Our country is reeling from watching the brutal and public murder of Charlie Kirk – a man who literally talked the talk and walked the walk, speaking his convictions and living them unapologetically. Charlie was more than a political figure; he was a devoted husband, a loving father, a loyal son, and a mentor to countless young people across the United States and the world. He championed Judeo-Christian conservative principles, the sanctity of free speech, and the enduring relevance of faith in public life. His boldness in confronting cultural myths and challenging progressive orthodoxy made him a target to the Marxists and deranged—but also a symbol of unwavering conviction to a faith in God, the constitutional right of free speech in open debate, and the free exchange of ideas.
Charlie Kirk’s legacy reminds us that the health of a society rests not merely on its laws or leaders, but on truth, trust, and love—between neighbors, citizens, leaders, and their institutions, and above all, in the foundational truths of Judeo-Christian values on which America was founded and that bind us as a people.
Not long ago, American communities embodied these principles. Most major cities were not always the dens of lawlessness you see now. Homes were left unlocked. Firearms were common, particularly in rural America, boys even brought them to school in their trucks. They were a part of life, yet school shootings were virtually nonexistent. The question we must ask is: What changed? How did we get here?
The answer lies not in any single policy, but in the slow erosion of cultural cohesion as we slowly moved away from God. A country is more than her government—it is a tapestry of families, churches, traditions, and shared values. We stand on the foundations of communities built by a connection to our families, our churches, our history, our ancestry, and the basic concept that we are much more than disassociated individuals. We all should belong, in one way or another. When we all belong, it becomes much harder to be disaffected, alone, depressed, angry, or violent. When you belong, you do not need antidepressants, drugs, or other forms of degenerate behavior to cope. God, our families, and our sense of belonging are more than enough to fill any voids we might find in our lives. When we lose that sense of belonging, when we forget our history or sever ties with our faith, people become untethered – disconnected from meaning, purpose, and responsibility.
It should come as no surprise that when belonging is removed, and when the fabric that holds us all together is frayed, there are grave consequences. A society without belonging breeds despair. Loneliness festers. Mental illness rises. Addiction, violence, and nihilism fill the void left behind when faith, family, and community are removed from public life. Where people once turned to churches or close-knit neighborhoods for comfort, many now turn to pharmaceuticals, cannabis subcultures (using THC and marijuana), or even more troubling alternatives. Violence increases because stealing and harming your community means nothing to those who do not feel they belong to their community. Violence becomes the “go-to” when anything happens or is said that is “disagreeable.” A good example is the looting, burning, murders, and riots following the accidental death of George Floyd.
This unraveling of the social fabric is not accidental. For decades, the cultural left, driven by Marxism and a hate for God, has advanced an ideology that seeks to replace faith, tradition, and family with a form of secular dependency—a “religion of the state.” In this, they see God, churches, our ties to our families, parental authority, and our heritage as grave threats to their Godless agenda. Anything that competes with that power structure is targeted for erasure or subversion. This sense of greater belonging is a barrier to their agenda of making us all slaves, dependent upon pharmaceuticals or the protection of the state as necessary to even exist.
The march to corrupt or remove these institutions on which America was founded has a long history. Prayer was removed from our schools in 1962 and Bible reading in 1963. The sanctity of life was undermined by the Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973. During that period, and in the subsequent decades, drugs have become an increasing part of our lives — with dire consequences. Sex has lost any meaning of sacredness, as has the institution of marriage. Divorce rates skyrocketed, as did the increasing number of children raised in single-parent households. The abortion business industry exploded and became socially acceptable. The LBJ-era “Great Society” undermined the family by substituting government for husbands and fathers with generous welfare benefits for unwed mothers. The government benefits increased the incentives by paying additional benefits for each child born out of wedlock.
The children of our country have been raised in a society of degeneracy with zero belonging. In such a world, life itself begins to feel meaningless. They do not believe in God. So where are they supposed to find a sense of belonging, a sense of place within a greater whole? Meaningless sex, drugs, depression, addiction — all of these fill the void left by what should be made whole by the fabric of our society that existed generations ago when our faith in God guided our country. If there is no God, no sacredness to life, no community to belong to, then why not numb the pain? Why not destroy what you do not feel a part of?
With the moral and cultural decline, the rule of law has been made more difficult to maintain. Without the rule of law, our society becomes fractured, with families and businesses alike unable to flourish. If you search for the communities with the most crime, you will find the absence of thriving businesses or stable families. Who in their right mind would have a business where theft is rampant? Why would anyone invest, live, or raise children in neighborhoods where crime runs free and morality has collapsed? The rule of law, which undergirds all functioning representative governments, depends on a shared moral foundation. With the rule of law comes order and the opportunity for liberty to grow.
In order for Texas to be a good place to raise a family and for business to flourish, it is essential that the rule of law be respected. Although the State of Texas has spent billions on law enforcement, nothing would do more to heal our respect for the law as a state than the healing of our communities. We must reach the disaffected, reconnect them to God, to family, and to a place of belonging. The brave men and women of our law enforcement perform their duties on a daily basis to help keep our communities safe. However, until the fracturing of our communities is truly healed, no amount of policing can compensate for the spiritual and cultural vacancy at the heart of our social crisis.
Charlie Kirk believed in this vision. He spoke truth to people, young and older, not just about politics, but about meaning, about standing firm in truth, reclaiming identity, and restoring faith in God. His death is a horrific tragedy, but his bold mission will continue to live on. We honor him not only by mourning his loss but by rebuilding the cultural foundations he fought so fiercely to defend.
Let us not allow his voice to be silenced in vain. Let us speak truth, pursue belonging, and rebuild a society where people are known, needed, and never forgotten. We all should emulate Charlie Kirk’s beliefs and passion for Jesus and the Biblical principles on which America was founded.