Over 100 people gathered in prayer Wednesday night on Fountain Mall for Charlie Kirk, the Turning Point USA founder who was fatally shot while doing what he was known for: professing conservative values informed by his Christian faith.
Minneapolis sophomore Kate Kremer attended the prayer gathering after seeing plans for it on social media. She admired how Kirk’s faith informed his political positions, even as he defended them from a non-religious perspective.
“He was willing to talk about [his faith] and answer questions if anybody asked about it, but he was absolutely not forcing it down people’s throats,” Kremer said.
Kremer said Kirk was a model of how to engage in civil discourse with kindness and respect in the face of difficult controversies. Going forward, she hopes that students learn from Kirk’s advocacy of free and civil dialogue.
“When people stop talking and when people stop communicating about these issues and how to go about them, then that’s when wars start and that’s when violent things happen,” Kremer said.
Plano senior Nicky Rudd addressed the crowd at Fountain Mall, urging students to remember Kirk’s role in spreading Christian values on college campuses.
“He did not die just because of politics. He died because he preached the name of Jesus Christ. Charlie Kirk died a martyr,” Rudd said.
“He did not die just because of politics. He died because he preached the name of Jesus Christ. Charlie Kirk died a martyr.”
Although Kirk openly professed his Christian faith, the motives of his shooter remain unknown.
Rudd identified college campuses as places uniquely targeted by Satan, and he noted Kirk’s nationwide fight against the devil’s attacks.
“A champion of Jesus Christ and a champion for Christian values—his life, his love, his light was snuffed out. Let us remember that he did not die in vain. … He died so that we would carry on that torch,” Rudd said.
Peter Campbell, associate professor of political science at Baylor, studies terrorists and insurgent organizations. He observed that, historically, these groups have used violence as a tool to provoke retaliation. While Campbell cautioned against jumping to early conclusions about motives behind killing Kirk, a similar principle applies. “Using violence in response to this violent act is probably exactly what the perpetrator would want you to do,” Campbell said.
Students like Kremer opened their phones after class, only to find their social media feeds and group chats flooded with news of Kirk’s death. On X, some videos showed graphic close-up angles of the moment Kirk was shot in the neck.
It’s natural to be rattled by the violence, Campbell said, but Christians shouldn’t be surprised when they face harm for their beliefs.
“Christ says, ‘If the world hates you, it hated me first.’ So, the fact that someone being open about their Christian faith gets them killed—and about their political opinions—isn’t actually that surprising from the Christian perspective. Only one of the disciples wasn’t martyred,” Campbell said.
Campbell said he gained peace with Kirk’s death after watching videos where Kirk discussed his relationship to Christ.
“You can’t live in fear. I think it’s one of the things that Charlie Kirk showed was that … he had numerous threats against his life, but it was more important to him to do what he saw was the work that God had put in front of him than to be safe,” Campbell said.
“It was more important to him to do what he saw was the work that God had put in front of him than to be safe.”
Kirk showed a new generation how to integrate faith and politics, Campbell said. Whereas previous generations used the idea of church-state separation to prevent religious principles from entering politics, Kirk demonstrated how to take both faith and politics seriously.
On this point, Kirk previously faced criticism for reinforcing Christian nationalism and supporting President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
“He energized young people in a way that I don’t know if there’s anybody who could replace him, honestly. But there has to be, right? And it has to be from the people that he influenced. [Someone has] to not be afraid and step forward and continue. That’s how his legacy is going to survive,” Campbell said.
Turning Point USA at Baylor University posted a statement on their Instagram page following Kirk’s death.
“This is the turning point. Charlie Kirk’s assassination was a direct attack on our first amendment for freedom of speech and debate to what he was so passionate about. We know that many, including us, are absolutely heartbroken by the devastating news of Charlie’s death. Right now we ask for prayers over his family. We acknowledge that God’s hand is at work. May the Lord bless and comfort his wife, Erika, and his two young kids during this difficult time,” the post read.
Baylor University president Linda Livingstone issued a statement on Kirk’s death on Thursday, calling Kirk’s death “a senseless loss of life motivated by hate” and decrying political violence, especially on college campuses.
“A senseless loss of life motivated by hate.”
Kirk’s event at Utah Valley University was the first stop on “The American Comeback Tour.” The tour’s closest stop to Baylor would have been at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on October 27.
The last time Kirk visited Waco was part of his “Exposing Critical Racism Tour” in 2021.
