THE YOUTH, THE MARTYR, AND THE BANNER
A Reflection on Charlie Kirk by Mitchel Plaisted

THE YOUTH – A STATE OF EMERGENCY

One of my late father’s favorite bands was the Christian rock group Pillar. They have two songs that I always connected with as a youth. The title of one was “State of Emergency.” The other was “Reckless Youth.” This band, rooted in my father’s generation, sings about a “state of emergency” and calls the youth “reckless.”

To me, it did feel like the world had reached a state of emergency as I was growing up. As a youth, I was looking for a banner that I could follow to fix all the brokenness of our present age.

A similar concept is expressed in Carl Wesley Anderson Jr.’s book Changing of the Guard. In the book, he discusses Generation X. I believe his main points apply to later generations, too. Millennials and Generation Z also seek a banner to follow and are willing to be extreme. Anderson saw this in Generation X, and I find it’s even truer for the younger generations.

I think this desire for a cause and a willingness to be extreme comes from a world that is shaking and falling apart. In America, our nation has lost its foundation of faith. Our economy is rapidly changing, creating uncertainty.

I personally have experienced this uncertainty. Let me share one example, if I may. I received a full scholarship at a well-known Christian school here in Minnesota. By the time I was ready to enroll, I learned that the whole program had been shut down. I no longer had a scholarship. The world was changing faster than I could live my life.

Our youth sense that things are not right in the world. They see that we are in a state of emergency. They are bold in their willingness to bring change. However, that willingness to be extreme is matched by misdirection. They are reckless.

THE MARTYR – TRUTH AND ACTION

I consider Charlie Kirk to be a martyr. The reason is that the primary thing he stood for was his faith. He also talked about public life, commonly referred to as politics. He believed that Christian morals should be the foundation of public life. He saw the decay in our world that has been radicalizing our youth. However, he knew what banner provides salvation: Jesus. Charlie knew the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He spoke often of his Savior.

It may sound rather odd, but the weekend before Charlie was martyred, I was talking with my brother about him. I said that if there was any political commentator with whom I most closely aligned, it was Charlie Kirk. The main thing I appreciated was his faith. Often, the college debates can make it seem as if Charlie was running after the controversial. That is only because he let the students choose the topics. They unsurprisingly brought up the controversies of the day. If you take the time to watch his long forum content, you are able to see what Charlie wanted to talk about. In those longer interviews and shows, it becomes clear that his faith is what drove him.

Charlie will not be remembered as a pastor. So often, pastors stop at eternal principles. They do not dare to prescribe how we should live in the world today. They do not dare to apply the eternal truths they preach to the world around us. Charlie had no such qualms. He was willing to apply his faith to the world around him. His faith was not a quiet faith; it was a bold faith that had a lot to say about public life. Now there are some pastors who do this well. However, I would say there are few who do it as well and as balanced as Charlie did.

I believe that is why Charlie was so popular with the youth. He correctly recognized that we live in a state of emergency and the proper banner to follow. However, unlike so many, he was willing to publicly fight for that banner to advance in the culture. Yes, traditional evangelism is important. Yet our youth are looking for something more. They are looking for a banner that changes the culture. The banner of Jesus does that. All that is needed is for the faithful to correctly engage in the culture. That is what Charlie did so well. Charlie was not only a man of truth; he was also a man of action.

THE BANNER – WILL IT CONTINUE TO ADVANCE?

Charlie Kirk has been martyred. He is no longer in this world fighting for Jesus to be reflected in our public life. We have all witnessed many turning to faith in response to his death. Yet, the church won’t keep the youth if it doesn’t let Jesus’ message shine in public life. We cannot shy away from politics. Our faith should not be in service of the political. Our politics should be in service of our faith, and we should not conceal the clear political mandates our faith gives us. We can fight for the unborn. We can be clear regarding marriage and gender. We can oppose the demonic ideologies that are marxism and racial supremacy. The younger generations are looking for a banner that stands boldly. Jesus is that banner. We only need to carry it onward.

If we fail to do so, the stakes are high. The state of emergency is growing. The youth are looking for real action all the more. A time will come when they unite behind a banner. It will change this nation like never before. That banner must be the banner of our Lord Jesus. Otherwise, the youth will destroy this nation and its people. Charlie was fighting to make sure that the banner of the next generations will be Jesus. He was fighting to see revival in this land. He was fighting to see that the church is not only hearers but also doers. Will you do the same?

A WORD FROM ALAN LANGSTAFF

The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a historic event and as we have looked at it, I felt it important for a younger person – my grandson, Mitchel Plaisted – to write about if from his perspective as a millennial.