Why Am I Grieving Someone I Didn’t Know: Charlie Kirk’s Impact on Christians

By Jenny Smith Mattfeldt  | Published September 17, 2025

I didn’t even know much about Charlie Kirk beyond the occasional Instagram reel that would slide across my feed. When it came to politics, he wasn’t one of the personalities I turned to and honestly, maybe that was because some of his bad PR had reached me. I wasn’t sure I agreed with everything he said, but one thing was clear: he was on fire for his faith.

Everything came back to Jesus, and that was something I deeply respected. So, he was someone I respected — why does it feel like one of my own cousins was killed? I know I’m not alone in saying I feel like I'm grieving someone I really knew.

And I think it’s because he was carrying the torch for Christianity so that many of us didn’t have to. He was the one being loud, unapologetic, vocal about faith so the rest of us could stay “the silent majority,” never having to get our hands dirty or admit out loud what we believed.

Then to see his death celebrated online in a way that feels actually evil it tears at the very fabric of who we are, or who we're supposed to be as Christians. Maybe part of us wonders deep down if we were all more vocal about our faith would someone still have felt comfortable doing that to him? If our society hadn't slid so far it's become normalized to turn to or celebrate violence?

I remember sitting in CCD as a kid, hearing about Christians throughout history who were persecuted for their faith. I used to wonder, would I ever see that in my lifetime? Would anything like that ever happen to me? Well — here we are. We’ve reached the point where people are being attacked simply for boldly talking about following Jesus. His death was a wake-up call: you can’t quietly be a Christian anymore. You either believe it enough to live it out loud, or you don’t. The flood of people declaring their faith, buying Bibles, and going back to church this week has been insane to watch. I don't think I’ve ever felt less alone.

I think the way you honor someone like Charlie Kirk is simple: you pick up that torch. You double down on your faith. You go back to church. You treat people with the same respect and value he showed to everyone who stepped up to the mic. You live your faith out loud. That’s how you honor him.

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