Charlie Kirk (1993-2025)

Charlie Kirk (1993-2025)

At Arizona Christian University, we grieve with millions around the world and hundreds of thousands who came to our city of Glendale, Arizona for Charlie Kirk’s memorial service this weekend.

For ACU, this tragedy hits close to home. Many in our ACU community knew Charlie personally and had heard him speak many times. He spoke on our campus in 2024, and more recently interviewed ACU’s George Barna of the Cultural Research Center at an event in Phoenix.

The night after he was killed, ACU students gathered for 3 hours of prayer and worship, praying for the Kirk family and asking God to use this moment to draw our nation and world toward Christ.

Charlie’s support for a biblical understanding of the sanctity of human life, his promotion of traditional marriage and family, his defense of economic freedom and limited government, and especially his testimony of faith in Jesus Christ are in clear alignment with the values of Arizona Christian University.

While ACU has an active chapter of Turning Point USA, it plays a different role here – as a catalyst for action, instead of its usual position as a lone conservative voice in otherwise progressive institutions. We are so grateful for Charlie’s talent, drive and determination that enabled him to build an organization that would reach young men and women across America with this message of hope.

In recent years at ACU we have been saying that, more and more, it will take courage in the future to speak biblical truth in public in America. In fact, you will see the tagline “Courageously Christian” hanging on banners throughout our campus.

This truth was demonstrated for everyone when an assassin killed Charlie Kirk – just for speaking biblical truth in public.

Charlie Kirk was incredibly courageous. He knew the threats but kept speaking the truth in love. He kept speaking out to promote and defend the biblical values that are foundational to our nation and to western civilization – the virtues that lead to peace, prosperity and human flourishing.

It is our prayer that God will use this horrific and evil act to inspire many young Christian men and women at ACU and elsewhere to be emboldened to share their faith in Christ and to speak boldly in love about the truths of Scripture and how they apply in this cultural moment – especially, and respectfully, with those who disagree.

As we remember Charlie, and as we pray for Erika and the Kirk family, we at Arizona Christian University rededicate ourselves to educating and equipping thousands of future Christian leaders who — we pray — will have the courage, conviction and faith of Charlie Kirk.