Charlie Kirk – Christian Martyr or Political Hack?

By Mark Swarbrick

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On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was martyred for his faith in Jesus Christ. He was on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, speaking to a crowd of about 3,000 — many eager to meet him and hear him in person, others wanting to debate him. Charlie cheerfully welcomed every question, sharing the Gospel with clarity and grace, when he was brutally gunned down in the midst of his witness. But killing him was not enough. Now the left feels compelled to lie about him, claiming he was nothing more than an ultra-right-wing political pundit.

Lying about godly people is nothing new. Even our Lord Jesus faced the same false charges. When His enemies could not bear the light of truth, they twisted His words and lied to Pilate, saying that Jesus “opposes Caesar” (John 19:12). Yet the real reason they hated Him was not politics, but because He exposed their sin and hypocrisy. In the same way, Charlie’s bold proclamation of the Gospel called sinners to repentance and exposed the very sins that enslave and destroy. That is what stirred the wrath of the one who killed him.

Call to Repentance – Part of the Gospel

Preaching the Gospel has always involved calling people to repentance, often by pointing out specific sins so that people would understand what sin really is. The importance of repentance and condemning sin is an essential part of the Gospel that is sometimes ignored, even by some preachers. The call to repentance is central to the Gospel and is particularly vital today. In our day, when popular society and even governments openly condone sinful practices, presenting the Gospel must include clarifying what the Bible calls sin. And this is precisely why godly men have been martyred down through the ages: many in the world do not want to hear about sin or repentance. People respond to the Gospel in different ways. Acts 24:25 tells us, “As Paul reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened…” Yet others, then as now, become enraged — sometimes even to the point of murder.

John the Baptist also was killed for calling out sin. John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias (King Herod’s wife) had a grudge against John and wanted to put him to death.” Eventually, at a banquet, Herodias’ daughter Salome danced for Herod. Pleased, he rashly promised her anything she wanted. Prompted by Herodias, Salome asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter, and got it. (Mark 6:22–28).

Stephen was the first Christian martyr. He was killed for his faith in Jesus. But his killers lied about that too. They said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law,” (Acts 6:13), though that was clearly not the case. He had pointed out their sin, and for that they killed him.

The Spirit of Herodias and Jezebel

Another example of godly men standing against sin is Elijah. Jezebel sought Elijah’s life because he had exposed her sin of idolatry. By proving before all Israel that Baal was powerless and the Lord alone is God, Elijah struck at the very heart of her wicked rule, so in her rage she vowed to kill him. Jezebel’s very name has become synonymous with the epitome of evil. In the Old Testament, she embodies rebellion against God, unrepentant idolatry, and the ruthless silencing of those who confronted her sin.

But she was far more than just a pagan queen. She represents the spirit of defiance that exalts false religion and sexual sin while persecuting truth. Her promotion of Baal worship was not a matter of harmless diversity of faiths; it was a system drenched in corruption and sexual immorality. The rites of Baal included both male and female temple prostitutes, with perverse acts carried out in the name of fertility and divine favor. Scripture speaks of the qedeshim (male cult prostitutes) and qedeshot (female cult prostitutes) tied to the shrines of false gods (Deuteronomy 23:17; 1 Kings 14:24; 2 Kings 23:7). These rituals normalized what God calls abominations, blending heterosexual prostitution with homosexual acts, and even gender distortion, as worshipers blurred the distinctions between male and female, just as is happening today in the homosexual-transgender insanity sweeping the world.

By establishing and protecting this system, Jezebel institutionalized sexual perversion as religion. Elijah’s denunciation was not only against idolatry in the abstract but against the very real sins of fornication, sodomy, and gender confusion paraded as sacred worship of a false god. To expose such practices was to unmask the rotten core of her power, and so she sought his death.

This is why, centuries later, her name still echoes in Revelation 2:20, where the risen Christ rebukes a church for tolerating “that woman Jezebel,” who leads His servants into sexual immorality and idolatry. The spirit of Jezebel transcends her lifetime — it represents a timeless defiance against God’s order, turning false worship into a cloak for immorality and seeking to destroy those who dare to confront it. Elijah stood as a voice of truth against that corruption, and for that, Jezebel marked him for death. In the same way, the warning in Revelation shows that the spirit of Jezebel can infect not only societies but also churches, even today. Liberal mainline denominations that ordain homosexuals and transgenders are walking in this same spirit, exalting sin under the guise of religion, and proving that the Jezebel spirit is alive and active wherever truth is sacrificed for idolatry and immorality.

Why Charlie Kirk Was Martyred

Charlie Kirk was a born-again Christian who led thousands to Christ. He boldly went to college campuses, engaging students in open yet firm debate. Young people were attracted to him because he offered something genuine. He was the real deal, encouraging true repentance and change as he spoke of a vital living relationship with Jesus that would transform anyone who wanted Christ. Again and again, Charlie was challenged by those defending abortion, open borders, transgenderism, and homosexual behavior — and like Stephen before the Sanhedrin, Charlie’s clear Spirit-filled witness and impeciable logic sometimes enraged those who could not refute him. Yet his  manner was alway cheerful, respectful, and kind, so much so that those who disagreed were often converted. 

As Acts 6:10 says of Stephen, the first martyr, “they could not cope with the wisdom and Spirit with which he was speaking… they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him” Likewise with Charlie Kirk, he was so persuasive that many abandoned their sinful lifestyle, yet some were angered and frustrated, for  Charlie’s logic was always solid and irrefutable. Though Charlie always treated those he encountered with love and respect, his firm yet gracious stand against sin still provoked the Jezebel spirit in some.

It was this same murderous spirit — the spirit of Jezebel and of Herodias — that rose up against Charlie Kirk. The man who murdered Charlie was a practicing homosexual, living with another man who imagined himself to be a girl — a transgender partner. His sin-hardened heart finally erupted in violence as he climbed onto a roof with a high-powered rifle and shot Charlie through the neck.

Like Elijah, Charlie called out the nation’s idolatry and immorality, boldly warning against homosexuality and transgenderism. He also warned against the same spirit of Baal and Molech worship seen today in abortion. In the ancient world, parents sacrificed their babies to secure prosperity, rain, and abundant harvests. Today, young women murder their children in the womb for the sake of convenience — to gain education, careers, or wealth — as though the shedding of innocent blood will guarantee their own success.

Charlie Kirk was martyred not because of politics, but because he spoke truth to sin. Abortion, a topic Charlie frequently spoke on, is driven by the same demonic impulse today as it was then: a selfish drive that exalts personal advancement over the life of the most vulnerable. And like John the Baptist before Herodias, Charlie was hated by some because he spoke common sense and truth while urging men and women to repent and come to Christ. His martyrdom was not the result of politics or mere controversy, but of the ancient spirit that cannot endure to have its wickedness exposed by the Word of God. Just as Jezebel sought Elijah’s life, and Herodias demanded John’s head, so too this spirit sought to silence Charlie by taking his life.

A Pattern of Transgender Violence

This murderous spirit is not isolated to Charlie’s killer. In recent years there has been a troubling pattern of violence carried out by those identifying as transgender. The list of homosexual-transgender violence is long, so I will name only a few instances. In Nashville, Audrey Hale, a biological woman who imagined herself to be a man, stormed the Covenant Christian School in March 2023 and murdered three children and three adults.

In Colorado, Alec McKinney, a biological girl who imagined herself to be a boy, joined in the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting in 2019, killing one and wounding eight. And in Maryland, Snochia Moseley, a biological woman who also identified as transgender, killed three co-workers at a Rite Aid distribution center in 2018.

Most recently, in Minneapolis in August 2025, Robin Westman, a biological man who claimed to be a woman, opened fire from outside Annunciation Catholic School, spraying bullets through the stained-glass windows during a Wednesday morning service for the students. The high-powered military ammunition tore through the children as they prayed, shattering the sanctity of their worship with unspeakable cruelty. In all, this transgender shot 21 people — 18 children and 3 elderly adults in their 80s — injuring 19 and killing 2 children.

A Debased Mind

And now Charlie Kirk has been martyred by a homosexual assassin who has a transgender lover. These are not random tragedies without connection. They conform exactly to the description given in Romans 1, where God warns that those who embrace such sexual perversions are “given over to a debased mind” (Romans 1:28). Paul describes them as “men committing shameless acts with men” (v. 27), and the result is that they become “filled with all manner of unrighteousness and evil” (v. 29).

The modern outbreak of transgender and homosexual violence is simply the fruit of that rebellion which reflects a debased mind. Very frequently, their fury is directed specifically at those who uphold biblical Christian values, for the Jezebel spirit cannot abide the light of truth that exposes its sin. When people exalt sin as identity, and build their lives on rejecting God’s created order, the end is darkness, hatred of truth, and acts of destruction against the innocent.

Charlie’s message was not political hatred but Gospel love, urging sinners to repent, escape an eternity in hell and instead find eternal life in Christ. And countless people came to Christ because of his testimony. Since his martyrdom, an extraordinary movement has swept across the nation and beyond. Churches are filled to overflowing, and in both small towns and large cities, believers have gathered in parks, in sanctuaries, and in public squares to honor his memory. These are not riots of destruction, as the left so often unleashes when angered, but solemn assemblies of prayer, repentance, and renewed commitment to boldly proclaim the Gospel as never before.

From candlelight vigils on courthouse steps to prayer circles filling city parks, the response has been unmistakable, and not just in America, but worldwide. One of the largest memorials took place in London, where reports vary — some say 110,000, others claim hundreds of thousands, and some even suggest more than a million — but whatever the exact figure, the streets of London were filled with an immense crowd that came together to remember Charlie, pray for revival, and pledge to take up the torch of truth that he carried.

In Spain, thousands gathered in Madrid — from memorials outside the U.S. Embassy to mass rallies where Charlie was honored as a martyr — showing that his witness has sparked a worldwide movement. Far from silencing his voice, his death has only expanded his biblical message, igniting revival across nations just as Stephen’s martyrdom once scattered the early church and spread the Gospel. All across the world, his blood has become the seed of fresh boldness in the people of God, reminding us that while the Jezebel spirit seeks to silence truth, the Gospel cannot be chained.

Jesus said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). He spoke of His own death that would bring salvation to the world, yet the same truth is seen in the death of every martyr. The blood of Charlie Kirk’s martyrdom has become a seed, falling to the ground and already bearing the fruit of revival in our time.

Make no mistake, Charlie Kirk was martyred for his faith while he boldly called the world to repentance and faith, and like those martyred before him, he was killed for courageously speaking the truth in love. Just as Stephen prayed for his killers while they hurled stones at him, so too the church today answers hatred not with revenge, but with love, forgiveness, and renewed boldness. Across the nation and the world, believers are rising with courage to proclaim Judeo-Christian values, to call sin what it is, and to invite all people to repent and come to Christ. The Jezebel spirit still rages, but it cannot silence the truth. The Gospel will go forward — and out of Charlie’s death, God is bringing forth life.



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