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On October 14, 2025—what would have been Charlie Kirk’s 32nd birthday—President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the fallen conservative leader the Presidential Medal of Freedom. However, this ceremony marked more than honoring a martyred patriot. For the first time in American history, a Christian cross was engraved on the back of the Medal of Freedom.
The cross wasn’t a political statement. Instead, it was a testament.
As believers, we understand that our battle “is not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12). Therefore, we must recognize what this moment represents. A president acknowledged that Charlie Kirk’s life and death were fundamentally about advancing the Kingdom of Christ.
How We Got Here: The Assassination That Shocked America
On September 10, 2025, a sniper assassinated Charlie Kirk while he spoke at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The shooter positioned himself on a rooftop approximately 140 yards away. Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, died from a gunshot to the neck during an outdoor campus event called the American Comeback Tour.
He was answering questions from students. One audience member asked about transgender mass shooters. Charlie was mid-response when the shot rang out.
Authorities arrested Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Utah, and charged him with murder What we know about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty. They called it a politically motivated assassination.
The reality is clear: Charlie Kirk died for speaking biblical truth in the public square. He didn’t die in a foreign land or a persecution-era Roman arena. Rather, he died on an American college campus for defending what Scripture teaches.
This is where we are as a nation.
A Rose Garden Ceremony Like No Other
President Trump had just returned from the Middle East at 3 a.m. that Tuesday morning. Nevertheless, he told attendees he would not have missed the ceremony “for anything in the world”.
Vice President JD Vance sat in the front row. Kirk’s close friend had flown to Salt Lake City on Air Force Two to transport Charlie’s remains. Cabinet members filled the Rose Garden. Meanwhile, Second Lady Usha Vance would later comfort Erika Kirk as she wept.
Trump stated: “We assassinated him in the prime of his life for boldly speaking the truth, for living his faith, and relentlessly fighting for a better and stronger America” ( Trump Awards Charlie Kirk a Posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom).
The president continued with his tribute. He honored “a fearless warrior for liberty, a beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like nobody I’ve ever seen before.” He called Charlie “an American patriot of the deepest conviction, the finest quality and the highest caliber—the late, great Charlie Kirk.”
Erika Kirk, now CEO of Turning Point USA, accepted the Medal of Freedom on her husband’s behalf. She shared that Charlie would often say, “Without God, freedom becomes chaos.” Consequently, he believed that liberty could only survive when anchored in eternal truth.
The Revelation: A Cross for a Christian Warrior
After the ceremony, something remarkable happened. Erika Kirk revealed a historic detail to Benny Johnson of Turning Point USA. She turned the Medal of Freedom over. On the back, an engraving appeared: a Christian cross, positioned above her husband’s full name, “Charles James Kirk.”
Mrs. Kirk wanted believers everywhere to see this unprecedented addition. Therefore, she allowed Benny Johnson to capture the moment on video.
INCREDIBLE: For the First Time in American History A Christian Cross has been Engraved onto the Presidential Medal of Freedom in honor of Charlie Kirk.
Erika Kirk wanted to share this with you as a testament of Charlie’s powerful work advancing The Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
✝️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/oOetxMzkqQ
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 14, 2025
Johnson explained on Fox News: “This is a historic moment—the first time religious iconography has appeared on this award”
Think about what this means. President John F. Kennedy established the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963. Since then, hundreds of Americans have received it. Athletes. Artists. Politicians. Activists. Business leaders. Foreign dignitaries.
Never—not once in 62 years—has a cross appeared on the medal itself.
Until Charlie Kirk.
Johnson explained on Fox News the significance of Trump’s decision. “Donald Trump clearly understands Christendom and understands Christian doctrine. Furthermore, he understands the power that Charlie Kirk brought [to] the advancement of the kingdom of Christ.”
The cross wasn’t placed on the front of the medal. Consequently, it didn’t alter the traditional design. Instead, it was engraved on the back. This created a private, personal acknowledgment of the spiritual foundation that drove every aspect of Charlie Kirk’s life and ministry.
What God’s Word Says About Martyrdom and Witness
Jesus told His disciples: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18).
Charlie Kirk understood this truth. He lived it. And ultimately, he died for it.
At Kirk’s memorial service in Glendale, Arizona, speakers mentioned God between 90 and 110 times. Additionally, they mentioned Jesus between 45 to 55 times, and Christ between 25 to 35 times Assassination of Charlie Kirk – Wikipedia. Pastor Rob McCoy, co-chair of Turning Point Faith, stated: “Charlie wanted his Savior to be the guest of honor.”
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Catholic Church likened Kirk to a modern-day Saint Paul Assassination of Charlie Kirk. This comparison captures the essence of Charlie’s ministry. Like Paul, he was bold. Like Paul, he was uncompromising. Moreover, like Paul, he understood that the Gospel transcends political affiliation.
President Trump’s proclamation declared October 14 a National Day of Remembrance. It stated: “Charlie devoted himself to a set of simple causes: Defending the truth, encouraging debate, and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ”
This is what made Charlie Kirk dangerous to the powers of darkness. He wasn’t just a political activist. Rather, he was a Gospel proclaimer who happened to engage politics. That’s the threat. That’s why the enemy targeted him.
Revelation 12:11 tells us: “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
The Spiritual Awakening Following His Death
Something remarkable happened in the weeks after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Churches across America reported unprecedented increases in attendance. Particularly, young people filled the pews.
One pastor described the Sunday after Charlie’s death. He called it “unlike anything we’ve seen since 9/11.” Young adults who had been spiritually dormant showed up seeking answers. They wanted to know: What was Charlie Kirk willing to die for?
The answer: Jesus Christ and the truth of His Word.
Erika Kirk’s decision to publicly reveal the cross engraving wasn’t just about showing a medal. Instead, it was an act of witness. In an era when Christians face pressure to privatize their faith, she chose to make it visible. She wanted believers everywhere to know the truth. Her husband’s entire life was about “advancing The Kingdom of Jesus Christ.”
What This Means for Religious Liberty
For decades, our culture has pushed faith further from public life. “Pray in private,” we’re told. “Keep religion out of politics. Don’t impose your values on others.”
However, Charlie Kirk rejected that false dichotomy. He understood what the Founders knew. Faith and freedom are inseparable in the American tradition.
The inclusion of the Christian cross on Kirk’s Medal of Freedom represents something significant. It shows presidential acknowledgment of this truth. President Trump didn’t have to make this choice. He could have awarded a standard medal. Instead, he personalized it with a symbol that would be controversial to some. Why? Because he understood that Charlie’s work was never merely political.
This matters because it challenges a prevailing narrative. That narrative claims Christian conviction has no place in public discourse. Now, the highest civilian honor in America bears—for the first time—an explicitly Christian symbol. Moreover, it honors a man killed for speaking biblical truth.
Living This Out: How Christians Must Respond
As believers, we must not let Charlie Kirk’s sacrifice be in vain. Here’s what that means practically:
1. Stand Firm in Biblical Truth
Charlie never wavered. He didn’t compromise when culture demanded it. Therefore, neither can we. The issues matter: the sanctity of life, biblical sexuality, the authority of Scripture. We must “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people” (Jude 1:3).
2. Engage the Culture with Gospel Clarity
Charlie understood that politics flows downstream from culture. Furthermore, culture flows downstream from worldview. We can’t abandon the public square. Instead, we must engage it with the truth of the Gospel. We should be winsome when possible. However, we must be firm when necessary.
3. Pray for Protection and Boldness
Kirk’s assassination occurred during a period of deepening division and increasingly frequent violence in American politics. Consequently, we must pray for those on the front lines. This includes pastors, Christian leaders, and activists who speak truth publicly. Additionally, we must pray for boldness to join them when called.
4. Raise Up the Next Generation
Charlie’s entire ministry focused on young people. He knew a crucial truth: whoever captures the hearts and minds of the next generation shapes the future. Christian parents and youth leaders: are you equipping your young people? Do they know how to think biblically about every area of life?
5. Remember That Victory Belongs to God
Erika Kirk said during the ceremony: “To live free is the greatest gift, but to die free is the greatest victory.”
That perspective comes from someone who understands eternal truth. Charlie didn’t lose. Rather, he won. He finished his race. He kept the faith. And now he stands in the presence of the King he served.
Hope and Action: Where Do We Go From Here?
The cross on that medal is a call to arms—spiritual arms.
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11).
Charlie Kirk wore that armor daily. He wielded the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And when the enemy struck, Charlie stood faithful.
Specific steps you can take:
- • Pray – Commit to praying daily for Christian leaders. Pray for religious liberty. Pray for the advancement of the Gospel in America.
- • Engage – Don’t retreat from culture. Instead, get involved in your local school board, church, and community.
- • Support – Stand with organizations like Turning Point USA. They continue Charlie’s mission of reaching young people with truth.
- • Witness – Let Charlie’s boldness inspire your own. When you have opportunity to speak biblical truth, take it.
- • Remember – October 14 is now a National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk. Mark it on your calendar. Furthermore, tell his story to your children and grandchildren.
A Final Word: The Sovereignty of God
Erika Kirk shared during the ceremony that if the moment had come, Charlie probably would have run for president. However, he wouldn’t have done it “out of ambition.” Rather, he would have done it “from a servant’s heart standpoint.”
We’ll never know what Charlie Kirk might have accomplished if he’d lived to see his 32nd birthday. We’ll never see the young people he would have mentored. We won’t see the speeches he would have given or the movements he would have built.
But we know this: God’s purposes are never thwarted by human evil.
Joseph told his brothers who sold him into slavery: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).
The enemy intended Charlie Kirk’s assassination to silence truth and intimidate Christians. Instead, it sparked a spiritual awakening. It prompted churches to fill with seeking young people. Moreover, it resulted in the first Presidential Medal of Freedom bearing a Christian cross.
God is sovereign. Always.
More on Charlie Kirk:
Charlie Kirk Martyrdom: A Wake-Up Call for the American Church
