Charlie Kirk: A Good Christian, A Good Citizen – But Not a Saint

When you looked into Charlie Kirk’s eyes, you could see it—he was a child of God, with a good heart.

He was a man of courage, living in a world that often feels locked up by political correctness. Sometimes I ask myself: is there still a place where we can speak our mind freely, without being torn down? I’m not sure there is. Certainly not in the universities I’ve spent too many years in. Even churches, sadly, are not always free from that fear. Democracy and pluralism? More often than not, they feel like illusions.

What happened to Charlie is heartbreaking. Watching the videos of his murder—evil in its rawest form—was unbearable. My heart goes out completely to his family.

And yet, I want to resist that easy tendency to turn him into a legend. We often do that with public figures, even when their views were not always easy to defend.

For me, the question is this: was Charlie’s political fire stronger than his Christian faith? Sometimes, I think it was. And that’s where I struggle. A few examples:

Israel and Gaza. Charlie defended Israel without blinking, even when many people called it genocide against Palestinians. But the Gospel is clear: Christians are meant to be peacemakers, to stand with the weak, not to justify violence. Here, his politics spoke louder than the Gospel.

Nationalism and immigration. He wrapped his Christianity tightly in nationalism, often in ways that shut others out. I remember him saying: “America does not need more visas for people from India… Enough already. We’re full.” And another time: “We have way too many legal immigrants coming into this country.” For me, that is shrinking the Gospel down to one flag, one border. But Christ’s message is universal. Love doesn’t stop at the frontier. Charlie even tried to ground border walls in Scripture, citing Nehemiah. But he seemed to forget Paul’s words to the Ephesians: “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (Eph 2:14).

Guns. This was another clash. Guns are a big part of American culture—42% of families own one. But Charlie went as far as saying: “It’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.” He saw it as a trade-off. But how do you square that with the Jesus who told Peter to put away his sword? The early Church put its faith in God, not in weapons. For me, that defense of guns sits painfully at odds with the Gospel.

My father used to tell me: “From afar, America looks like a dream. Up close, it’s full of contradictions.” Charlie Kirk was very much a part of that—an American full of beauty and contradiction.

A good Christian, yes. A good citizen, yes. But not a saint.