From Todd Beamer to Charlie Kirk.

Twenty four years ago today on September 11, 2001 foreign terrorists had taken over the cockpit of United flight 93 with plans to use the plane for an attack, just as other planes that day were used in New York and Washington. Passengers stopped the Islamic terrorists but at the cost of their own lives. One of the passengers was Todd Beamer whose last words heard was “Let’s roll.”

To achieve and preserve liberty has a price.

Charlie Kirk, the greatest Christian voice of the younger generation in America, became a martyr for his faith yesterday. He is the most prominent martyr in American history since Rev. Martin Luther King, jr. The work of both King and Kirk was for civil rights – King especially fighting segregation and racial discrimination, and Kirk fighting wokeism and social discrimination of voices for traditional values, especially for youth on college campuses.

In the years since 9/11 a major shift took place. The external dangers from foreign actors is less of a factor. The extremists somehow gradually took over the mainstream media and social media systems. They took over the corporate boardrooms. They took over universities and the public schools. They were embraced by many of the leaders of the Democratic Party, instead of condemning it.

Both King and Kirk realized something needed to change. For both, their Christian faith is what gave them the courage to do what most were afraid to do. Both were gracious toward their opponents. Both articulated the transcendent values of our American tradition. Kirk’s attempt at having open debate and discussion of issues with anyone, especially those who held opposite views was because he believed: “When we stop talking to each other and arguing our diffrences, that’s when people turn to violence, and I’m trying to prevent that.”

In the 24 years since 9/11 the danger became domestic. First in suppression of opposite viewpoints in almost every public arena. But increasingly more violent.

What do you do when terrorists take control of your plane? You act. To do nothing is suicide anyway. It is not a neutral act. You will die if you do nothing. Todd Beamer and his friends organized and he gave the signal “Let’s roll.” They died but they likely saved many lives of others.

What do you do when extremists control your campus or your church or your company or your circle of life? You act. Not in violence but by speaking up. To be silent is cultural suicide. It is not neutral. Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail is a classic on this theme that every American should read. To be silent in the face of evil is evil itself.

A great Christian Dutch leader from a couple centuries ago, Abraham Kuyper, said it this way: “When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin; you must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.”

I grieve with millions today in America, especially the young generation that were inspired by Charlie Kirk. Robert Kennedy, Jr, whose own father was assassinated, said it well regarding Charlie Kirk: “Once Again, A Bullet Has Silenced the Most Eloquent Truth Teller of an Era.” Like King, Kirk should be equally memorialized.

But the best thing to do to support Kirk’s mission is what Todd Beamer said on 9/11. It is the ultimate response in face of evil: “Let’s roll.”

Pray with me as you read this right now: Father in heaven, God of History, Lord of Liberty, remember your servant Charlie Kirk and comfort his family and friends. But especially we cry out that you allow the blood of your martyr to be seed in our nation. We ask that millions of young people take up his mantle and become the passionate and courageous voices of reason for the principles of our Founding Fathers and for the Biblical worldview that is essential for our nation survive. In Jesus’ name, we pray.