AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Charlie Kirk's Christian faith was central to his life and his political views. NPR political correspondent Sarah McCammon has been listening to some of Kirk's own words about his views on religion and politics, and she joins me now. Good morning.
SARAH MCCAMMON, BYLINE: Good morning, Ayesha.
RASCOE: So what do we know about Charlie Kirk's religious beliefs?
MCCAMMON: Well, Charlie Kirk often talked about his Christian faith. He spoke publicly about growing up attending Christian school and, like many evangelicals, said he made a decision at a young age to give his life to Jesus. In an interview six years ago with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network, Kirk said that his faith had deepened around the time he got out of high school and founded Turning Point USA, his organization for young conservatives.
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CHARLIE KIRK: I started to experience real adversity. I started to come in a much closer relationship with Jesus Christ and reading my Bible more and becoming more essentially unapologetic about my Christianity 'cause I was given a choice. I could try to descend more into this kind of secular world or reaffirm my faith. And, you know, that's exactly what I did.
MCCAMMON: Now, Turning Point USA is a political organization that describes itself as training young people to promote ideas like free markets and limited government. But later, Kirk founded a spin-off group called TPUSA Faith whose mission is to, quote, "eliminate wokeism from the American pulpit." That was more focused on churches. And while Kirk had friendly relationships with like-minded people of other faith traditions - including some politically conservative Jews and Roman Catholics, among others - he was himself a Protestant and specifically an Evangelical.
RASCOE: And how did his beliefs show up in politics?
MCCAMMON: Well, Kirk often referenced his Christian faith when he talked about political issues. For example, his belief that when it comes to helping the needy, churches - not the government - should be responsible. He also cited his faith in connection with some of his most controversial ideas. He described DEI - diversity, equity and inclusion - as unbiblical. He argued against abortion by saying that an embryo is, quote, "a baby made in the image of God deserving of protection." And he described being transgender as, quote, "a throbbing middle finger to God."
RASCOE: Critics have described Charlie Kirk as promoting Christian nationalism, or the belief that the American system of government should be based on Christianity. How did he talk about the connection between religion and politics?
MCCAMMON: You know, this is interesting, Ayesha. Earlier in his career, he expressed the view that Christian conservatives had, at times, gone too far in trying to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of society through politics. Back in 2018, while talking with the conservative podcaster David Rubin, Kirk said that had been a big mistake.
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KIRK: Because it created this kind of counter revolution, which is, I don't want to have to live the way some Christian in Alabama wants me to live. Does that make sense?
DAVID RUBIN: Yeah, yeah.
KIRK: So it's the imposition of those values through legislation and government, which is something I don't necessarily support, right?
RUBIN: Yeah.
KIRK: So I try to always advocate for every one of my political positions through a secular world view.
MCCAMMON: And at that point, Kirk said he believed in the separation of church and state, but he later reversed that and described that idea as a fabrication. Here he is last year, arguing that the U.S. was set up by and for not just Christians, but specifically Protestant Christians. And Kirk said he did not think the country could function well any other way.
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KIRK: The body politic of America was so Christian and was so Protestant that our form and structure of government was built for the people that believed in Christ, our Lord. One of the reasons we're living through a constitutional crisis is that we no longer have a Christian nation, but we have a Christian form of government, and they're incompatible. So you cannot have liberty if you do not have a Christian population.
MCCAMMON: So clearly, he went through a shift in his thinking about the proper role of religion in politics.
RASCOE: How is Kirk's faith shaping the way he's remembered?
MCCAMMON: Well, he was a polarizing figure in life and in his death. Some of his supporters are describing him as a martyr for the Christian faith. Here's Cissie Graham Lynch - the granddaughter of the late Reverend Billy Graham - comparing Kirk to Stephen, who's recognized as Christianity's first martyr.
CISSIE GRAHAM LYNCH: Charlie was a modern-day Stephen. His life, and now his death, testify that the gospel is worth everything.
MCCAMMON: Now, others worry about this framing. I spoke recently with a scholar of Christian nationalism, Matthew Bodie, at the University of North Georgia, who warns that this kind of talk can lead to escalation of both rhetoric and sometimes of violence. And he said that can ultimately be dangerous for everyone.
RASCOE: That's NPR's Sarah McCammon. Thank you so much.
MCCAMMON: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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