Why Charlie Kirk’s murder feels so personal

I didn’t know him. But I know why he matters.

Two months ago, I was invited to speak at a summer barbecue hosted by a county Republican Party. Just a low-key gathering — a few speeches, some pulled pork and paper fans. But a few days before the event, it was abruptly canceled.

I still have the voicemail the organizer left me. “We received some information from our security advisor today that really, we should not do this,” she said, clear nervousness in her voice.

At the time, I brushed it off. Stuff like that can sound dramatic in the moment. Looking back, though, the warning feels prophetic.

The targeted political assassination of Charlie Kirk last week hit so many of us like a gut punch.

I never met Charlie, though several of my friends did. But I admired him. He had courage I often lack, and conviction I wish I could summon more boldly. He was clear about what he believed, lived for Christ and for his family, and stood in the public square when lesser men would cower. And he was killed for it.

That’s not supposed to happen in Amer…