George Barna |September 23, 2025 |
(GLENDALE, AZ) —The murder of Charlie Kirk is one of the biggest tragedies of the 21st Century, and a monumental loss for his wife and children. The Church has lost one of its most influential and unique leaders. Our nation is missing one of its leading thinkers, social activists, and Christian apologists. It is fitting that millions of people around the world are mourning his passing, and rethinking their own values and lifestyle in light of his teachings, exhortations, and example.
More than one social media commenter has asked why God allowed Charlie to be assassinated if He is an unerringly perfect and loving deity, and Charlie was devoted to serving God. That’s a fair question.
The question intrigued me not so much because it was an updated version of the often-expressed doubts about the goodness of God or confusion about the existence of pain and suffering in a God-ordered world, but because it led me ponder the timing of Charlie’s assassination.
Charlie Kirk was only 31 years old. We might have reasonably expected him to provide another 30-plus years of groundbreaking, transformative ministry. With such a productive period of service to look forward to, why would God have allowed Charlie’s death at such a young age?
Why, God?
The most plausible reason I have imagined is that as fruitful as his life would surely have been, God alone knew that his unjust and gruesome death at this moment in time would optimize the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Even more than all the life-changing conversations Charlie would have initiated or sparked on campuses, in churches, and through media around the world, his ghastly murder in September of 2025 would ignite a worldwide awareness and a global conversation, backed by action, that otherwise would not have occurred for many years.
Charlie, with the heart of a servant of God, willing to do whatever His Lord asked of him, might have even been willing to be martyred to explode the growth of God’s agenda.
And so, we see massive celebrations in the streets of countries around the world, and unparalleled gatherings of conservatives seeking to get the world back on track in the wake of the assassination. The conversations happening are not just political in nature, but frequently incorporating the biblical principles Charlie shared when he addressed questions from people at his events or in his media exchanges. In other words, Charlie’s death has opened the door to the real possibility of spiritual renewal within the Church and spiritual revival from outside of it. Unlike the false proclamations of revival we have heard consistently during the past two decades, the Kirk revival may be the real thing.
Such a Time as This?
It may be the real thing.
Why express such caution about claiming that the huge gatherings and faith-driven dialog are the revival we’ve been seeking? After all, churches and believers have been praying for such a moment as this. Why not simply acknowledge it?
Because we have been here before. Remember the aftermath of 9/11? Churches were overflowing with people seeking answers and consolation for the month immediately succeeding the terrorist attacks on our country. Not finding what they sought, churches shrunk back to pre-attack levels within six weeks.
Why?
Because churches and believers were not prepared for the moment. We had not equipped interested people to become genuine disciples of Christ before the attacks, and we were certainly not prepared to do so with larger numbers of people after the attacks. Simply providing open buildings with nice teaching amidst interested people does not facilitate life transformation. Merely offering more programs for people to join does not produce disciples.
The American church has become enamored of numbers related to attendance, donations, program participation, staff hirings, and square footage. Rare are the churches that take discipleship so seriously that they not only follow the practices of Jesus, but also measure the efficacy of their efforts to build devoted followers of Christ.
The result is that the Church has become a weak facsimile of the early Church. Numbers convincingly tell the story:
- 66% of U.S. adults call themselves Christians.
- 42% attend a church service at least once a month.
- 31% read the Bible at least once a week.
- 30% are theologically-defined born-again Christians.
- 11% lead a person to Christ per year.
- 4% possess a biblical worldview.
- Only 3% are biblical disciples, based on the six criteria Jesus gave us for disciples.
America desperately needs biblical renewal and revival to restore and reshape a nation that has lost its way. God may be using Charlie’s death as the impetus for the restoration that many have faithfully prayed for.
How will we respond? By inviting them to attend church services? That won’t grab them. By encouraging them to participate in a faith formation class? That won’t have much staying power, either.
The Necessary Response
The only people who can make disciples are disciples because you can only give what you have, and you ultimately reproduce who you are.
In other words, forget the programs and events, now is the time for true disciples of Christ to infiltrate the culture through the doors Charlie has opened for us. Disciples, this is our time to seize the opportunity to advance God’s kingdom on earth. That requires us to recognize the special hour of spiritual vulnerability and to give it all we’ve got. If we are effective, the four-week window may be extended so more lives will be transformed by God’s love through our efforts.
We can make the most of this moment through relationships we establish with those who are seeking truth, purpose, meaning, hope, wisdom, and community. We share not just our time but our hearts and hopes with them, fostering trust and openness to new ways of thinking and living.
We can help them on their journey through dialogue that is loving, realistic, pragmatic, Scripture-driven, and neither defensive nor offensive. Our objective is to coach them into God’s presence so that the Holy Spirit may both convert and develop them—perhaps even through us.
We attract attention and generate reconsideration of God’s ways through our lifestyle. As the Apostle Peter exhorts us—we must always be prepared to explain what we believe, why we believe it, and how that instills unwavering hope in Christ and His grace to us—and to them.
People see what they want to see. Do you want to see a time of political instability, or public dialogue, or a time of potential spiritual breakthrough? If it’s the latter, and that matters to you, be prepared to take advantage of the people God puts in your path these next few weeks. Take risks to influence lives for the kingdom. Don’t let Charlie Kirk’s death fade away without bearing substantial spiritual fruit.
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George Barna is the Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University. He is also a professor at the University and a Senior Research Fellow at the Family Research Council. A veteran researcher of more than 40 years, Barna is the author of more than 60 books, including Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind and Soul (2023). Over the years, he enjoyed numerous public appearances with Charlie Kirk.
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