Twenty four years ago today, a band of radical Islamic jihadists made the most devastating attack on American soil in nearly sixty years. The death toll was 2,977 souls. That previous attack was perpetrated by Emperor Hirohito and his bloodthirsty Japanese Navy on December 7, 1941. That day, while Japanese emissaries were in Washington, D.C. making "peace negotiations,” aircraft launched from Japanese carrier ships attacked primarily the U.S. military facilities around Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands, and 2,403 perished. The result was that the United States entered the war in the Pacific theater of World War II, ultimately defeating the Japanese war machine, but not without the loss of countless more lives on both sides.
We remember these horrifying days in history, because, well, they were horrifying, and they led to more war. On September 11, 2001, there was more than the usual unrest in the Middle East. Saddam Hussein, supreme leader of Iraq, having already murdered many of his own citizens, was reportedly threatening to unleash weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in his pursuit of Islamic jihad. Whether that was actually true seems to be a point of conjecture at this late date. Nevertheless, coupled with the attack on our homeland, it was enough that President George W. Bush sent troops into Iraq, a year and a half later. In both of these wars, the U.S. troops were part of a coalition of nations who participated. And in both wars many precious lives were lost.
Yesterday, September 10, 2025, another horrific death was perpetrated on American soil. It was, in fact, an assassination. Thirty-one year old Charlie Kirk, a husband and father, a conservative activist and Christian apologist, was shot dead by an as yet unidentified sniper, while he was speaking at a public gathering on the campus of Utah Valley University, in Orem. Details are unclear, but apparently he was hit by one bullet to the neck and apparently bled out rather quickly. Although he was taken quickly to hospital, the blood loss was too rapid and too massive to be stopped before Charlie succumbed.
Charlie Kirk was one of God’s warriors, not in the sense of taking up arms, but in the sense of fighting for the truth. He was apparently a gentle man with a sharp mind and an inquisitive spirit. His following among young men and women, especially on college campuses, has been cited as a major factor in the re-election of conservatives to congress and the White House in 2024. Charlie’s approach was simple and compelling. He talked to people. His ministry, Turning Point USA, has a website here, and his personal website and podcast can be found here.
At the rally yesterday, he was presenting his viewpoint and encouraging anyone and everyone to engage with him in conversation. “Prove Me Wrong” was reportedly printed on the canopy over the podium where he spoke. He was not primarily interested in talking to people who think like he did; he, like Jesus, came to bear witness to the truth (John 18:37). Also like his Lord and Savior, Charlie met people where they live, so to speak. He had no fear of debating with people of vastly different points of view. Jesus told his disciples, "When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.” (Matthew 10:19) Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit bringing to their remembrance all that Jesus had taught them. (John 14:26) I believe that Charlie lived by that world view.
We soldiers of the cross need to be obedient to our Commander in Chief, but like Charlie James Kirk we also need to trust that when He gives us a task, He will also prepare us for that task. How will the Holy Spirit bring to your remembrance what Jesus has taught you, unless you are conversant with His words as recorded in Scripture? The Psalmist wrote, "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11) That’s not a bad idea. Scripture memory is a powerful tool, when we engage in conversation about our Lord. But in order to meet people "where they live” we need to know where they live. I’m not talking about knocking on doors, here. Rather we need to understand the ideas that permeate our culture. Many of them are untrue, but we need to understand them, so like Charlie, we can show people the truth in a winsome but compelling way.
There can be no doubt that the world is in the throes of a spiritual war. It always has been, since Adam ate that forbidden fruit. For that reason, the Lord has recruited a kind of army, His church. He has charged us with doing what is necessary to rescue our fellow men who have fallen captive to our enemy, Satan. I pray that Charlie Kirk’s legacy will be that more of us stand up and fight in that spiritual war. The answers to America’s problems do not lie in Washington, D.C. They lie in the pages of Scripture. So, troops, let’s gird up our loins, put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) and step up. If not you and I, who will take the Lord’s truth to the captives?
In the meantime, I encourage you to pray for the loved ones left behind by the horrors of war, spiritual or otherwise. We remember the heroes of Pearl Harbor. We remember the heroes of the World Trade Center. Let us remember another hero, Charlie Kirk, a remarkable man who gave his life in the pursuit of truth. And let us pray for those left behind in these and other battles. Their loss is heartbreaking.