‘HE WON THE DEBATE’

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it” Aristotle

I suspect that Aristotle would have considered Charlie Kirk the most educated mind of our generation. He did not fear opposite opinions, partly because he always came with deep research and thoughtful analysis. Also, partly because he believed in a wiser and more powerful being than himself. That in itself is a freeing attitude. The one who has it knows that there will always be more to know, more to learn; that their ideas and beliefs should be tested so they can be sharpened, expanded and refined. They are wise enough to realize that one’s education is more spiritual than secular or physical and that it is a journey without an end in this life.

My observations here will be incomplete, limited and as simple-minded as myself. I did not learn of the shooting in Utah until I had returned to the house after a couple of hours trailing my 96 year-old father as he made some rounds down country roads herding a 25 year-old truck at a blistering pace between 5 and 10 mph. He likes to make short rounds at some point during the day despite an increased number of drivers on the dusty gravel and “whiterock” roads due to an ever-increasing number of construction sites where only pastures were half a decade ago. If it seems my thoughts are scattered, that is because they are.

I will first say that those who are rushing to call this a political assassination have it wrong. It is more than that. It is a cultural assassination. Those who are so threatened by the likes of Charlie Kirk are fearful of the culture shift he still represents. His politics were determined by his clarity of values and sense of culture. It was that clarity which he displayed at the center of what he did. His was a call back to not just this nation’s founding but the bedrock human values that led to it.

Among his strengths were reason and biblical faith. One could not listen to him for more than a few minutes before that faith and the divine order established for us all became the core of his observations. Just like our national Framers, he knew that Nature’s God provided an order which best served us and directed us more and more in His direction for the good of both ourselves and all of creation. He understood that we could not be a free people without a culture that values (and practices) both freedom and virtue.

It was a return to individual virtue, belief in divine direction and productive work ethic that most disturbed those who hated him. These things were the mark of a people who could govern themselves with purpose.

Aristotle might have considered him a highly educated man despite his lack of semester hours, but an earlier Greek would have admired his methods and style. Kirk took Socrates’ approach of questioning to a level that few in our time could match. He did not answer shouting and name-calling with the same, but instead with valid, exhaustive research, a steady but convicted voice and genuine thoughtfulness.

He was almost evangelical in his approach. But in the final analysis, he was (in my poor, simple opinion) a great educator. Perhaps the greatest of our time; certainly far superior to most of those who teach in the modern academy. What he educated us all on was the American Dream and how deeply grounded it was in that culture of freedom and faith. He was its most skillful spokesman and perhaps its greatest individual example.

The night before, I led a Bible study group that ended the session with Saul’s (Paul’s) fateful trip to Damascus. Tonight, I recall a quote from St. Augustine: “The Church owes Paul to the prayer of Stephen.” Augustine’s point was that the strong sermon delivered by Stephen led to his stoning and death (greatly due to the efforts of Saul). That led directly to the conversion (or, better said, the surrender) of Saul on the dusty road to Damascus, and the Church was given Paul, who took the message to Rome itself, forever changing the culture of the West. It is hard for me to imagine any one person who could be the individual force of Charlie Kirk. But it might well be that the loss of him will create an army of those who follow his example and his creed, perhaps less skilled, but determined to follow an example of courage and clear purpose. Charlie Kirk believed in the power that the message of freedom and faith held for everyone. His voice was not one of hate, despair or dependence. His hope for each was of individually pursuing excellence, spiritual fulfillment and the potential granted by a divine hand.

He displayed a deep confidence in that vision and his understanding of it. That was displayed in each of his college debate tours (Prove Me Wrong). Each time he asked those who disagreed with him to come to the head of the line. He believed his message was a convincing one. So should we.

I hope I will be forgiven for not remembering who spoke the words I intend to close with. I heard them early in the news of Kirk’s passing. The individual (I believe it might have been Fox’s Charlie Hurt) was recalling Kirk’s love of debate and his skill in delivering a point. That is what he did most. He carried the vital debate about our culture and its direction to the generation that can do the most to preserve it. And, as was noted, “He won the debate.”

Yes, he did. But now the task is passed on to others. The example has been set. Its legacy will depend on the courage, passion and consistency of those who take the torch. Stephen’s time was short but it led directly to the conversion of the entire Western world. But it was left to the hands of those who carried on after him.

I will leave you with the five factors of discipleship given by Christ to those who would carry his message on. They are, in order: believe, stay in the word, study and learn, and finally, “the Truth will set you free.” The pursuit of that Truth and the implementation of it among all of God’s children was what Charlie Kirk’s debate was all about. He won his.

The rest is up to us.