The NEED to Live Boldly for Christ: Remembering 9/11 & Charlie Kirk

Grace Harvey
Sep 11, 2025
3 min read

The emotions I’ve felt over the last 24 hours have wavered—utter shock, grief, righteous anger.

Charlie Kirk was assassinated for boldly proclaiming truth, as he always did, on a college campus in Utah. A God-fearing man, husband, father of two littles.

This never should have happened.

And yet… did we expect anything less?

Scripture tells us that we will be hated for not being like the world (John 17). Jesus Himself was rejected, mocked, beaten, and driven to death on the cross. To live a life that follows Christ’s example unapologetically, as Charlie Kirk did, invites persecution.

At 19 years old, as a baby believer, I came up with the idea of Beat the Culture.

I loved John 17 and the calling to live a very different life than the rest of the world for Christ’s name. What a high calling. I wanted to do that boldly. Charlie beat the culture exactly as it's meant to be won. Faithfully, biblically, peacefully, truthfully. He bore unimaginable fruit for God’s glory.

Now at 24, a new seminary student, I carry an even deeper conviction to beat the culture. Charlie’s assassination has burned into me this truth: we must rise with boldness and serve the Lord with greater resolve. We cannot blend in. We cannot stay silent. We must live differently—proclaiming truth without compromise and standing unshaken, with no fear.

“To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Just like Jesus. Just like Charlie.

This is why we get equipped: to serve, to stand, to endure.

What Does It Mean to Beat the Culture?

It is to live differently from the world, just as Jesus talks about in John 17:

Standing apart from the world when everyone else blends in.
Speaking truth boldly even when it costs us.
Living holy lives that shine light in a dark world.
Carrying hope where despair has taken root.
Being unshaken when the culture pressures us to compromise.

Every day, in small decisions and big moments, we’re faced with the choice: will we conform, or will we stand apart for Christ?

Not only do we grieve over Charlie today, but we also pause to remember 9/11.

Yet another reminder that our world is fragile and broken—and in desperate need of a Savior.

We grieve the lives lost 24 years ago and honor the courage of those who laid down their lives to protect others. Just as that moment in history shook our nation awake, may this moment in the church awaken us to boldness in Christ.

Life is short. Eternity is sure. The time to stand firm is now.

Please join me in remembering both 9/11 and Charlie Kirk—praying for the families whose grief resurfaces each year on September 11th, and for Charlie’s family as they navigate such deep loss.

But don’t stop there. Let’s recognize the urgent need for strong Christians and be those believers in a fallen world. Let us commit to serving the Lord with faith that does not waver.

Join the Movement

This is why Beat the Culture exists—not just as an idea, but as a community of believers who refuse to compromise. Together, we equip each other to live boldly, stand firm, and shine for Christ in a dark world.

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“I want to be remembered for courage, for my faith."

- Charlie Kirk -