If there is ever any indication that I am talking to either a low-IQ person or a well-indoctrinated person, it is when I say the words, “Martin Luther” (10 November 1483 — 18 February 1546) in a serious conversation about world history and I then receive in knee-jerk response to that, the following three words, either “Martin Luther King?” (January 15, 1929 — April 4, 1968) or “Martin Luther King!”
The Realities Of Indoctrination
I can see the programming kick in. But that moment when programming kicks in, is the moment when a thinking person can choose to intervene, which does not happen in these moments. So, not only can I see the programming kicking in, but I can also see another painful to watch layer of disadvantage: the lack of knowledge about basic matters of culture. I witness, at its most basic level, how the individual is unable to counteract the programming because of that absence of knowledge.
Some people know they shouldn’t say, “Martin Luther King?” they just seem to know that it is an entirely different person, but they have nothing else valuable to say, so they just say that. Try this conversation enough, and ask people about it, and this thought process will likely become as clear as day to you too.
It is a sad testament on the condition of our society, because it demonstrates how effective some indoctrination has been. It is understandable why those who want to indoctrinate have come for the schools and for the modes of entertainment, for they are such powerful forces in controlling man’s mind.
Two Different Orders Of Magnitude Separate Martin Luther From Martin Luther King
One of those figures (Luther) is among the most impactful people in global history in the last 1,000 years. The other (Martin Luther King) is only one of the 200 most important people in American history over the last 100 years. Love MLK or hate MLK, the reality is that he has not stood the test of time for it has only been half-a-century since his passing and his ideas have been resolutely disregarded, especially in intellectual circles that claim to operate in his name. Love Martin Luther or hate Martin Luther, his work has stood the test of time and has been impactful to this day.
The two are not the same. Not only are they not the same, but they are entirely different orders of magnitude.
And I do not come to denounce Martin Luther King, nor to praise Martin Luther. I come to point to the realities of time. We have no idea what the people of tomorrow will think of the actions of today, let alone what the people of 500 years from now will think of the actions of today.
As such, it is entirely possible that Martin Luther King may fade into the background, especially since his most widely regarded disciples have such an unfaithful interpretation of his life’s work. He has become a name to throw around for politically expedient wins, and little more. At the same time, it is entirely possible that someone like Charlie Kirk will rise in prominence with the passing of time.
The Once Disregarded And Forgotten Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940), a century ago this spring, released what is widely regarded as the finest work of American literature over the past hundred years: The Great Gatsby. That is despite the fact that he died believing himself a literary failure, as did many of his age. He was far more prominently overshadowed by literary names that not 1 in 20 readers of this would recognize.
Similarly, William Shakespeare (circa 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) is widely regarded the finest writer in the English language, yet for a fairly long period of time, his work had been virtually forgotten. It is hard to predict what will last the test of time. It would not be strange for someone who is a household name today, to be entirely lost to history a few decades from now, or that an entirely obscure person be a household name a few decades from now.
Charlie Kirk Did Something Very Different With His Political Activism
Charlie Kirk (October 14, 1993 – September 10, 2025) fell at a time when America needed a hero. Prior to the time of his death, Kirk was one of the one hundred single most impactful political figures of the century, to date. While Charlie Kirk was a Donald Trump supporter, he understood so well, that America does not need Trump, as much as America needs Jesus. Kirk, 31, ran one of the most influential political organizations in the country and used politics not as the end goal, but as a pathway to bring Americans closer to Jesus.
In doing so, he has been part of a counter-cultural coup to return America and Americans to God. From The Mayflower Compact to the founding of California, we are a land, and a people founded in the name of God.
This places Kirk in an entirely different category from King and a different category than any widely known politico of our day.
Kirk’s impact on the world may grow, or it may wane. His recognition may increase, or he may fade into history. Time will tell, but I think some factors are in his favor on this matter.
The Disciples Of Charlie Kirk
Ben Shapiro has announced his intention to continue the work of Charlie Kirk, “We’re going to pick up that blood stained microphone where Charlie left it.” Such words are likely meant to encourage others.
While Mr. Shapiro is no doubt a very intelligent person. And I recognize that what Charlie Kirk did looked like constant intellectual jousting, again, what it really was, was constantly challenging people to have a deeper relationship with God.
Charlie had the shine of Jesus on him. Mr. Shapiro, unfortunately, does not, yet, at this time have that same shine. He could go out and do the things Charlie Kirk did, but he would not actually be doing the things Charlie Kirk did. Kirk shone like a person who spent a great deal of time in the Bible and in prayer.
Milo Yianopolous, too, has announced an interest in picking up where Charlie Kirk left off, as have others. “You killed the nice guy. So I guess you get me.” Even Gavin Newsom has stepped in ready to eulogize Charlie Kirk and has expressed an interest to fill Kirk’s shoes.
Glenn Beck, had no such presumption that man would fill his shoes, simply stating, “Rest in peace, Charlie. God will take it from here.” Nick Fuentes echoed that Kirk’s shoes cannot be filled. Candace Owens vowed to destroy the person who seeks to co-opt Kirk’s legacy.
In all likelihood, the change in mass communication, may make it unlikely that any one human will be able to control the reputation of Charlie Kirk.
If Kirk’s reputation can be kept true to the words of Kirk, and my guess is that it can be, for his videos are so prevalent and there is so much room for open public debate about who he is, then he will not become a diluted figure the way Martin Luther King has become. Time will tell.
King Fit His Era, But Kirk Fits The Entire 400-Year History Of America
While Martin Luther King may have been a fitting figure for a period, Kirk is a better long-term fit for America. King was a man who used the Bible to effect political change. Kirk was a man who used politics to bring people to the Bible.
Even his time on college campuses with a mic open to anyone who disagreed about the divisive political issues of our day, even that was often just a cover to be able to talk about Jesus. Everything I saw him do for years pointed back to Jesus.
Charlie Kirk Looks Smug, To A Confused America
Some found him smug and unlikeable. I get that. I understand how the world has gotten unfamiliar seeing a man who knows what he is about. I understand how the world has gotten used to: easily triggered, constantly emotional, incredibly confused, people being the norm in society. It was not always that way in America. It was not always that way anywhere in the West. There was a time when Christian faith was normal. There was a time where every individual knew some basic truths that he could easily state in his life. To one so un-used to encountering a person who understands truth, I could see how it would come across as smug.
Political Expediency Has Made Martin Luther King’s Name Of Little Value, Will The Same Happen To Charlie Kirk?
Martin Luther King has become a name most uttered by the least knowledgeable. Seldom is he faithfully quoted. Seldom have those quoting him taken the time to engage with his work and his many contradictions. He would likely be horrified at what America has become. So much of it has become that way through an ignorant obedience to those who speak his name for the purpose of inducing guilt and shortcutting mental capacity.
While Kirk and King have similarities in their lives, the practice of using King’s name has become the opposite of what Kirk’s life was about.
The political expediency that King’s name gets used to achieve is the same behavior that has destroyed King’s name. If Kirk’s disciples can avoid using his name for political expediency and can instead seek to maintain a faithfulness to his ideals, Kirk is likely to avoid the same fate as King.
King’s Legacy Has Become A Fairly Un-American Legacy, While Kirk Has Stood Up For The Founding Values Of The Country
Kirk raised up an army of free speech warriors, that will usher in a renewed era of American thought. It will not be his work singlehandedly, but his impact will be immeasurable.
King has been used to give rise to special privilege, division, that is outside of the founding intent of America, and aberrant in the context of American culture. This trend may represent a permanent shift in American culture.
What is more likely to happen is that America will return to being a Christian nation. If it does not, the American dream is over and America is not long for this world. King’s work as widely understood today, and the work of Kirk are on polar opposite ends.
Is The American Experiment Over, Or Are It’s Brightest Days Ahead? That Will Determine If King Remains Better Known Or If Kirk Becomes More Known
I have no idea which of those paths will be followed. I have no idea if good or evil wins. There are some one hundred countries on the planet already much like what King’s name is being used to turn America into, while there is only one America. There is likely to be revival in the land. America’s brightest days are likely ahead. The American experiment is not over.
That portends a bright future for the legacy of Charlie Kirk.
That means one day, when Americans look around at the world, it is entirely possible, children will page through books about world history and will ask their parents a question. They will likely know who Martin Luther was. They will likely know who Charlie Kirk was. And they might find themselves asking, “Who was Martin Luther KING?”
And the answer might be, “He was kind of like the Charlie Kirk of his day. People rallied around him and then he was killed by powerful people who felt threatened by what he had to say, but it was blamed on someone else entirely until we got to the bottom of it all.”
Imagine the society that it takes to have that reference point, instead of the society we today live in. But I believe that is exactly where we are headed.
The Likely Outcome
Some people find it controversial to say that Charlie Kirk is the Martin Luther King of this era. It is likely that there will be a time when King has faded into the background and Kirk has risen in prominence — again, only time will tell. But it is entirely possible that the less well known Martin Luther King will be described as “The Charlie Kirk of his day.”
