A reflection on the lives of Dr. John MacArthur, Charlie Kirk, and Dr. Voddie Baucham
In 2 Samuel 3, Abner was murdered by Joab, and David mourned, saying, “Do you not know that a prince and great man has fallen this day from Israel?” These words echoed in my mind when I learned of the deaths of Dr. MacArthur, Charlie Kirk, and Dr. Baucham. Dr. MacArthur died after months of illness, Charlie Kirk was assassinated, and Dr. Baucham’s death was unexpected. We mourn but also rejoice, remembering those who spoke God’s Word to us (Hebrews 13:7), whose legacies continue to shape our faith.
When I first became convinced of expository preaching, I was a first-year Bible College student. To prepare for a class, I read a small Nine Marks book on expository preaching. After reading it, I was sure this was the Biblical model for preaching and teaching. That raised a question: how do I do this? Naturally, I googled Expository Preachers, and the first name that appeared was Dr. John MacArthur. I sat in my campus apartment and listened to hours of Dr. MacArthur expounding the scriptures. He brought the Bible to life by explaining what the text said and how it applies to daily life. I wanted to do that. I didn’t know how, but I knew I wanted to try. This led me to Dr. MacArthur’s commentaries and books. I remember reading “The Gospel According to Jesus” and being struck by the doctrinal conviction and clarity in his writing. When I began graduate studies, my wife Maggie had just given birth to our eldest, Meridith. I was excited to learn that semester we would read MacArthur’s “Safe in the Arms of God.” Nothing could have prepared me for the emotional journey that book took me on. Five years before Meridith’s birth, Maggie had miscarried our first child. I was devastated, and for years I wrestled with the question, Where is my miscarried child? This book impacted me more than any sermon or commentary by MacArthur, or any other book of his. Why? Because page after page was a balm to my soul. God’s character, his love for his people, and the hope of the resurrection filled every page. So, when I heard of Dr. MacArthur’s passing, I thought back to that first-year student who wanted to learn how to handle God’s Word, and I was forever grateful to have been introduced to this faithful minister of the gospel for over fifty years.
September 10th, 2025, seemed like just another day until I received a message from a co-worker: “Charlie Kirk was just shot.” I muttered, “There’s no way that’s true. Please God, don’t let it be true.” Like most people, I checked X to see if the news was real. After ten seconds of browsing, it was confirmed. Already devastated, I forced myself to watch the video. I’ve only watched it once; one time is enough. With tears in my eyes, I turned to Maggie and said, “If he survives, it will be a miracle.” After two hours of conflicting reports, I finally read the words from Turning Point USA, “He’s Gone.” This one hurt, and it still hurts. I have followed Charlie Kirk since he launched Turning Point and was blown away by his ability to articulate his thoughts clearly. Charlie’s use of logic, facts, and reasoning without resorting to ad hominem attacks made him special. Over the last five years, Charlie became increasingly outspoken about his faith in Jesus. He showed from a biblical worldview that understanding Christian doctrine leads to genuine conservatism. Jesus was more important to Charlie than any other relationship, and it showed in how he engaged the culture. Liberal Arts Universities are not typically welcoming to conservative voices, yet Charlie went into hostile environments armed with the truth of the Bible and convinced people of conservative ideals. On one of his final podcasts before his assassination, Charlie Kirk was asked what he would want to be remembered for. Without hesitation, he said, “I would want to be remembered for courage for my faith.” So, to Charlie, my brother in the Lord, a month has passed, and that is exactly what we remember you for.
It wasn’t just Charlie’s assassination that impacted me and millions of other conservatives; it was also his memorial service. For five hours, the gospel of Jesus Christ was proclaimed by many voices: political leaders, pastors, and most moving of all, his now widowed bride. Erika Kirk’s eulogy will go down as one of the greatest speeches in American history. Even now, I am tearing up thinking about this. When discussing Tyler Robinson she said these words, “that man, that young man, I forgive him. Friends, that is the power of the gospel. As heinous as Charlie Kirk’s assassination was, it pales in comparison to how serious our sin is before a holy and righteous God. Christians understand what we truly deserve, and yet God, in his kindness, saves us. He forgives the unforgivable and calls us to forgive as well. Justice for Tyler Robinson still needs to be served, but the power and freedom of forgiveness is what sets Christians apart. This is what Charlie would have wanted. God used the evil of Joseph’s brothers to bring about good (Genesis 50:20), and it seems God is using this great evil against Charlie for his glory and our good. A giant has fallen, but we do not mourn as those without hope. There is a resurrection from the dead coming, and we will be swept into it. Oh, the great joy of being found in Christ.
Shortly after our wedding, I told Maggie I thought the Lord was calling me into vocational ministry. I didn’t know what that would look like or if it was a true calling; I just knew I wanted to study the Bible and teach it. I thought I would start in youth ministry and see where it led. A good friend from college had her father reach out to me. He was opposed to youth ministry and sent me a video warning of its dangers. This was my first introduction to Dr. Voddie Baucham and to family-integrated worship. I wasn’t convinced at the time and was also opposed to any Calvinistic viewpoint. In the summer of 2014, I did a deep dive into Romans, and my whole world changed. It was like being converted all over again. Through that study, I began to embrace and love the doctrines of grace. I became something I swore I would never be: an unashamed, fire-breathing, five-point Calvinist. When I came to this conviction, I listened to R.C. Sproul and Voddie Baucham every day. The first sermon I heard by Voddie was from the 2006 Desiring God conference, titled “The Supremacy of Christ in Truth.” Voddie discussed the dangers of presenting a weak view of God. We want a high view of God and a low view of man. These ideas were clear, but the gospel shone forth and was heralded in a way that made even us Reformed Baptists want to shout “Amen.” What made me love Dr. Baucham’s preaching was his boldness. Whether the issue was abortion, social justice, rejecting critical race theory, or any other topic, he was bold and stood on the truths of Scripture. A few weeks ago, when I learned of his passing, I shed tears. I had never cried after learning about someone passing whom I had never met, but that changed three times this year: when Dr. MacArthur passed, Charlie Kirk was assassinated, and Dr. Voddie Baucham passed.
As I reflect on the lives of these three men, one word comes to mind: confidence. Their confidence was not in their intellect, communication skills, or names. It was in the unchanging word of God. Their boldness in public or behind a pulpit came from their belief in a God who has spoken. God wrote a book, and in it, he detailed what he is like and what we should do. Our first parents failed to keep God’s rules, so sin entered the world, and death through sin. God gave laws to obey, but in human sinfulness, man violated and continues to violate those laws, and all mankind is under a curse. But God, in his great mercy, sent a promised seed. A seed that would be a divine head crusher. The ancient serpent, the great enemy of God, had his head crushed when the promised seed’s heel was bruised. God sent his only Son, the one he loved, and offered him up so that all those the Father had chosen before the earth’s foundations were laid would be saved. That is the message that drove Dr. John MacArthur, Dr. Voddie Baucham, and Charlie Kirk. While Charlie’s message was mainly political, he always proclaimed the gospel. Why? Because conservative politics without Christ still leads to the lake of fire. The gospel is where each of these men found their confidence. May we be as bold as they were for the glory of Christ and the advancement of His Kingdom until He comes.