--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- John Bickley: Welcome to Morning Wire, I'm John Bickley.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And I'm Georgia Howe.
--:-- John Bickley: Today, we're discussing the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk, a prominent figure in the conservative movement. Before his untimely death, Charlie's Christian faith grew to shape his movement and undergird much of his argumentation. In this episode, we speak with Pastor David Englehart, a close friend of Charlie's, about how his faith became a cornerstone of Turning Point USA.
--:-- [Soft music plays in the background]
--:-- Georgia Howe: Pastor David, thank you for joining us today.
--:-- Pastor David Englehart: Thank you for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Pastor David, you've known Charlie for several years. Can you tell us about your relationship with him and how you came to know him?
--:-- Pastor David Englehart: In 2019, I met Erica Kirk, who was not Erica Kirk at the time. We were working on conservative media projects to combat the left and make a stand in urban areas that are highly leftist. During that summer, we were having conversations. She moved to Phoenix, Arizona, said she had met a boy, and that boy turned out to be Charlie Kirk. The next summer, providentially, was the summer of 2020, where we in New York City had an absolute chaotic outbreak of riot and lockdowns. Charlie asked me to have him on his show and talk about what was happening.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That must have been a pivotal moment in your relationship with Charlie.
--:-- Pastor David Englehart: Yes, it was. I was pastoring a church at the time, and I still pastor. I have a law practice in New York City that I was still in. Charlie had me on his show, and we talked about all things, theology, philosophy, the oppressor oppressed ideology. It was really fueling a lot of the angst that Charlie stood so opposed to. And then we became great friends after that initial show I was on. I spent the next four or five years with Charlie. He invited me onto the board of Turning Point USA in December of 2020, and I've served Charlie and the board of TPUSA since then.
--:-- John Bickley: That's fascinating. Pastor David, you mentioned that Charlie's message deepened in recent years, and his faith became a central part of his argumentation. Can you talk about that journey that he underwent? What changed, or was this just a natural progression over the years?
--:-- Pastor David Englehart: Before I continue, I just want to say our prayers are with Erica and her two children and the TPUSA family and Charlie's family. We love them so much. What happened in 2020 was Charlie was ideologically aligned with Christianity, and he was a Christian. But because he saw the church in such an anemic state and all of the lockdowns happening and the church marching with the dogma of the progressive political ideology, it just frustrated him to no end. And he said, "I have to partner with pastors." And so Rob McCoy being one of the first pastors that partnered with Charlie, and then a number of us following suit.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's really interesting. Pastor David, you mentioned that Charlie started surrounding himself with courageous pastors who were willing to stand against the tide of totalitarian behavior. Can you tell us more about that?
--:-- Pastor David Englehart: Yeah, Charlie started surrounding himself with really courageous pastors that were willing to stand against that tide of totalitarian kind of unified behavior. And Charlie, his name, Charlie Kirk, means strong church. Charlie really did an incredible job of strengthening the church and partnering with pastors who could see there's something really wrong here. There's a scripture in the Old Testament that says, "Why do you go to Egypt when the Lord is your salvation?" All these churches that would flock to the vaccine or those kind of methods rather than first saying, "Okay, let's pray and slow down and figure out what we're doing." And Charlie integrating with that, he began to himself develop a really rigorous faith and he was an incredibly strong Christian.
--:-- John Bickley: That's really powerful. Pastor David, you mentioned that Charlie debuted TPUSA Faith. Can you tell us a little bit about what the plan is for that initiative and what his vision for it was and how it's going to be carried forward?
--:-- Pastor David Englehart: Yeah, TPUSA Faith was about gathering churches, about having a central vision for churches. Because one of the things about gathering churches, it's like, you know, the adage of gathering cats. We all have our own theologies and there's infighting and from the Protestant Reformation on, it's been kind of chaotic, but there is a central core and that central core is the belief that God's word and his way subjugates all other ways and words of representation of our society and the truth therein. And so Sir Charlie had a very simple and clear vision which was to galvanize the church to engage. You guys know this but if the church voted in our elections, we would win every single election from now till Christ comes back. And Charlie knew that. And Charlie was partnering with pastors from very different denominational views, from Catholics to Protestants, to Charismatics, to Cessationists, to see that we would say, "Hey, let's vote for a moral order that we all agree upon in accordance with God's way." And let's teach your people how to engage in politics from the very grassroots.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's really inspiring. Pastor David, you mentioned that Charlie would receive death threats sometimes daily. And it was a barrage of intimidation by the diabolical forces that seek to destroy our nation. Can you speak to that?
--:-- Pastor David Englehart: Yeah, Charlie would receive death threats sometimes daily. And it was a barrage of intimidation by the diabolical forces that seek to destroy our nation. And that's why Charlie's a hero, because heroes are courageous and sacrificial and lead the charge. And he started with a card table out at a university and nobody really cared, but he was declaring truth. And when truth is declared, truth is in accordance with God's word and God's way. And truth can be divisive. Jesus said, "I didn't come to bring peace, but I came to bring a sword, which was divide rightly truth and lies." And that's the famous G.K. Chesterton phrase that, you know, one day men will attempt to hang you for saying that the grass is green. I'm paraphrasing that. But the idea was that Christians declare truth and truth is opposed deeply by the forces of darkness.
--:-- John Bickley: That's really powerful. Pastor David, you mentioned that there's data to suggest that maybe there's a sort of a revival happening in some demographics in the younger groups. What have you seen with your partnership with TPUSA, with Charlie's work? Do you see hope in the younger generation in terms of a turning back to God?
--:-- Pastor David Englehart: Yeah, that's a great question. You know, the statistics that we're seeing right now are that young people, especially young men en masse, are turning to faith right now. And Charlie's message is a message that was declared about the truth of God's word and his goodness and the life that's produced from it. It's not this hedonistic, narcissistic self kind of adulation, this worldview that's just about you feeling better, but it's the message about sacrifice. And sacrifice resonates with young people. And living for a cause resonates with young people. And so Charlie was really, you know, the point man running this play in the game for a seed to be sown in the hearts of young people.
--:-- Georgia Howe: That's really beautiful. Pastor David, I think that's a great note to end on.
--:-- Pastor David Englehart: Thank you.
--:-- John Bickley: Thank you, Pastor David, for sharing your insights with us today.
--:-- Pastor David Englehart: Thank you.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And thank you to our listeners for tuning in to this special edition of Morning Wire.
--:-- John Bickley: If you'd like to hear more about Charlie Kirk's legacy and the impact of his work, be sure to check out our previous episodes on the topic.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And don't forget to follow us on social media for the latest updates and behind-the-scenes content.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for listening to Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And we'll see you tomorrow.
--:-- [Theme music starts playing]
--:-- John Bickley: Morning Wire is presented by Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief, John Bickley, and co-host Georgia Howe.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Get daily coverage of the latest developments in politics, culture, education, sports, and more. Wake up with Morning Wire and get the facts first on the news you need to know.
--:-- [Theme music continues to play until the end]
