they have done to my friend what evil always does. It takes away life.”
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“Charlie did not die,” he continued. “Instead, he has begun to truly live. His life was secured eternally by His Savior, Jesus Christ. This truth allowed Charlie to face every threat with courage, because he didn’t fear death.”
McCoy added, “All evil knows is death, and they derive power from death. Charlie lived for life and will be remembered for this. My heart is broken for his family — his wife Erika and his two precious children. Evil has not prevailed, and it will not win.”
Christian leaders are mourning the death of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. (Charlie Kirk via Instagram)
In the wake of the shocking assassination, Rev. Franklin Graham, one of the nation’s most prominent Christian voices, told Fox News Digital that “America is mourning the loss of Charlie Kirk.”
“Our hearts break for his wife and family. He loved this country, loved God and loved his family. He was a gifted and courageous communicator of truth. Even more importantly, Charlie Kirk was a passionate follower of the Lord Jesus Christ,” said Graham.
“Evil has not prevailed, and it will not win.”
Graham, who is the president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, shared that he is appreciative of the work Kirk did to encourage, engage and inform young college students across the nation.
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“His voice will be greatly missed, but I pray that God will raise up an army of young men and women like him who will stand up for the same important issues,” he said.
Graham added that Kirk lived boldly for Jesus Christ, who said, “’I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though He may die, He shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.’”
Charlie Kirk speaks at Pastor Rob McCoy’s 25-year celebration in summer 2025. (Godspeak Calvary Chapel Thousand Oaks/Rob McCoy)
Canada-based Christian minister Rick Pearson, host of ProphecyUSA, shared that Kirk was a “voice of biblical clarity in a nation that has lost its way.”
“He took bold stands to present truth and restore moral clarity. People have asked if Charlie was an American martyr. Yes, absolutely,” he told Fox News Digital.
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Pearson added, “The person who pulled the trigger carried the spirit of Babylon, Baal worship, murder and hatred. Charlie warred against those spirits with wisdom, compassion and gentleness. He will be greatly missed.”
Sheri Few, president and founder of United States Parents Involved in Education, shared that the assassination marks a sad time for young Americans on college campuses.
“He took bold stands to present truth and restore moral clarity.”
“It is no secret that government schools indoctrinate children, pitting them against one another with pedagogies rooted in Marxist theory,” said Few, based in South Carolina.
“When you teach children to hate themselves and others and to become social justice warriors at all costs, you should not be surprised when heart-wrenching tragedies like this occur.”
“His life was secured eternally by His Savior, Jesus Christ. This truth allowed Charlie to face every threat with courage because he didn’t fear death.” (Erika Kirk via Instagram)
Tim Clinton, the Virginia-based president of the American Association of Christian Counselors and executive director of the Center for Human Flourishing at Liberty University, described Kirk as a “loving husband and tremendous father.”
“His unwavering faith, deep love for God and profound patriotism inspired all who knew him,” Clinton told Fox News Digital. “He loved this country and lived his life with purpose and conviction — standing strong for righteousness in culture.”
He shared that Kirk made him a better man — and that he’s grateful to have called him a friend.
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“As we honor Charlie’s life, let us rise to our better selves, work to end senseless violence and remain steadfast in the values that truly matter — faith, family, love and unity,” Clinton added.
Diane Ferraro, CEO of Save the Storks, told Fox News Digital that Kirk was a bold voice for the voiceless.
“He shared the truth about the reality of abortion with the younger generations, and he will forever be a hero to me. We are praying fervently for his beautiful wife and precious children,” Ferraro told Fox News Digital.
“As we honor Charlie’s life, let us rise to our better selves, work to end senseless violence and remain steadfast in the values that truly matter — faith, family, love and unity.” (The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute via X)
Walker Wildmon, VP at the American Family Association and CEO of AFA Action in Mississippi, said the assassination marks a sad time for the state of political discourse.
“[Democrats have] been accusing ideological conservatives of being a ‘threat to democracy’ for years,” Wildmon told Fox News Digital.
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He added, “There is a militant element to the Democrat Party that is doing as they’ve been told and ‘taking to the streets’ to punish their ideological enemies. There is a continual civil war being waged against conservative voters and leaders.”
Christian speaker and author Alex McFarland told Fox News Digital that Christians must continue to speak truth instead of going silent.
“His unwavering faith, deep love for God and profound patriotism inspired all who knew him.”
“Our Christian brother and fellow patriot, Charlie Kirk, has been murdered. For the rest of us, this indicates how all of our futures hang in the balance,” said McFarland, who is based in North Carolina.
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“We call on everyone to pray for Charlie’s wife, children and our nation, and I call on my fellow clergy to courageously proclaim truth and call out darkness,” said McFarland, who is co-host of Exploring the Word on the American Family Radio Network.
“We have to stay vocal. The truth will win in the end. In the meantime, we are in a battle — and every single one of us must rise to the moment and speak the truth.”