Apologist and author Frank Turek, a longtime friend and spiritual mentor to Charlie Kirk, has offered one of the clearest and most heartfelt responses to the tragedy that unfolded on September 10 at Utah Valley University. As a direct eyewitness to the assassination, Turek has faced the unthinkable — yet he has approached it with a calm, unshakable certainty rooted deeply in faith.
When speaking with CBN News, Turek didn’t sugarcoat the horror of what he saw. Instead, he confronted it head-on.
“I made sense of it by knowing that what happened was evil,” he said, emphasizing that evil itself points back to a higher moral standard. “The only way I know it was evil is because I know what is good — and the only reason I know what is good is because there is a standard of good outside myself, and that’s God’s nature.”
For Turek, the existence of evil doesn’t contradict the existence of God — it affirms it. A moral outrage so clear, he argues, makes sense only if there is an ultimate, objective definition of good. “This doesn’t disprove God,” he clarified. “It may prove there’s a devil, but it doesn’t disprove God.”
His words have resonated with many who are searching for clarity, justice, and hope in the wake of the tragedy.
In the days following the assassination, Turek also found himself targeted by unfounded online theories — including claims that he had given a “hand signal” to the shooter. Turek rejected these allegations outright. “I was just adjusting my hat,” he explained. The speed and intensity with which misinformation spread left him stunned, particularly given how deeply it hurt Kirk’s family and the community already grieving.
The wave of speculation intensified when commentator Candace Owens raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Kirk’s death. Turek didn’t condemn her for asking questions but stressed that responsible inquiry must be grounded in evidence. “She’s suggesting a lot,” he said, “but she doesn’t have any evidence.”
What concerned him most was the division such speculation creates. “Sowing discord,” he noted, “is something the Lord hates.”
Turek also recounted the terrifying moment the shots were fired. After Kirk collapsed, he feared more bullets might follow. “I crouched for a second — they took Charlie to the car, and I followed,” he said. Inside the emergency vehicle, he realized the full weight of the moment. By the time they reached the hospital, “it was clear Charlie was gone.”
Despite the heartbreak, Turek has not allowed grief to crush him. Instead, he sees a deeper spiritual purpose emerging. He believes Kirk’s death will not extinguish his mission — it will amplify it. “This only strengthens my conviction that evil exists, and therefore God exists,” he said. He imagines Kirk in heaven saying something like: “If a hundred people find faith because of my sacrifice, sign me up.”
Looking ahead, Turek is determined to continue the work he and Kirk shared: speaking on college campuses, defending their faith, and inspiring young people searching for meaning. “Jesus wants us to do this — and Charlie did too,” he affirmed.
Through devastation, doubt, and public scrutiny, Frank Turek has offered a message both sobering and uplifting. His response is not one of denial, cynicism, or political anger — but one anchored in a firm belief that light can rise out of darkness, and that faith still provides the clearest path through even the most unimaginable sorrow.
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