Charlie Kirk’s martyrdom is bringing my generation back to church

Welcome to church, Generation Z.

The 3rd-century Christian martyr Tertullian said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” That’s been demonstrated in spades following the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10.

Churches and parachurch ministries, both Catholic and Protestant, have reported a marked increase in attendance. Numerous social media videos have gone viral with individuals from all walks of life coming back to church or attending for the first time. Call it the “Charlie Kirk effect.”

When Kirk started Turning Point USA (TPUSA) at age 18, he wanted to reach the younger generation by primarily speaking to them on economic issues — the importance of lower taxes, good trade policy, and reducing government debt.

As Charlie grew older, got married, and had children, he increasingly sounded less like Milton Friedman and more like Jordan Peterson.

“Get married. Have children. Build a legacy. Pass down your values. Pursue the eternal. Seek true joy,” he was fond of saying.

Charlie picked up on what so many in my generation are feeling. He realized what many old guard politicians have missed.

Individuals in Generation Z have been left a heritage of spiritual, moral and familial bankruptcy. Generation Z has realized, as did Charlie Kirk, the Republican Party platform of 2008 or 1988 won’t solve our problems, or our crisis of meaning and purpose.

Many of us come from broken families and broken homes.

Pew Research found in 2021 that nearly one-quarter (23%) of individuals under 18 live with one parent and no other adults. This is far higher than in other countries like China (3%), Nigeria (4%) and India (5%). In fact, the survey found the U.S. has the world’s highest rate of children living in single-parent households.

Additionally, many of us are struggling and failing to start families of our own — no matter how much we’d like to. Pew Research found in 2021 that 25% of U.S. 40-year-olds have never married, up drastically from just 6% in 1980. That number will be even higher for Gen Z — potentially as high as one-third never marrying.

Generation Z has many millions of missing family members who have been aborted in staggering numbers (over 63 million since 1973). That’s more than the populations of California and New York combined. These are brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews that we’ll never know this side of eternity, but sure would have liked to. That’s part of the reason we’re so lonely.

A majority (56%) of Gen Zers report feeling lonely at least once or twice a month during childhood, compared to only one in four Baby Boomers who say the same. Twenty-eight percent report feeling lonely at least a couple of times per week growing up.

Furthermore, Generation Z has so much access to endless quantities of digital entertainment, we could spend most of our lives staring at pixels. Many of us do. Gen Z exceeds all generations in quantity of screentime by far — averaging over nine hours per day (over one-third of our entire life).

From social media apps to myriad streaming services, we are constantly entertained. And yet, we’re unhappy.

Nearly half (42%) have a diagnosed mental health condition, with anxiety and depression becoming the largest mental health issues by far.

Yet, in this generational darkness, the light shines only brighter. Generation Z, struggling with so many different problems, is desperate for a solution — and seeking help and hope as they hurt.

Charlie Kirk found thousands of us in the dark and brought us a ray of light. Two weeks prior to his assassination, Kirk wrote a post on X with four words: “Jesus is the answer.”

Gen Z, in part because of Charlie’s influence, is now the most church-going generation of all, beating out Boomers, Gen X and Millennials. This is especially true of Gen Z men, who are more conservative than their female counterparts.

Generation Z is looking for meaning and purpose. We’re searching for the good, true and beautiful. And we’re finding it exactly where Charlie said we would.

Charlie Kirk, by word and tragically by example, taught my generation that there are things worth dying for. And by discovering those things — God, family and country — we find what’s worth living for.

Archbishop Charles Chaput wrote in his book Things Worth Dying For, “The world is full of disguised and treasonous little gods that demand our full attention and, in the end, betray our deepest longings.”

“There is only one god, the God of Israel,” he added. “And only in Him, as Augustine said 1,600 years ago, can our hearts finally rest.”

So, when you see a younger person walk into church this Sunday, greet us with a smile. Help be a part of the reason we return next Sunday.