As Candace Owens escalates her ‘Bride of Charlie’ campaign against Erika Kirk, Christians must refuse the rumor mill and respond with truth, prayer, and biblical discernment.
This article is a lightly edited transcript of the “Here’s the Point” podcast by Ryan Helfenbein, executive director of the Standing for Freedom Center.
This week Candace Owens launched a mini documentary series called “Bride of Charlie” — a multi-episode media campaign specifically targeting Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk and the CEO of Turning Point USA.
So far, Candace has carefully insinuated that Erika is involved in a human trafficking ring, that she has groomed a 15-year-old girl, that she has conspired with foreign governments, and that she has actively worked to cover-up the assassination of her own husband.
Candace has said all of this for months, and she has done all of this before a single day of the capital murder trial of Tyler Robinson — the alleged shooter — has taken place. The criminal justice process is still underway, but Candace Owens’ own firing squad on social media has ensued for more than hundreds of days now.
Candace has no ability to cross-examine witnesses and no accountability for any accusations she has so far made. Make no mistake. Candace is not in search of the truth. She is doing this for clicks. And for any serious Christian out there — the Bible has something to say about these tactics, especially when it comes to a grieving widow.
So how should we think about Candace Owens. Here are four points.
First, Candace does not have the tools to find the truth, and everyone should know that first before following her.
She does not have access to the full body of evidence. She cannot subpoena records, compel testimony, or cross-examine a single suspect under oath. She has no forensic team, no legal authority, and no judicial accountability. And tellingly, she has already changed her theory of what happened multiple times — shifting her narrative as each new accusation fails to land.
She is not truth-seeking. She is someone who is manufacturing a storyline and adjusting it as her ratings and her audience engagement demand something new.
God forbid that an actual federal investigation and a capital murder trial inconvenience a social media influencer’s demand for new information right now.
Lest we forget, any outside interference with court proceedings can jeopardize a case. Candace Owens’ show is not a legitimate pathway to a guilty verdict — it is a wrecking ball aimed at the very process that could actually deliver one.
Second, keep in mind that it took more than 90 days for Erika Kirk to patiently tell Candace to stop.
Candace Owens wasted no time attacking Turning Point and the team that surrounded Charlie on the day of the Utah Valley University shooting. She wasted no time attacking Andrew Kolvet, Mikey McCoy, Rob McCoy, Frank Turek, the camera operators, the security team, Erika Kirk, and anyone else associated with Turning Point USA.
Erika was very patient with Candace, and in good faith she met with her and presented a mountain of evidence. Candace even promised to her viewers that she would stop if Erika Kirk told her to stop. Erika finally told her to stop in December last year during the book tour for Stop in the Name of God, Charlie Kirk’s book on Sabbath rest.
Candace proved then and now that she has no honor and that she is not willing to abide by her own statements. She never intended to stop. In fact, she has focused all of her negative attention now on Erika Kirk.
Lest we forget, Erika Kirk is still a mother of two children, and she is a grieving widow.
Third, the Bible is extraordinarily clear about what happens when people attack widows.
God warns in Exodus 22: “You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry.”
He goes further saying, “His wrath will burn” and that God will be the one to avenge by His own sword. There is a kind of justice that God reserves for the wicked who prey upon widows.
Psalm 68 calls God the “protector of widows in His holy habitation.” James 1:27 defines pure religion before God as caring for orphans and widows in their affliction — not putting them on trial before a global audience without a shred of evidence.
The same biblical tradition that establishes these protections also establish the legal standard that requires witnesses and evidence. Deuteronomy requires two or three witnesses to establish formal charges, and it warns that a false witness who sought to harm his neighbor shall receive the very punishment he intended for that neighbor so that no one should ever bear false witness again.
The biblical standard is that we fear God and that the fear of God is the greatest safeguard against lies and half-truths. We have lost that safeguard in our modern American culture. Candace doesn’t honor God, she doesn’t fear God, she has no witnesses to support her claims, and she openly attacks a widow without any shame.
Fourth, the culture that makes Candace Owens possible is the same culture that makes truth impossible.
We live in a post-truth world of hyper-connectivity, hyper-reality, and hyper-reactionary media. People are no longer primarily interested in the truth or in waiting for the truth to come out.
They are interested in a pornified hyper-reality of endless drama. People today want to see a trainwreck with no end in sight. Candace is merely a symptom of a post-truth culture that completely lacks discernment.
Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruit.” So ask yourself this: What fruit is Candace producing? What truth is she really getting at?
A grieving widow is being publicly accused of either covering up or being complicit in her husband’s murder. Fatherless children who may not be old enough to know it just but one day will, they are living in a time where their mother’s name is being destroyed by a woman who claims to be Charlie’s friend.
What fruit is Candace producing here really? Who is Candace building up right now other than her own audience and her clicks?
There are people who will defend what Candace is doing who cannot give you a coherent explanation for how it advances the truth or — bottom line — how it advances justice.
Most every Candace follower at this moment doesn’t have Charlie’s best interest at heart. They have no shame in attacking widows or fatherless children. And they have no care or concern about preserving and defending what Charlie Kirk built.
These are low-life, low-intelligent, low-character people that Candace is entertaining right now.
And to wrap, what should the Christian faithful do?
First, commit to praying for Erik Kirk, for her family, and for Turning Point USA.
Recognize that Tyler Robinson’s trial is still very early in its process and could take years to resolve.
There are far better ways to be connected to Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA, and the mission of saving this country and advancing freedom than by lending any more audience to someone who is undeserving of this kind of attention.
Yes, Christians should stigmatize evil and wicked behavior. That’s not cancel culture — that’s just righteousness on display. The old progressive argument that we should tolerate every bad idea or that we should allow bad behavior to defend the principle of the freedom of thought or freedom of speech is actually not a conservative argument.
We should actually abhor evil, and yes, we should work to end it. We live in a post-shame culture. People should be ashamed of this level of behavior that Candace Owens is giving right now. And Christians shouldn’t tolerate it.
Revelation 12 calls Satan “the accuser of the brethren.” Candace is behaving just like him. She is constantly spinning lies and accusations. No Christian who is a lover of Jesus Christ and a lover of truth should want to have any association with anyone who practices wickedness.
Also, pray for Candace Owens that she would come under conviction and actually have a saving encounter with Jesus Christ. No, Candace is not a Christian woman. That is absolutely clear by her behavior and her public testimony. It reveals exactly who she is. But that does not mean that Candace Owens cannot be saved one day and for the first time. So, let’s pray to that end.
In the meantime, do not give this circus act any quarter. In fact, it’s time to stigmatize Candace’s wicked behavior to the shame of anyone who gives excuses for it or would dare to defend it. It’s not okay to attack orphans or widows. Enough is enough.
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