Dear America, 

Against the backdrop of services for Charlie Kirk, I am reminded of another American historical figure: Nathan Hale. 

When I was boy, Hale had already faded from the social studies curriculum. The only reason I knew anything about him was that I had gotten myself in trouble with my old man. 

As I reflect, perhaps the only reason I knew anything at all back then—indirectly at least—is that I was stubborn, opinionated, and mouthy. Often, for people like me, learning is an indirect benefit of our difficult personality traits being refined through consequence and correction (aka “some people just have to learn things the hard way”). One way in which my dad tried to steer my energy was: (1) no videogames; (2) no television; (3) no friends over; (4) read this. 

A brief tangent… 

Until I was grown, I viewed my dad as a grumpy disciplinarian who said no to everything and my mom as his quieter but complicit—and infinitely scarier—collaborator. Actually… I’m almost 40 years old and it’s still pretty accurate. And where would I be without it? Simply, I am grateful.

I feel deep sympathy and compassion for Kirk’s children, who will have to do without a man who by all accounts seemed the best of fathers. 

Back to Hale… 

He was a Continental Army spy captured by the British who was hanged without a trial. It is believed he said, just before his execution: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” 

I think Kirk embodied Hale’s spirit—that of the American Cause, which was first given voice in the Declaration of Independence. And I know that, in the earthly manifestation of the spiritual war between good and evil, Kirk struck fear into the hearts of those who aligned against him. Further, since he aligned himself against no one and merely spoke Christian and American truth from his point of view, I can only assess the situation thusly: 

Here on earth, Kirk stood for good and light and was snuffed out by evil and darkness. 

I do not care to debate whether Kirk was a Christian martyr—and, yes, I believe so and I cannot and will not change my mind. "Don't answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are.” (Proverbs 26: 4-5) If you are still under the witch’s illusion now, you will forever be. And to me, imperfect man that I am, you are forsaken. The rest is between you and God. 

But martyr or not, Kirk was a standard bearer of the American Cause lost too soon. 

In this, he is much like Robert Kennedy, John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, all Fallen American Servicemen (including Nathan Hale), and so many others who survived (Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, Richard Nixon’s legacy, and Our Veterans). 

You may not like all or any of these men, but they are all titans of the American System, American Culture, and American Cause. 

Kirk was a great debater, but I believe there is no debate about this: Through his murder and its aftermath, evil has been revealed. 

Only God can destroy evil, but through We the People in our vocations, we can—if only for a moment—shine so brightly that we wash away its existence. 

Kirk only had one life to give for his country. So, We must all stand up and stand in. Evil cannot kill us all. Even if it could, what does it really matter? After all, we are only voyagers in this fallen reality. Glory be to God. 

Finch Fries