A veteran Navy SEAL and former CIA officer is joining those mourning the loss of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, praising the late Turning Point USA leader for his boldness and devotion to truth.
Jimmy Graham, CEO and founder of the Able Shepherd, a training program equipping people to protect churches, schools, and other institutions, said he was “enraged” after hearing about Kirk’s assassination.
But the event left Graham resolute in his commitment to continue sharing his faith.
“I’m turning that anger into fuel,” he said.
Kirk’s death is the latest act of violence to shock America. When Graham was asked what he believes leads people to take such violent actions, he pointed back to what the Bible explains — and even predicts.
“I tell people kind of tongue-in-cheek, there’s a book about all of this and you should read it,” he said. “It’s called the Bible. … This is going to happen. It’s going to get worse. We know that, and I tell my kids, ‘What are you going to do while it happens?’ I choose, ‘Take care of one another’ from the Book of John — love one another.”
Graham praised Kirk, proclaiming the activist’s life was a “testimony to the truth.”
“And they killed him for it,” he said, noting that Kirk was a truly good man. “He was so good that it affected a nation, and we feel like we lost a family member because of it.”
At the core of it, Graham said Kirk truly stood out from the pack because he “leads with his faith” and “always has.”
“A lot of the strong men these days, they don’t [lead with faith],” Graham continued, explaining the importance of Kirk’s ability to be gentle, kind, and also resolute.
Graham also offered advice to those angry and in pain over Kirk’s assassination.
“Why don’t you turn that anger into fuel and go do something good?” he said. “That’s what Charlie Kirk would do, right? So if he was that great, how about we look at what made him great? One is his faith.”
Graham continued, “Every time I listen to Charlie Kirk, I was a better man. Every time my kids [did], it inspired them to [have] the courage to step out.”
Ultimately, he believes Kirk is a “Job 29” man, noting the Bible chapter puts forth what a good and decent man is like.
“Charlie was that guy, and we don’t have that many,” Graham said. “We just lost one.
Graham is hoping people will double down and not recoil in fear; he’s also working to equip people to do just that. Find out more about Graham and Able Shepherd here.
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