Charlie Kirk understood better than anyone that nothing of meaning or purpose can be conserved in America unless we make Christ the foundation and direction of our movement. Here’s why we must pray and how we can work to that end.
What’s the future of the conservative movement? Many are asking that question right now. And which way forward for the youngest generation in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder?
Christless conservatism is a vain hope for victory. The conservative movement, if it is going to conserve anything with any meaning or purpose, desperately needs Jesus Christ as both the foundation and direction of our movement. If we do not stand on unchanging bedrock truth, then we will be infiltrated, manipulated — steered by anyone and willing to fall for anything.
I have always been for the populist movement that reclaimed conservatism for Americans and not for American foreign intervention and for American cultural and economic decline. This was often what the Neocons were so content to promote, direct, and control for decades. We were perennial losers as Americans — losing our country, our communities, our culture, our families and our values, while conserving only our GDP and 401Ks.
Our political leaders conserved nothing. They stood for nothing. And they denied basic common sense and wisdom. How can America win the future if we are losing in the present?
I think one of the greatest gifts President Trump gave conservatives was a renewed vision of what it is to pursue American greatness and to know that conservatives can actually fight, lose, and fight back harder to win — by pulling together a nontraditional coalition of old allies and new cobelligerents. And that coalition includes those who are not conservatives but who can advance conservative causes, even if for a limited period of time.
This movement under Trump has been successful in part because he overturned so many political expectations, including the fatalistic expectation of defeat and decline. The cowardly and controlling interest of the uniparty was always content with defeat as long as it advanced the interest of foreign intervention and nation-building elsewhere. Whether it was Wall Street or the military industrial complex, it always seemed like there were winners at the expense of the American people.
We have been given a temporary victory but are once again at a crossroads. And the road forward is not obvious. One year ago, right after Trump’s 2024 electoral and popular victory, I warned that all coalitions are at risk of fragmentation and splitting. All coalitions that achieve victory do not last forever and that includes this one. That seemed like a reasonable prediction, I just didn’t know how quickly it would come to fruition.
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s horrific assassination, I believed — and still believe — that God is working out His purposes in salvation for America. Charlie’s death was and is a catalyst for revival. We see pockets of revival across American communities, college campuses, and churches. They are experiencing revival with renewed interest in Bible reading, church attendance, worship, and baptism. That’s a reason to celebrate and give God the glory. We should do everything we can to pray for and advance that revival.
But our ancient enemy does not want Jesus Christ to get the glory, nor does he want spiritual, moral, or cultural renewal to take place in America. Instead of Charlie’s death being a catalyst for revival, the goal is to sow deceit and division and to draw attention away and to distract from the most obvious events that have transpired.
Jesus Christ is the only hope for America. And we are on the cusp of either something truly great in this nation or we are at the precipice of the point of no return.
Our movement has been infiltrated by those who do not have the best of intentions but are self-deluded. They do not know the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nor the truth of history, nor the truth of current events. Because of this, they are blindly groping for significance and meaning in the midst of pain, confusion, and grief. They utilize their platform not to advance the truth but to sow deceit and division and to distract from the most obvious things that have just transpired.
It is truly maddening to watch and listen to endless rabbit trails of conspiracies with next to no evidence — theories that cannot prove truth from fiction. It is understandable why people are drawn to conspiracy theories, especially in a moment of grief, because they need resolution and closure. It is also understandable why people expect conspiracy theories to become true because of what we all experienced in the last five years: COVID-19, Black Lives Matter riots, January 6, Epstein, and a variety of other narratives pushed by the media and the deep state were enough to red-pill and wake people up.
We knew we were being gaslit; we could see past the endless lies. We also had receipts.
But not all conspiracy theories are true. Not all speculations into such theories are helpful. Many can deceive, divide, and distract from reality and from what is truly important. How quickly this became the case after Charlie’s death. Some didn’t pause even for a second to ponder the infinite, to personally reflect, or do serious soul-searching.
Instead, they used Charlie’s death to promote their own platform, sow deceit and dissension in the conservative ranks, advance endless conspiracies about foreign governments, antisemitism, Christian Zionism, and whatever other new idea was cooking that day. None of these ideas are conservative and none of these ideas will move the conservative movement forward or America forward to victory.
Antisemitism is un-American. And hatred for Christian Zionism is by no means conservative. There can be disagreements on eschatology among the brothers, but hatred for brothers who hold a different view is unfruitful and un-Christian. We can have no more brother wars.
And so, we are at a crossroads. I still believe that God is doing something in America and that Charlie’s blood was not spilled in vain. America needs Christ. The conservative movement needs Christ. We cannot be distracted by the deceit of bad actors who clearly do not know the Gospel truth. Just ask yourself, “How do my thoughts reflect the knowledge of Christ, the love of Christ, the love of neighbor, and the love for the truth? Is what I’m thinking actually promoting the truth that sets me free?”
This past week has revealed a lot about our coalition and our cobelligerents. It’s splintering even now as we speak. It also reveals just how valuable Charlie Kirk was at building and maintaining that coalition publicly and even behind the scenes. He was nothing short of a visionary and courageous warrior for truth and for Christ. He could partner even with those he disagreed with, chat privately with them about those disagreements, and present a publicly united front that could push our coalition forward to victory.
May God raise up more visionary and courageous warriors just like Charlie Kirk. That’s what we need to remember and keep in mind because that’s what we are missing right now.
I remain prayerful and hopeful for America and for our movement. But by no means am I relying on podcasters or influencers who have built nothing, sacrificed nothing, and can think of no one else but themselves. They are the hollow-chested men that C.S. Lewis warned us about. They have no loyalty but to themselves. They are geldings who cannot produce. They are blind luminaries that guide no one to the truth.
But we have the truth. His name is Jesus Christ. He is the founder and finisher of our faith. He is also the foundation of a real movement that has a real opportunity to revive this nation.
Let us pray and work towards that end. Live for the things that matter. Strengthen what remains. Go conserve something.
This is a lightly edited transcript of the “Here’s the Point” podcast by Ryan Helfenbein, executive director of the Standing for Freedom Center seen below.
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