Nearly one year ago, one of the most promising Christian conservative leaders to have emerged in recent decades was murdered in front of hundreds of horrified college students, allegedly by a transgender fanatic. Even today, I still feel the anger and horror that overwhelmed me when I heard the news that Charlie Kirk had been assassinated. But at the same time, it reminds me of a tender moment between Dr. James Dobson and Charlie Kirk a few years ago in Colorado Springs.
Speaking before a spellbound gathering of supporters of the James Dobson Family Institute, Charlie Kirk exhorted the crowd to be active Christian citizens. He argued that the very future of our country and our freedom depended on whether followers of Jesus Christ fulfilled their responsibility. It is up to us to save this great country that was founded on the knowledge that liberty comes from God. The crowd leapt to their feet, giving Charlie a raucous standing ovation.
At the event, he kindly came over to me and thanked me for being a trailblazer in this battle.
There was an extraordinary conversation between Charlie Kirk and Dr. Dobson. I wish everybody could have seen it. Dr. Dobson, who was already fighting the ravages of age, arose at his table facing Kirk. He praised Charlie as a rising national leader everyone wanted to talk to and quote. Dr. Dobson reminded Charlie that he, too, had experienced that kind of admiration and influence in his own career. But then Dr. Dobson shared with Charlie some fatherly advice: “As your success continues, Charlie, don’t forget your wife, your marriage, and your children. You must keep your family strong as you fight the good fight.”
Charlie replied that he had been praying about exactly that, and he thanked Dr. Dobson for the reminder.
I believe that if Charlie Kirk had not been brutally murdered, he would very likely have been a future president of the United States. He went to America’s universities where Marxism and atheism thrive. With each passing month, he faced more and more threats and dangers. His crowds swelled with both supporters and students who hated everything he believed. Charlie would debate everyone and anyone and, most importantly, he was changing hearts and minds.
When he started his campus work, he usually presented a traditional political conservative message. But he discovered that students were also wrestling with spiritual questions. Why do you believe in God? Do you actually think the Bible is true? Charlie Kirk was as bold in presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ as he was in his defense of politically conservative ideas. He refused to slide into a woke Gospel.
Over the years, I cannot count all the times Dr. Dobson and I were told by our critics that if we took on the moral issues in the political arena—such as the sanctity of life, the LGBTQ agenda, and radical feminism—it would be a stumbling block that would prevent people from accepting Christ. But, in fact, Charlie Kirk proved that the truth is the exact opposite. He knew he was addressing a lost generation. He wasn’t just trying to turn them into Republicans; he was trying to turn them into followers of Jesus.
I was shocked, as many of you were, by the aftermath of his brutal murder at the hands of a transgender fanatic. Charlie’s murder set off celebrations from people who claim to be part of the “compassionate and tolerant Left.” We saw firsthand how godless Marxism has infected millions of people in our country. It has also made clear the reality of the spiritual war we are in. Charlie Kirk remains, even in death, a target of godless forces that want to destroy our country.
The proof that Charlie Kirk remains a fulcrum point and that he and his family are at the center of this spiritual battle was on display in a Utah courtroom last week. Charlie Kirk’s parents, his wife, Erika, and other family members sat weeping while videos were shown of the alleged assassin’s movements on the day of the killing. Meanwhile, the accused killer sat at his table with his high-powered attorneys, showing not one iota of remorse.
My friend, Reverend Franklin Graham, recently addressed the demonic attacks on Erika Kirk and the conspiracy theories that continue to pour out of the venomous Left. Sadly, they have also taken root in some corners of the Right.
Citing the conspiracy theories against Erika Kirk, Rev. Graham told CBN that Satan is “a deceiver,” trying to “trap” and divide Christians every day. Graham said:
I think of Erika Kirk. She has been attacked since the day her husband was assassinated. She is a nice, sweet young lady who’s grieving for the loss of her husband, and she’s attacked all the time, even by Christians. It just makes my blood boil. But all this is coming from the devil. He wants us to be at each other’s throats. He wants us to not only attack one another, but he wants us to fail and he wants us to fall.1
When you hear these conspiracy theories, confront them. The evidence presented against Charlie Kirk’s assassin at last week’s pretrial hearings, including his confession, is overwhelming.
The best way we can honor Charlie Kirk and his family is to do what Dr. Dobson spent his entire life urging us to do: Boldly and with love, go into the public square and fight these forces that worship death and threaten to overwhelm our country.
- Franklin Graham, “Franklin Graham Sounds the Alarm: Christians Are Falling Into Satan’s Trap,” YouTube video, 3:48, CBN News, June 29, 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snn39oorMhQ.
