One of the most significant events in the U.S. this year was the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the leader of Turning Point USA — which is based in Phoenix.
Kirk planted a lot of the ideas that would eventually grow into the MAGA movement.
Many are still processing Kirk's death, including Caleb Campbell, lead pastor at Desert Springs Bible Church in north Phoenix.
Campbell didn't always agree with Kirk, but he believes that vilifying someone who meant so much to so many is not the way forward.
Full conversation
CALEB CAMBELL: I think his legacy will be different in different communities. I think in some communities, what they see in Charlie is an outspoken, courageous young man who stood for his convictions in the public square, took a lot of heat for it, tried to be courteous and kind and thoughtful and, you know invited dissenting opinions in the public square.
And his legacy there will be, I think, you know a example of the virtues of free speech and individual liberty and our capacities to have public disagreement in well-reasoned ways without violence. And I, and for those who see that in him, I honor all those values. My take on him though, is I do see that that was an image that was curated, and he did say that he stood for a lot of those things and gave example of it.
I also see, and this would be the legacy in perhaps a different community, that he leveraged derisive speech, dehumanizing behavior, fear mongering to grow a media empire that made him millions of dollars at the expense of those whose voices are not being platformed or elevated, or those who are at risk, or those who have been pushed to the margins of the community, the communities that we're in and that he was popular in. And in that sense, I think his legacy will be as a aggressive and divisive political pundit in the lane of Rush Limbaugh. I think that there's a large shift taking place with inside the American Evangelical Church around our theology of power. Whether or not power and influence is something to be leveraged to dominate over others who we disagree with, or if power is something to be like Jesus, used in service of others in self-sacrificial ways.
I mean, the central icon of Christianity is a cross, which the central figure of Christianity is a man dying for his enemies saying, “Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they do.” And I think that that's the disagreement with inside the American evangelical church that Charlie's movement and work showcased. Like how you see what Charlie was doing, I think you're gonna see that through a lens of your theology of power or the algorithm that you've been fed. In my tradition, there's something redemptive about everybody. And so by no means would I put anybody in the category of holy good or not good. An old author, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, said that the line of good and evil cuts through the center of every human heart. And so I think we're all like Charlie. Our motives are mixed. Even the good things we do oftentimes have malformed intentions, and sometimes the bad things we do had the best of intentions. And so I'm grateful for the grace of God. And I think Charlie also is a recipient of the grace of God.
And Charlie had a very unifying personality. He was able to bridge a lot of divides between people with inside the MAGA movement and with inside Christian nationalism as well. So, I mean, as a Christian, he was able to bring together Catholics, Pentecostals, and Reformed folks. That's very rare. I mean, he and so he was a unifier and a galvanizer. And what I don't know is who else is able to do that. I think that a huge part of maturity is developing the muscle to carry the distance between you and me together in community. And if we're going to live in a pluralistic democracy, we have got to develop that muscle. That I can exist with you and not lose my ever-loving mind when I discover that you believe different than me, that I have the fortitude to be able to carry it well and continue to approach with curiosity and not derision or suspicion. If we can develop that at some rudimentary level in Phoenix, we could change the whole country.
MARK BRODIE: Caleb Campbell is lead pastor at Desert Springs Bible Church in North Phoenix.
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The overall feeling of Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix three months after co-founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University was one of determination to carry out his legacy. -
Turning Point USA conference attendees in Phoenix say the organization is back stronger — and resonating with women — following co-founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination. -
The group is called National Ground Game, and they’re calling their event something we can’t say on the radio. -
Looking forward, Erika Kirk says Turning Point’s political arm will focus on keeping Congress in Republican hands and electing JD Vance as the 48th president in 2028. -
State Sen. Warren Petersen, Gilbert Republican and GOP candidate for attorney general, said Charlie Kirk should be publicly recognized by putting his name along a 78-mile stretch of Loop 202. -
Several cities and towns across the Valley will consider requests to officially memorialize conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed by a gunman last month. -
The memorial event honoring conservative activist Charlie Kirk was held at State Farm Stadium on Sept. 21, 2025. See KJZZ's coverage from Glendale. -
The Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority owns the stadium in Glendale. An authority spokesperson says event contracts, done by a separate stadium manager, are confidential.
