Charlie Kirk's Martyrdom and the Mystery of Evil: Expanding on Frank Turek’s Response to Megyn Kelly

The assassination of Charlie Kirk has left millions grieving, and many asking the hardest theological question of all: Why does God allow such evil?

Last week, the world watched in horror as Charlie Kirk was assassinated in cold blood. What some may not yet know is that one of my mentors and friend, Dr. Frank Turek, was right there with him. Frank was in the SUV. He prayed over Charlie in those final moments, and he even performed CPR though he already knew his friend was gone. The trauma of that moment is unimaginable.

And yet, in typical Frank Turek fashion, he has thrown himself into advancing Charlie’s memory and his message.

Megyn Kelly’s Honest Question

A few days later, Frank appeared on The Megyn Kelly Show (which I listen to every day). I’ve long admired Megyn for her sharp mind and bold honesty. Her willingness to ask raw, real questions—whether about politics, culture, or God—is why I make her show part of my daily routine. And this moment with Frank was one of her most genuine as she asked what I consider the single hardest question in philosophy, theology, and apologetics—the question of evil and suffering. This was not the voice of unbelief; this was the cry of a heart that takes both God and suffering seriously. She spoke with raw honesty:

“I just don’t get it. Charlie was wearing a cross and a St. Michael medal. St. Michael is supposed to protect us in battle, defend us against the wickedness and snares of the devil. If I went out in front of a crowd wearing that, I would feel next to invincible. And yet Charlie was shot right there in the neck, exactly where the necklace was. How does this make sense? I’m angry at God.”

Her words weren’t skeptical posturing—they were deeply human. And every Christian who has lived long enough has asked a version of that question.

Frank’s Pastoral Response

Frank’s answer was wise, compassionate, and thoroughly biblical:

“It’s okay to be mad at God. Job was. The Psalms are full of people crying out, ‘Where are you, God?’ … We live in a fallen world. If Christianity is true, people don’t really die—they change location. God can redeem evil. Maybe this tragedy will ripple out in ways we cannot yet see, bringing people to Christ. Pain is often God’s megaphone to wake us up.”

Frank reminded us that we do not have God’s vantage point. We don’t see the whole picture. But an omniscient God does. He knows how even a tragedy can—and will—ripple into eternity.

Expanding the Point: Molinism and God’s Eternal Perspective

This is where my own research into Molinism dovetails perfectly with Frank’s pastoral insight. Molinism, first articulated by Luis de Molina in the sixteenth century, teaches that God not only knows everything that will happen, but also everything that would happen in any possible set of circumstances within God’s power to create.

This means that before creating the world, God knew how every choice, every prayer, every tragedy, and every free act of evil would ripple throughout history and into eternity.

So why did God allow Charlie Kirk to be assassinated? I believe it’s because this tragedy is part of the one feasible freedom-permitting world where evil is ultimately defeated and the greatest number of people are saved. God allowed this evil to occur because, in His eternal knowledge, He knew that the ripple effect of this very event would ultimately lead to the greatest possible good and the maximal number of people freely entering eternal relationship with Him.

As I’ve written elsewhere:

“For all we know, God created the one feasible freedom-permitting world where evil is ultimately defeated and everyone who is not transworld damned (those who would freely reject God in any possible world) is saved.”

If such a world is possible for God to create, then a perfectly loving, good, and intelligent God would create it—no matter how many holocausts, slave trades, or assassinations of godly men, as horrific as they are, it contains.

Frank pointed to this when speaking with Megyn. He mentioned people all over the world—Australia, Denmark, across America—who have already come to Christ because of Charlie’s death. That is just the beginning of ripples that will extend into eternity. These “ripples” were known by God prior to creation and allowed by God for the good of the world—just as Charlie Kirk would have wanted.

A Pop Culture Picture: Doctor Strange and “The Only Way”

Think of Avengers: Infinity War. Doctor Strange looks through 14 million possible futures and tells Iron Man: This is the only way. He sees that only one path leads to victory, though it involves real loss and real pain in the short run.

God does not need to “look” through possible worlds like Doctor Strange. He is omniscient and knows all the possible and feasible worlds He could actualize into existence. And He chose the one in which Charlie’s martyrdom, as horrific as it was, ultimately leads to maximal glory and everlasting love. We are starting to see those ripples now!

Doctor Strange saw only one way to victory. God eternally knows the only way to everlasting victory, and Molinism helps us glimpse how this could be so. What Doctor Strange did in Infinity War made no sense to Tony Stark, Captain America, and the viewing audience, but in Endgame, we all came to see that Doctor Strange knew exactly what he was doing. We all recognized him as the hero who saved the Marvel Comics Universe.

God did the same thing to save the actual universe. We should also see Him as the ultimate hero and give Him praise even in the midst of pain and suffering.

Molinism vs. the Problem of Evil (A Formal Argument)

Here’s how this plays out in the form of a logically valid deductive argument:

1. If God is omnibenevolent (perfect love, 1 John 4:8), then He desires genuine eternal love relations with humans.

2. If God desires genuine eternal love relations with humans, then He creates humans with libertarian freedom, because:  2.1 A genuine eternal love relationship between God and humans necessarily requires libertarian freedom.

3. If God creates humans with libertarian freedom, then He allows humans to experience evil and suffering, because: 3.1 Evil and suffering can result from libertarian free humans. 3.2 An omnipotent and omniscient God created a world in which He knew that unless He permitted all kinds of evil and suffering, some would not freely choose to eternally preserve the suffering-free state of affairs in the new heavens and new earth (2 Corinthians 4:17).

4. God is omnibenevolent.

5. Therefore, God—since He is omnibenevolent—allows humans to experience all kinds of evil and suffering.

That includes the senseless murder of Iryna Zarutska and the evil assassination of Charlie Kirk (not to mention everything else in this world that is imperfect and less than Heaven).

Anchoring in Scripture

This isn’t mere philosophy. It’s grounded in God’s Word:

• Genesis 50:20 — “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”

• Romans 8:28 — “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”

• 2 Corinthians 4:17 — “Our light and momentary afflictions are achieving for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”

• 2 Corinthians 10:5 — “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God.”

The problem of evil is the greatest argument against God’s existence. But with eternity in view, Molinism shows that what seems senseless to us right now is actually part of a divine perfect plan that allows humans to exercise free will—to either love their fellow man or commit evil against him—and leads to everlasting joy and flourishing into the infinite future.

Hope in the Midst of Horror

It is right to grieve. It is even okay, as Frank said to Megyn, to be angry with God. The Bible gives us that space. But we grieve with hope. Because Christianity alone can say: evil does not get the last word.

Charlie Kirk’s race is finished. His legacy is not. Already his death is producing ripples we cannot measure, and God is not finished with those ripples yet. Indeed, Charlie Kirk’s life will echo for generations to come and on into eternity.

Charlie staked his life on the truth of Christ. In the end, he did not lose. Evil does not win. Love wins. God wins. And Charlie, by the grace of God, now knows this more clearly than we do.

Honoring Frank Turek

I want to close with a word about Frank Turek. Some younger and overconfident apologists sometimes critique Frank for not sounding like Richard Swinburne in peer-reviewed journals. But that critique misses the point. No one has been more effective at bringing apologetics to college campuses, churches, and the public square than Frank Turek. That’s exactly why Charlie Kirk asked him to be his mentor in apologetics.

As Timothy Fox recently said:

“One thing is certain: I better never hear anyone from our camp trash Frank Turek ever again.”

And as Dr. Braxton Hunter noted:

“There may be sensible criticisms of Turek, but when I see Christian-philosophy-bros make flippant comments about him, I find it cringe and embarrassing. Those making such comments seem to think that’s how Turek appears.”

Everyone needs an on-ramp into apologetics. In my estimation—as one who both engages at the popular level and publishes academically—no one is better than Frank Turek. That’s why I’ve sought his mentorship in my life as well. That's exactly why Charlie Kirk sought Frank Turek out so that he could learn from his years of experience discussing apologetics on college campuses.

God has blessed his faithfulness, and through Charlie’s platform, has expanded his reach. After speaking at Charlie Kirk’s memorial, which was seen by millions worldwide, Frank Turek is now arguably the most well-known Christian apologist on the planet.

If you want to dive deeper into the argument I’ve presented here about why a perfectly good, loving, intelligent, and powerful God allows so much evil, check out Faith Examined: New Arguments for Persistent Questions—a volume of essays I contributed to in honor of Dr. Frank Turek.

One of Charlie Kirk’s last great gifts to the church may have been elevating the platform of the man who mentored him, ensuring that millions more will hear the gospel defended with clarity and courage.

Stay reasonable (Isaiah 1:18),

Dr. Tim Stratton