Vigorous debate among conservatives is a blessing, not a curse

By Sharayah Colter

Chief Communications Officer

That’s a wrap on AmFest 2025.

Well done to Erika Kirk and the entire Turning Point team for pulling off a major event just three months after the loss of Charlie. They honored his memory and his legacy beautifully. Through grief, constant public commentary and armchair quarterbacking about whether they were grieving correctly, and an onslaught of scrutiny that has been both relentless and often debased, Erika and the team have demonstrated incredible grace and pointed to Christ at every turn. Charlie would be so proud of them.

I’m reminded of John Maxwell’s admonition to be a person who adds value to others. Charlie was that to a T. Speaker after speaker talked about how Charlie was personally investing in them, asking them how they were doing, giving encouragement and support. He was a giver, not a taker. A happy warrior. A reader, a leader.

The Apostle Paul was able to say “imitate me, as I imitate Christ.” Imagine being so confident that you are following Christ closely enough to tell other people to follow Christ the way you do. While I think Charlie would have been too humble to say this, I believe if we could all imitate Charlie as he imitated Christ. What a standard he set. We should all strive to live a life that is worth following. A life able to not only add value to others but to provide a reliable road map for others to follow.

Charlie did that. If you follow Charlie, you can feel confident you’ll be following Christ well. He loved his wife and children selflessly and intentionally. He read widely. He thought deeply about his faith and about ethics and morality. He debated kindly but earnestly, never sacrificing truth on the alter of appeasement but never sinking to insults and ridicule either.

One of the main discussions coming out of this America Fest is that there is some disagreement and division in the conservative movement. We could lament that, but actually, I believe we should be glad that we are not a movement of blind followers or rubber stampers. We are a movement of think-for-yourselfers. And sometimes that is a messy process. In politics and culture, that messy process is carried out in public, and that can make some people uncomfortable. But we are not called to comfort— and certainly not comfort with the casualty of truth.

We are a movement where we willingly debate and engage and let the best ideas prevail. There is nothing more American than this.

With that said, it is perfectly reasonable as Christians to call people toward having good and honorable ideas and even to self-police themselves. Should we “cancel” people for having bad ideas or even for being mean? No. We are the movement that values free speech. But we should call people toward good ideas, kindness, and goodwill. God himself gives us free will. He doesn’t force us to live right or to be nice or to follow Christ. He appeals to all humans to choose Christ — but he never makes someone follow Christ.

This was Charlie. You never saw him mandate to someone asking him a question at a microphone that they change their mind to agree with him. He, however, was “ready to give a defense” for the hope that was in him. Like Paul, he used reason and persuasion to try and help people see a better perspective.

Did everyone agree at AmFest? No. Neither will everyone agree with you at your family’s Christmas celebration this week. But that doesn’t mean we hate one another. We embrace the opportunity to think deeply, to reason well, to practice persuasion, to become convictional people who stand on what we firmly believe to be the truth rather than being jellyfish who bend to any passing or popular thought.

An AmFest where free speech and heartfelt discussion took place is an AmFest Charlie would have loved. Indeed, because of Christ, Charlie lives today and perhaps he watched this AmFest with a heavenly smile. Everything he stood for in life has been amplified in his death. Can you imagine a more fulfilling feeling?

May we pray this Christmas for Erika Kirk and her children who have paid the ultimate price for people wishing to silence opinions they oppose. May the loss of Charlie propel us to preserve dialogue and debate and to believe what we believe is really true so much that we are ready and willing to defend it well.