On September 21st, an estimated 90,000 people congregated in Glendale, Arizona to honor the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk, with millions more streaming his memorial service online. The hours-long ceremony included worship and speakers. Both Vice President J.D. Vance and Charlie’s wife Erika openly share their faith and the hope they have in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I heard the event described as “more about Jesus than Charlie, just as he would have wanted.”
As the nation reeled from this horrific murder, a beautiful response arose as individuals across the globe pulled out their dusty Bibles and either returned or went to Church for the very first time. Churches reported that they were full to overflowing in the weeks after his passing. It is undeniable that, even though Charlie Kirk has passed away, God is still using his life and witness to bring people to Jesus.
In the midst of such a great tragedy, it has been incredible to see so many beautiful outcomes. The Gospel has been publicly proclaimed in a way that is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and people are responding. The last several years have been full of political division, violence, and hatred. However, as we have seen in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s passing, we are not without hope for the future.
There are still good people in positions of leadership. The headlines are often full of stories of how leaders have fallen short; however, there are still many who are working hard at improving our state and nation. One specific example is State Representative Dean Arp and his wife Anne. Earlier this year, they saved a woman from her burning house at the prompting of the Holy Spirit. We were so honored that they allowed us to sit down with them to hear more about this story.
Both political parties are working together to protect children. Earlier this year, the North Carolina General Assembly almost unanimously passed a law prohibiting the use of cell phones during instructional time at school. It is so encouraging to see our elected leaders work together to help protect children in this way. You can learn more about this in Adamo Manfra’s article “Families Need Community, Not Connectivity.”
People are learning about the truth behind political ideas. Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA accomplished so much in this arena, educating people on the consequences of ideas. In the pro-life area specifically, we have seen more and more undeniable data come to light about the dangers of abortion. Sharon Sullivan covers some new developments in her article, “Mail-Order Abortion: Convenience Over Caution.”
Thank you for reading this issue of Family North Carolina. We pray the contents of this magazine will be an encouragement to you as we strive to carry on the mission of spreading God’s love and truth in our communities. If you would like to partner with us financially in producing this resource so that we can reach even more families across the state, we have enclosed an envelope for your convenience, or you can give online.
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” ~ Genesis 50:20
AnnaScott Cross is the Communications Director for the North Carolina Family Policy Council and is Editor of Family North Carolina.