(RNS) — A week before he was shot and killed while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University, Charlie Kirk, the head of Turning Point USA, posted to his more than 5 million followers on X, “No civilization has ever collapsed because it prays too much.”
“But a civilization that abandons God will deteriorate and ultimately collapse from the inside out, or because it loses the will to repel a malicious, external force,” Kirk tweeted.
It was one of dozens of religious messages Kirk tweeted or said publicly over the past few years, each promoting an uncompromising form of evangelical Christian faith fused with his famously bellicose political conservatism. Initially known for his work with college students, Kirk’s Christianity became a central part of his public life in recent years. Mentored by and connected with prominent conservative pastors, Kirk’s take on religion seemed to be one he hoped would permeate American society from education to culture to politics.
It was an approach that proved deeply controversial, but also powerful: in the wake of his killing, Kirk leaves behind a vast faith-rooted network of politically active religious leaders that will likely continue to influence politics for years to come.
“Turning Point USA is an organization that is unparalleled on the Christian right today,” said Matthew Taylor, a senior scholar at …