A Break in the Series: The Assassination of Charlie Kirk - And Why We Can't Stay Silent

We’ve been walking through a 7-part series on Isaac Watts’ Logic,  unpacking why clear thinking, civil discourse, and reason matter more than ever in a chaotic world. But today, we need to pause that. Because something happened this week that we can’t just scroll past. Something evil.

Charlie Kirk, a son, a husband, a father, and someone who stood boldly for what he believed, was assassinated. He was at Utah Valley University when was shot. Murdered. Just like that. Gone.

I realize everyone’s already talking about it. I’m not trying to add to the noise. But it would feel wrong to just go on with the next blog post like nothing happened. Charlie’s death isn’t just a news story. It’s a gut punch to everyone who values civil discourse, truth, and yes, Christian conviction.

I didn’t know Charlie personally, but I admired his willingness to stand and speak. And now, because of words, because of ideas, he’s dead.

And I’ve got to be honest with you. This shook me.

I’ve been walking around the last few days with this heaviness. And not just grief. It’s also conviction. Because I haven’t always been vocal with my own convictions. I’ve wrestled with God about it for several years. 

I’ve cared too much about what people think of me. Kept quiet on certain things I know in my gut and spirit to be true. But this assassination woke something up in me. I’ve read so many posts from other people who feel the same way. It’s made me go inward. Introspective.

And I can’t stay quiet anymore. I won’t.

This moment connects so painfully to the Logic series we’ve been working through. Charlie was killed for using words. For speaking truth as he knew it. And it proves what Watts alluded to centuries ago. When logic fails, violence rises. When people can’t win with reason, they reach for destruction.

We are in a cultural moment where disagreement gets met not with argument, but with rage. With threats. And now with bullets.

That’s not strength. That’s moral and intellectual collapse.

Murdering someone for their worldview, their opinion, their convictions is never ok. Not ever. It is inhumane. Disgusting. Deplorable on every level. And what’s even more heartbreaking is seeing people celebrate it online. Dance over it. Cheer it on.

That’s not just sick, that’s what happens when a culture loses its soul.

We talk a lot about manhood here at Vintage Gentleman. About being strong, grounded, fearless, faithful men. But part of being a man is knowing how to handle disagreement - not by yelling, canceling, or killing, but by respectful reasoning.

Respect means this: I can think you’re wrong, and still see you as human. Still treat you with dignity. Still protect your right to speak.

Charlie Kirk had strong opinions. So do I. So do you. But we should never, ever, live in a country where those opinions get you killed. That’s not a free society. That’s tyranny. And tyranny doesn’t just fall by human strength or clever arguments. It falls when God’s Word takes root in hearts, in homes, in the public square.

That’s the only force strong enough to push back the darkness and defeat tyranny. Not louder voices. Not sharper posts. But the eternal truth of God, lived and spoken without fear.

Charlie leaves behind a wife and children. A ministry. A staff of people at TPUSA who are now grieving and shaken to the core. And I just want to say to them: we see you. We’re praying for you. You’re not alone.

This isn’t a right vs. left issue. This is a moral issue. A human issue. And silence now would be a betrayal.

If you’ve been on the sidelines watching culture spin out and saying nothing, I’m asking you to come off the bench. Find your voice. Speak the truth with humility and courage.

If you’ve been letting fear win, let this moment be your wake-up call. And if you believe in truth and reason, then live it. Speak it. Model it. Show the next generation how to be bold and civil, strong and kind.

Because the world doesn’t need more noise. It needs more men and women who use logic and deduction.

Let’s honor Charlie. Not by yelling louder, but by living better.

– Duane