Charlie Kirk’s life was cut short on September 10, when a far-left, Antifa-aligned radical walked into a university event and gunned him down in cold blood. It was an assassination, not an accident. A man was killed for speaking truth to the cultural rot in one of the few places still trying to resist it.

For those who didn’t know Charlie before that day, he was not just a political figure—he was an outspoken activist who, despite his many theological errors (of which I have criticized at length), boldly proclaimed Christ in the public square. I disagreed with him at times, but I truly believe Charlie knew the gospel and believed it.

And this is why what comes next is so disappointing. Those who were close to Kirk, and those who want to honor his memory, have made a serious mistake. They have scheduled his public memorial service for Sunday morning—September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium—right in the very hours Christians across this nation should be gathering with their churches to worship Christ.

I don’t believe for one second that Charlie would have wanted that. The man who spent his life pointing to truth would not want the Lord’s Day to be about himself. If anything, I think he would tell us to go to church, to sing, to hear the Word, and to keep our eyes fixed on Christ, not him.

I know Charlie had his blind spots. He sometimes platformed those we should not partner with—from “gay Christians” to those outside the faith entirely—and that should not be ignored. We can and should stand with others on matters of morality, like life and marriage, but we must never conflate political alliances with spiritual fellowship.

I’ve also seen the debate about his wife, Erika—whether she is Catholic. In an Instagram post, she denied going Catholic, but acknowledged being raised and confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church.

Clearly, she is hurting and confused right now. I mean, I guess it would make sense to hold Charlie’s service on Sunday morning if Catholics hold mass on Saturday nights. But I’m not sure that’s it, either.

I hope and pray that she has abandoned any spiritual ties to Rome, but either way, this only highlights the importance of clarity when discussing a man’s faith after his death.

It is good and right to honor the good works Charlie did. It is right to remember that he used his enormous platform to proclaim Christ. But we must be careful not to treat him as a Christian martyr in the biblical sense. Charlie died as a political martyr—targeted for his conservative message, yes—but he was not killed for refusing to deny Christ.

That doesn’t make his death less tragic. It makes our response more critical. We should let this crime spur us to action against evil and motivate our pastors to equip the church for days like these. But we must not allow our grief to overshadow our worship of God.

The Lord’s Day belongs to the Lord. It is not ours to repurpose, even for the best of men. Charlie would not want the church to take its eyes off Christ, even for a day, and replace Him with a memorial of himself.

My hope is that the organizers will reconsider and reschedule. Honor Charlie—yes. Celebrate his courage—yes. But not at the expense of Christ’s glory and the worship owed to Him on the day He set apart for Himself.