Liberty University prays for family of Charlie Kirk, a friend, fervid Christ follower, and defender of the faith

As news broke of the tragic shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, students organized a prayer vigil on the steps of the Montview Student Union, lifting up Kirk’s family and remembering the impact the young, emboldened Christian leader made on their campus and on college campuses across the country. Liberty Chancellor Jonathan Falwell addressed the crowd there and again at the Campus Community service that followed.

According to news reports, Kirk was shot by a sniper at a rally at Utah Valley University on Wednesday morning during his American Comeback Tour with Turning Point USA, the nonprofit organization he founded in 2012.

Falwell called it a difficult day in our country, seeing the brokenness and evil in our world, which he said “is precisely what Charlie Kirk spoke up about everywhere he went.”

“In every place that he had the opportunity to hold a microphone like this, he preached truth. And he spoke up for what matters, for people of your generation, to give voices to people like you across this country that oftentimes might feel like they’re alone,” he said. “He was helping to give us a reminder that we are not alone, that there are lots of people all across this country who believe the way that we believe, who believe that the Word of God is truth, is infallible, inerrant, inspired, and that God very clearly sent his son, Jesus, who came, who died, and who rose again.”

Kayla Parker, executive events coordinator for the Turning Point USA student chapter at Liberty, said the news gravely affected her and her fellow chapter members and classmates, as the shock and extreme sadness was felt across campus.

“There is a great injustice in what has happened today and there have been many people affected by the shooting but also many impacted by his life and his life-giving words,” she said. “Charlie was a Christ follower, and he knew Jesus intimately; this was evident in every conference speech or chapter event I saw him at. He was more than just a figure. He left a legacy for younger generations to follow that is life-giving, motivating, and inspiring. The fire for this generation and for the conservative Christian movement is not over — instead, it has fueled the fire.”

Parker is one of 250,000 student members of TPUSA, which has a presence on over 3,500 high school and college campuses nationwide.

Liberty President Dondi E. Costin also shared his sympathies for the senseless tragedy in a statement: “Our prayers are with the Kirk family and everyone affected by the loss of this man of great faith who was bold, brave, and unwavering in His commitment to Jesus Christ. He encouraged our students and young people everywhere to stand firm on God’s Word and live by the courage of their convictions. He was a faithful servant and a true Champion for Christ.”

Kirk has made many connections with Liberty over the years, traveling to campus multiple times to speak and forging partnerships and friendships through a shared mission of sharing the Gospel, supporting biblical values in the church and family, and defending the Christian faith and the Constitution.

Kirk was presented an honorary Doctor of Humanities in May 2019 during Baccalaureate, part of Liberty’s 46th Commencement. The degree was given “in recognition of his work and dedication to courageously promote American freedom and defend our common liberties on behalf of young students in colleges and high schools across the country and for his example and inspiration to young people everywhere of what can be achieved when faith, conviction, and hard work are put into practice.” Kirk also briefly addressed the graduates from the Main Commencement Ceremony stage, where he read from Matthew 5: “‘Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’” He told the graduates: “The most important question that you can answer in your life is the question, ‘Who is Jesus Christ?’ Was he an act of fiction, was he a fable, or was he what I believe and what many people here believe, the Savior of the world and the Son of God. The answer to that question will come at a great price, yet the reward is even greater.”

His family also has strong ties to Liberty. His wife, Erika, is a Liberty alumna. She earned a Juris Master in American Legal Studies from Liberty and celebrated the accomplishment at the May 2019 Commencement, with Charlie by her side.

Students from Liberty’s Turning Point USA chapter said special prayers for Erika and their two young children at Wednesday’s vigil.

Kirk founded Turning Point as a high school senior and served as the president of the national student movement to champion free speech and the principles of free markets and limited government. In 2016, he was the youngest person to give a speech at the Republican National Convention.

At Liberty, Kirk played an important role in helping to launch what is now the Standing for Freedom Center and has participated in many of the center’s summits. He has been a regular guest at Convocation; he was scheduled to speak at the Oct. 24 Convocation and at the center’s Freedom Uncensored event Oct. 24 and 25.

Ryan Helfenbein, executive director of the Standing for Freedom Center and Vice President of Communications and Public Engagement, worked closely with Kirk over the years and remains a friend of the Kirk family.

“Charlie Kirk has left a lasting legacy on this nation, this generation and even Liberty University and the Standing for Freedom Center,” Helfenbein said. “He modeled for our students what it was to be bold and unapologetic for truth and for Christ. He challenged an entire generation to think differently about politics by changing hearts and minds. Charlie was not just a larger-than-life public figure, he was a close personal friend who had a deep abiding faith in Jesus Christ, a love for his wife and precious children, a love for our great nation. Because of his faith in Christ, no single person has made a greater impact on the Gen Z generation than Charlie Kirk. We will miss him dearly.”

Kirk never ceased to speak unashamedly of his Lord Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of all his beliefs and work.

Falwell told the students he had also spoken to Kirk recently. “He was thrilled about being able to come and to speak here knowing what Liberty is and what we stand for and what we believe.”

“The greatest thing that we can do in response to the horrors of today,” Falwell said, was for “every single one of our voices, to never hold back from speaking up, never shy away from preaching truth, that we never step back from a world that is constantly trying  to say what we believe doesn’t matter, that we stand up and say, ‘Oh, it does matter, and it’s true. And Jesus loves you.’”