Oh, how deeply we’ve grieved the tragic death of Charlie Kirk! Charlie Kirk was an absolute champion of classical liberalism. You might think I meant “a champion of conservatism.” But Charlie Kirk’s method—& much of his message—were shaped by a classical-liberal framework. He loved “the marketplace of ideas”: “I’ll hear you, you hear me, & may the best ideas win.” With a playful, smirking confidence, he believed his ideas were best. Charlie said, “If we stop talking & dehumanize one another, terrible things will happen.” He kept talking. Kindly. Respectfully. Convincingly. And they shot him in the throat. Part of what we grieve is bigger than one man. Deep down, we knew that in witnessing the tragic death of Charlie Kirk, we were also witnessing the necessary death of classical liberalism.
As much as it hurts—because we long mistook this kind of liberalism for a virtue—its passing is a necessary & good outcome of this tragedy. It contradicts tenets of biblical revelation. You cannot reason with the unreasonable. It’s not that they don’t understand the truth. They suppress it in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18 ). When they cannot win an argument, they howl like animals; if that doesn’t silence you, they do exactly what Jesus said they would. Mt. 7:6 Don’t give what’s holy to dogs… lest they… turn & tear you to pieces. Our strategy for winning has been to give what’s holy to the dogs; why are we surprised when they do as our Lord said they would? If spirited dialogue with demons isn’t the winning strategy, where do we turn?
Listen as Pastor Matt breaks down 2 Cor. 6:14–7:1 showing how rejecting the classical liberal frame and returning to biblical cultural engagement is the path to victory.
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