Remembering Charlie Kirk: An Enduring Legacy of Faith, Family, and Belief in the American Experiment
Robert Burgess • September 11, 2025
The conservative movement – and America itself – lost a giant in Charlie Kirk. While we were not close, Charlie and I knew and respected each other. Our mutual respect was born not just from our shared political beliefs, but from an appreciation of each other’s willingness to take a stand for those beliefs. Over the years, I grew to appreciate the authenticity of his faith and the strength of his conviction, knowing that they were fundamental to his work and his life.
Charlie Kirk had a rare, intrinsic gift. He spoke to the conservative Christian youth of our country – those who often feel excluded by culture and discounted by elites – in a way that captured their hearts and their allegiance. He reached onto college campuses, auditoriums, and living rooms alike with a simple yet courageous message: you are not alone; you are not powerless; your faith and your voice matter in the course of our nation’s political debate.
But Charlie’s legacy is not Turning Point USA. Charlie’s legacy cannot be measured in likes, or retweets, or followers, or headlines. The legacy that Charlie Kirk leaves behind is threefold: a fierce and unwavering defender of his Christian faith; a devoted and loyal husband; and a loving father. This is how we must remember him.
As I write this, I find it apropos that today is September 11. For nearly a quarter of a century, this date has been woven into our national fabric as a day of grief, remembrance, and reflection.
No one needs to be reminded of the horror we experienced on this day in 2001 . . . a day when enemies of freedom sought to divide us through unspeakable violence. Those terrorists sought to tear at the very fabric of who we are as Americans.
And yet, out of that darkness, the light of unity and resilience shone. Neighbors acknowledged each other from front porches with light candles, American flags flew of the front of countless homes, and a sense of resolve settled upon the shoulders of every American regardless of race, creed, sex, or political belief.
The legacy of the 2,996 who perished that day – and the thousands more who were injured – is not that they were victims of terror, but rather that they were men and women who lived full lives, loved their families, cherished their friends, and left behind memories that outlast and outlive the cruelty of that day.
Yesterday’s cowardly act of violence against Charlie Kirk was also intended to divide us – to make us falter, to sow fear, to cause us to question our faith in one another. But just as America did not crumble on September 11, 2001, we cannot not crumble now. We honor both the fallen of that and Charlie Kirk by standing resolute, by choosing faith over fear, and by letting their lives – not their deaths – define their legacies.
Charlie Kirk’s memory will live on through his wife, his children, and those who knew him, loved him, and looked to him. But it must also live on through us. We must carry his message, and we must continue his outreach. As Charlie said, “When people stop talking, that’s when you get violence, that is when civil war happens.” We cannot stop talking no matter if it is on college campuses, auditoriums, city parks, or in our living rooms.
In moments like this, there is a temptation to turn to anger, to retaliate in kind. But Charlie showed us that we must live by a higher truth. As 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and of love and self-control.” We cannot let fear or rage govern our response. There are many in this world who seek to divide and destroy our country, our party, and Charlie’s movement; our enduring answer must be faith, power, and love.
Charlie endured hatred, ridicule, hostility, and vitriol on campus after campus. Yet, he continued to show up; he continued to speak truth; he continued to invite dialogue and debate because he believed.
1 Peter 1:6-7 tell us: “In all this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith . . . may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
Let us honor Charlie Kirk not in fury, but in faith. Not by matching hatred with hatred, but by linking arms, standing shoulder to shoulder, and carrying his mission to engage, inspire, and assure young Americans that they are not forgotten. Charlie may no longer be physically with us, but his voice has not been silenced . . . his message has not been altered. In fact, his voice will only be amplified.
We will not go quietly into the night and allow hatred and division to silence us. We must be found to be the faithful in carrying the torch of light that he lit for so many. Through us, his witness lives on and his work will endure.
“Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant, Charlie. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.” – The Commendation from The Book of Common Prayer
Rob Burgess is a national Republican strategist, and Chief Executive Officer at Connector, Inc. – a boutique government relations and political affairs firm with offices in Washington, D.C.