Charlie Kirk – City on the Hill

For reasons obvious and less obvious, graphic and disturbing in other ways, the death of a young patriot, man of loving faith, relentless optimism, robust trust in truth, and willingness to help us find it, we are numb in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder. He was a beacon. Fortified to speak truth more boldly, we walk in sadness.

In Maine, Charlie’s death hit especially hard. Just over a month ago, he spoke to a crowd in southern Maine, offering perspective, laughing about our native traits. His manner was cautious yet hopeful, sober yet encouraging, refreshingly candid.

His exact words, chosen after travelling Lewiston and South Portland, were these: “If Maine doesn’t act quickly, one of America’s most beautiful states will be lost to a migrant tide…The biggest thing on my mind is how the state is changing demographically due to mass migration. It’s a major problem.”

With nearly 8000 illegal aliens and America’s worst infrastructure, worst public education outcomes, an irreligious ideology taught in schools, with the rule of law disappearing, fear rising, and drug traffickers proliferating, Charlie was blunt: “Your state is unrecognizable from even 10 or 20 years ago…And it’s a problem. You’re seeing an increase in crime; we’re also becoming a nation of strangers.”

He reminded us what we know, what we must stop, and what surrounds us: “You guys are the a petri dish for the worst ideas that are sent around the country – men in female sports, mass migration – and I think there is a silent majority of Mainers who want to see this state reclaimed back, for those of you who love this state, built a family in the state and who believe in normal Maine values, not the values of Mogadishu.” Right on, no fancy swirls or flourishes: We are losing Maine.

His candor was refreshing, a call to action, true to the moral compass of his revolutionary, truth-speaking, faith-centered conservative juggernaut, Turning Point USA, a game-changing educational non-profit reshaping young America.

Now, looking back on that day, it seems an eon ago, a pause in what has been – over the last decade – a gathering storm, a churning, increasingly violent push to silence traditional Americans, to push chaos by raw, anti-constitutional means.

On the day Charlie was killed, the face of evil – confronted by conservative truth sayers like Charlie – showed itself, naked hate, a vain attempt to kill what will never be killed, the human heart’s love of God, truth, freedom, and family.

Charlie represented those things, and by doing so, infuriated those who deny them, who aggregate power by denying them, who aim to suppress truth and seed chaos.

The bottom line is, it will not work. In this spiritual war, depravity loses. While we are mortal, Christ’s promises are – and they resonated in Charlie’s life – without compromise.

For me, The Beatitudes, Matthew 5, is that consolation and fortification fitted to this moment, reminding us of what is right, and fueling us for the longer fight.

In his “Sermon on the Mount,” overlooking the Sea of Galilee, where Christ called his disciples, calmed the storm, walked on water, and was seen after resurrection, Christ said: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted…Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.”

This is the light out of darkness, a way forward from the hard-to-process shock of Charlie Kirk’s murder: Speak truth boldly, as Charlie did. Fear not, as Charlie feared not. Follow Christ’s promise from the darkness. Be that city on the Hill.

Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, Maine attorney, ten-year naval intelligence officer (USNR), and 25-year businessman. He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (North Country Press, 2018), and “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024). He is the National Spokesman for AMAC. Today, he is running to be Maine’s next Governor (please visit BobbyforMaine.com to learn more)!