Glenn Beck Program – September 12, 2025

Episode: Charlie Kirk: Civil Rights Icon
Guests: Max Lucado & John Solomon
Host: Glenn Beck (with Stu Burguiere)
Blaze Podcast Network

Episode Overview

In this episode, Glenn Beck reflects on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, labeling him not just as a political figure, but as a true civil rights leader martyred for standing up for the rights of free speech and civil discourse. Beck launches a GiveSendGo fundraiser for Kirk’s family and Turning Point USA. The episode features reporting from journalist John Solomon on the developing criminal investigation, moving listener calls, and a heartfelt segment with Pastor Max Lucado on processing grief and practicing compassion, even for the shooter's family.

Main Themes

• Honoring Charlie Kirk as a Civil Rights Icon
  Glenn Beck argues that Kirk’s work and the nature of his assassination make him a modern civil rights leader, urging conservatives to claim that terminology.
• National Mourning and Grassroots Mobilization
  Deep audience engagement—callers, personal stories, and fundraising—looks to sustain Kirk’s values and Turning Point USA.
• Finding Meaning and Healing Amid Tragedy
  Max Lucado and Beck discuss choosing constructive thoughts and actions, forgiveness, and the need for both prayer and community action.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Charlie Kirk’s Legacy and the 9/12 Project

• Beck recounts the inception of the 9/12 Project post-9/11, emphasizing principles and values over politics.
• Kirk, a product of Beck’s audience, is credited with energizing the conservative youth movement and being pivotal in national elections.
• Beck:

  "Charlie Kirk was a civil rights leader that was martyred standing up for civil rights. It is time that our side declares that and stands on that and claims that territory." (30:00)

2. Details of the Investigation & Shooter’s Capture

(w/ John Solomon, [32:18] – [42:22])

• The primary suspect was identified and surrendered, reportedly after family and a clergyman (possibly an LDS bishop) intervened.
• Over 7,000 tips were processed; law enforcement was aided by the assailant’s father.
• Ongoing probe into whether the shooting was coordinated and potential connections to radical groups or foreign actors.
• Shooter showed prior radicalization, possibly fomented through social media, academia, and online political subcultures.
• Solomon observes:

  "We've allowed a culture of hatred and intolerance to literally boil over to the idea now that people don't have any prohibition talking about wanting to kill someone in an open space." (36:48)

3. Symbolism of the Funeral & Official Honors

• Emotional montage of Kirk’s wife, Erica, and Second Lady Vance returning Kirk’s body home; Vice President J.D. Vance serves as pallbearer.
• Historic involvement of highest government officials in honoring Kirk, likened to moments after national tragedy.
• Beck:

  "I've never seen an assassination of anyone in my life in America... having our vice president or our president involved at this level... The Vances are, I think, remarkable people." (25:39)

4. Call to Redefine Civil Rights Leadership

• Beck urges listeners to explicitly refer to Kirk as a civil rights leader, not merely an activist or political figure.
• Condemnation of modern civil rights “hustlers” in contrast to Kirk’s principled stand.
• Proposal:

  "There should be a Charlie Kirk Boulevard. Phoenix, you should be the one... Charlie Kirk was a civil rights leader and we must take that for him and own that." (61:25)

5. Listener Calls: Testimonies and Emotional Impact

(Noteworthy Calls: [55:33] Michaela, [58:30] Brian, [78:54] Avi, [80:54] Matt)

• Michaela, an abortion survivor, credits Kirk for empowering her voice in national dialogue.
  • "A reporter yesterday said that Charlie didn't point left, he didn't point right. He pointed up. And that's what we need to continue to do... this country is at its turning point." (56:58)
• Brian (19), present at the event, recounts Kirk’s final words, emphasizing his testimony for Christ.
  • "The last, like, the first question he took... he ended it with bearing his testimony about his savior, Jesus Christ... His very last stand was with God." (59:07)
• Multiple young callers (Avi, 16; Matt, 32) echo Kirk’s influence on their activism, faith, and hope, and their resolve to continue his work.

6. Social Media, Academia, and Radicalization

• Discussion of how online hate, campus culture, and leftist rhetoric can radicalize—even promising, well-adjusted youth.
• Beck and Solomon decry those celebrating Kirk’s death, notably singling out teachers and professors for silence or endorsement.
• Stu and Beck discuss need for compassionate outreach to the shooter’s family, referencing the Amish model of forgiveness after tragedy ([75:29]).

7. Calls for Peace, Civility, and Forgiveness

• Beck and Lucado discuss resisting vengeance, the danger of overreaction (“let’s not make another Patriot Act”), and instead focusing on small acts of compassion.
• Max Lucado leads a national prayer for both Kirk’s and the shooter’s families:
  • "He is created by you in your image... we beg mercy upon the family of this assassin... and upon him." (108:00)

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Kirk’s Legacy as a Civil Rights Icon
  Beck: "It's time to start calling him Charlie Kirk, the civil rights leader." [30:00]
• On the Shooter and Radicalization:
  John Solomon: "I think the bigger lesson from this is we've allowed a culture of hatred and intolerance to literally boil over..." [36:48]
• On Forgiveness:
  Beck: "The biggest group that I have seen, celebrating are teachers... I find it interesting that the president of uvu... has not made a statement at all." [38:19]
• Listener (Brian, 19):
  "His very last stand was with God. And... we need to know that there was also the Spirit. And God is with us... We need to turn to Christ now and to pray, because prayer works." [59:07]
• Max Lucado’s Prayer:
  "Father, would you please let mercy fall upon us and let the healing of the nation begin with the person we see in the mirror..." [108:00]
• On Preventing Backlash Legislation (Patriot Act reference):
  Beck: "The last time we went through something like this, we came up with the Patriot act and that was a really bad thing... Would you alert me and alert America...?" [41:10] Solomon: "It's going to start in our homes and our churches and our communities. That's where it's rightfully fixed..." [41:54]
• On Community Response:
  Beck: "We need to embrace this family and help this family heal. They are suffering as well." [75:29]
• On Picking Up the Torch:
  Beck: "If we want to honor his memory truly, then that's the torch we should pick up: to be a better disciple of Christ, to be so much better as individuals..." [115:20]

Key Segment Timestamps

• [03:38] — Beck on 9/12 Project Origins and Charlie Kirk’s Influence
• [11:24] — John Solomon on Investigation Details
• [29:48] — Funeral and Government Honors for Kirk
• [32:18] — Solomon Interview, Discussion of Shooter’s Surrender and Background
• [36:48] — Radicalization and Cultural Violence
• [55:33] — First Listener Calls: Michaela’s Testimony
• [58:30] — Brian’s Eyewitness Account and Spiritual Reflection
• [61:10] — Civil Rights Icon Theme, Call to Name Kirk as Such
• [72:02] — Analysis of Bullets’ Writings and Shooter’s Motivations
• [75:29] — On Compassion for Shooter’s Family; The Amish Model
• [97:29] — Max Lucado: Thoughts on Processing Grief and Our Role
• [108:00] — Max Lucado’s National Prayer
• [113:10+] — Beck on Lessons in Kindness and Changing Ourselves First

Tone & Language

• Glenn Beck is deeply emotional—alternating between grief, righteous indignation, and hopeful exhortation.
• Listeners and co-hosts are reverent, personal, and often moved to tears.
• The tone is respectful, somber, and calls for moral clarity and higher principles—avoiding vengeance in favor of compassion and constructive action.

Conclusion

This episode of The Glenn Beck Program serves as a moving memorial to Charlie Kirk, reframing his life and assassination as part of the American civil rights legacy and invoking a nation to respond not with rage, but rededication to the principles of liberty, faith, dialogue, and forgiveness. The segment with Max Lucado urges listeners to begin healing with acts of compassion and resolve, both for the fallen and for those who failed—a call for individual and collective self-examination in the face of national tragedy.

GIVE: To support Charlie Kirk’s family and Turning Point USA, visit GiveSendGo.com/912project

End of Summary