by Frank DeVito
When someone has a powerful influence on the world, different factions will always clamor to claim that person as their own. This impulse is even stronger in death. So, in the wake of the shocking and horrible murder of Charlie Kirk, it is unsurprising that various groups on the right have begun to eulogize him and to claim him as one of their own. Conservatives claim Kirk as a witness to conservative, common sense values. Free speech advocates, from libertarians and classical liberals to conservative constitutionalists, remember him as “one of our nation’s greatest champions for free speech.” Christians of various stripes hail him as a bold and faithful Christian witness, even possibly a martyr for the faith.
Allofthesecharacterizationsarecorrect,ofcourse.Charliewascertainlyallofthesethings.HewasadevoutChristianwhoproclaimedJesusChristconstantly,achampionoffreespeechandcivildebate,andanoutspokenandunapologeticconservative.ButasBradWilcoxandMariaBaerpointoutintheir excellentessay,thecentralityofmarriageandfamilywasperhaps“CharlieKirk’smostimportantmessage... thatno
