“Many people … probably especially young men, feel a sense of disorientation” over the assassination of Christian conservative activist Charlie Kirk, observed Family Research Council Senior Fellow Jody Hice. The “pretty numbing week” following his death has brought “a lot of outpouring of emotions.” Under the influence of such powerful emotions, many people are prompted to seek extraordinary change. But what will the change be? And, more importantly, will it last?

Human beings tend to focus on whatever is right in front of them. On the day after Kirk’s tragic death, Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan wrote that “Charlie Kirk’s Assassination Feels Like a Hinge Point.” Anecdotal reports from this weekend found dozens of non-Christian political activists deciding to attend church services.

But grocery shopping and bath time, school and work — the occupations of everyday life — must continue. The news cycle will move on. The brief religious feeling that struck Americans after 9/11 soon faded as people returned to business and politics as usual.

And what happens then? Will the present feelings effect any changes that endure? Or will Kirk’s assassination fade into an uncomfortable memory — yet one more senseless killing in an infinite gallery of human evil?

Two Life-Changing Questions

As Jesus told his followers, the answer to these questions depends on two factors: what kind of message you hear, and what kind of soil you prove to be.

First, what kind of message resonates with you after Kirk’s death? For those who interpret Kirk’s death in political terms, any change that results might last through the next election, the next narrative shift, the next great leader, even the next generational political realignment. But it won’t last forever. “Heaven and earth will pass away,” said Jesus, “but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

“The media pundits want to recast Kirk as some kind of quote-unquote ‘far-right’ political operative,” said Fixed Point Foundation executive director Larry Taunton on “Washington Watch.” But “Charlie’s political beliefs were rooted in his Christian conviction.”

The Christian tradition of imitating godly examples dates back to the apostolic age, when Paul urged the Corinthian church, “be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1), and when he urged the Philippian church, “join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us” (Philippians 3:17).

If you admire Kirk’s truth and moral clarity, imitate his good example and put Christianity at the core. If you have not believed in Jesus Christ for salvation and surrendered your life to him, let Kirk’s sudden death remind you that life is short, and you don’t know how long you have left; seek God’s forgiveness while you still have opportunity. For those who have believed, let Kirk’s example inspire you to faithfulness.

Second, what kind of soil will you prove to be? The question concerns those who receive the gospel message of Christianity, which Kirk proclaimed. Jesus explained that “the word of the kingdom” (Matthew 13:19) produced different results in different hearts, using the analogy of a farmhand sowing seed on four different types of soil:

• Seed sown on the hard-packed path is snatched away without even making an impression (Matthew 13:4, 19);
• Seed sown on rocky ground shows growth quickly but withers and “falls away” amid persecution because it has “no depth of soil” (Matthew 13:5-6, 20-21);
• Seed sown among thorns and weeds is choked by “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches,” proving unfruitful (Matthew 13:7, 22);
• Seed sown in good soil flourishes and multiples (Matthew 13:8, 23).

In this parable, Jesus taught his followers that not all immediate growth is genuine and lasting. Three types of soils produced growth initially, but only one type produced enduring fruit that proved their faith (John 15:8). At first, the different soils look identical, just as a farmer cannot, by glancing at the bare earth, tell whether rocks or weeds lurk underneath the soil, poised to crowd out his crop.

Thus, Jesus’s parable not only forewarns us that some will fall away, but it also prompts true believers to do spiritual heart surgery, lest that fate should befall them. Just as the farmer must plow his soil to remove unseen obstacles, so we must dig into our hearts to investigate whether there are obstacles that threaten the vitality of our faith. The parable of the soils gives us language to sharpen and personalize our question: what obstacles in our heart make our faith shallow? And what do we love in this world that interferes with our love for God?

The Time Is Now

The time to ask, answer, and act on these questions is now. It’s tempting to believe that we can hold heart change at arm’s length until a more convenient time. The truth is, there is never a more convenient time. If the change is difficult now, when our emotions are warmed by the exemplary life Kirk led and our hearts stirred by the patent injustice of his murder, how shall we motivate them once the emotional fervor is passed, and we once again settle into the monotony of daily routines? If we want to change the condition of our hearts — if we want to change those very routines that shape our lives — the time to act is now.

How should we change? Perhaps the example of the moment is that of Kirk himself: his boldness, his sacrificial love, and his faith.

“The lesson is courage,” said David Closson, director of FRC’s Center for Biblical Worldview, on “Washington Watch,” “that you can speak to people filled with your convictions. Now, you can go into the lion’s den, and you don’t have to compromise.” It doesn’t have to be the lion’s den of progressive college skeptics; sometimes, it’s most intimidating to deliver hard truth to members of our own family. Perhaps you need to decide now what conversation to have over Thanksgiving dinner.

Charlie Kirk was also characterized by “ultimate and true covenantal love” for his wife and children, his wife Erika said Friday. “Charlie loved his children. And he loved me with all of his heart. And I knew that. Every day I knew that. He made sure I knew that every day. Every day he would ask me, ‘How can I serve you better? How can I be a better husband? How can I be a better father?’” Christian husband, perhaps you need to ask your wife these questions at least once this week?

Most importantly, Charlie Kirk prioritized his Christian faith, and his was not a “lone ranger” faith of isolation from the body. Living in community with other believers not only can inspire us to change, but it also is the God-ordained means for pointing out where change is needed on a regular basis. “Most important of all,” urged Erika Kirk, “if you aren’t a member of a church, I beg you to join one, a Bible-believing church. Our battle is not simply a political one above all. It is spiritual.”

Of all the changes this piece urges you to make, joining a Bible-believing church should be a low-risk exercise for a true Christian, leaving you little excuse not to do it. If this piece can only convince you to make one change, make this change. (Of course, for the non-Christian reader, you must also repent and believe in Christ first.)

These exhortations should apply most particularly to young men. One main reason is that Kirk provided such an inspirational example to young men. “Charlie Kirk challenged young men to grow up and to do something. He would talk about the fight for civilization, doing something outside of yourself. And I think that resonated with young men,” commented Closson. “As he got older, there was actually a maturation and a deepening … as Charlie Kirk began to really take his faith very seriously and connect his political convictions to his Christian faith. … I think young men saw that, and they felt that they were being called to a higher standard.”

Another main reason is that young men are uniquely susceptible to certain attacks by the enemy. Satan is strategic, and he knows that neutralizing young men will go a long way toward impeding the progress of the gospel. Recall that Kirk’s alleged assassin was also a young man, led astray by a desire to be part of something bigger than himself, Taunton supposed.

Nineteenth-century Pastor J.C. Ryle wrote an entire pamphlet titled, “Thoughts for Young Men,” which warns them against dangers like love of pleasure, thoughtlessness, and fear of man’s opinion. How little times have changed. Ryle challenged young men “at once … to break off every known sin, however small,” “never to forget the eye of God,” and to pray at all times.

“It’s very rare that you encounter a hypocritical youth. They are almost painfully naive and sincere. And they’re looking for something to believe in. They’re looking for purpose,” Taunton said. Kirk “spoke with clarity, conviction, and courage” to these young men, Closson added. “They’ve been talked down to as they’ve come into adulthood, and what he did is he called them to responsibility. He called them to something bigger, something outside of themselves.”

Kirk encouraged young men to reject the culture’s lies of toxic masculinity, gender ideology, and self-fulfillment, for a fulfillment rooted in following Jesus, loving their wife and children, and serving their country.

Perhaps Kirk’s example will challenge a new generation to take up Ryle’s challenge. “Courage begets courage,” said Hice. “When young men especially see someone that courageous in his beliefs, to the extent of losing his life over it, it inspires others.”

To some extent, this is already happening. Kirk’s organization has received 18,000 new chapter requests at colleges and high schools around the country since Friday, nearly double the number of its current chapters. More important than political activism, the latest research shows that young men have taken the lead on following Jesus, with 71% of Millennial men and 67% of Generation Z men reporting “a personal commitment to follow Jesus that is still important in my life today.”

Kirk’s assassination “has rocked me,” Closson confessed. “My initial reaction was just tears. … It’s just so disorienting.” But he pleaded with Christians not to leave their engagement at the graveside. “We grieve, but then we get back up, and we fight for truth. We fight for the principles that we find in God’s word, that we believe serve civilization, that support families, that build strong communities. We get back on the horse, and we do the work that God has called us to do. … As Christians, we want justice, and we need to be praying that justice is carried out.”

“Is it better to be idle, frivolous, to live for your body, your selfishness, your lusts, and your pride, or to spend and be spent in the glorious cause of usefulness to your fellow men,” Ryle concluded his exhortation, “to be a blessing to your country and the world, to be the friend of the prisoner and the captive, to be the spiritual father of hundreds of immortal souls in heathen lands, to be a burning and a shining light, an epistle of Christ, known and read of all men, the inspiration of every Christian heart that comes across your path?”