Faith under fire: Grief, risk—and the legacy Charlie left behind

By Jen Schumann | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Grief is an ember. Handled well, it can light a thousand torches. Pastor Chris Goble put it plainly—Charlie “died because he was willing to do things that we weren’t”—then pictured that spark rising into a bonfire of new voices.

The scene in Orem set the tone, the flight to Phoenix confirmed it—and the work ahead now belongs to those willing to carry the heat without burning out.

The cost of courage

For Heidi Ganahl, the loss feels like “a gaping hole” in the conservative movement. “Freedom can be dangerous,” she said. “And it took a dear friend’s life.”

Goble anchored that grief in scripture, drawing parallels to the early church. “We live in a spiritual cosmic war,” he said. “We have to expect both real and spiritual bullets to be whizzing by our heads constantly.” 

Scripture frames it simply. In chapter 7, Stephen is killed under a hail of stones. In chapter 4, Peter and John answer a gag order with, “As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

For Goble, Kirk’s courage fit squarely in that tradition—uncomfortable, costly and necessary.

Grief collides with faith

Ganahl carried her own scars into the conversation. She recalled the plane crash that killed her first husband at age 27. “It shattered my life,” she said. “It took me a long, long time to learn to heal and grow through that pain.” 

That experience, she added, made her ache even more for Kirk’s wife Erika, who is now facing grief in its first raw hours. “Grief isn’t a smooth process. It’s a messy process.”

Goble answered with the language of faith. “The worst this world can do to us is kill us,” he said. “But for a faithful man, death only offers a ride home.”

It was a reminder, he said, that suffering and death had always been part of the story. 

The apostles were crucified, stoned or burned—and yet “every time one of them was killed, dozens more rose up.” 

Paul wrote it from confinement, and it still lands hard. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

For Goble, that verse captures the paradox of joy and courage the church must recover now—facing down danger, but refusing to retreat.

Parents, children—and the next fight

The weight of courage does not rest only on leaders. It presses on families. Ganahl recalled her mother’s call after the assassination. “Please, please stop politics,” her mom begged. “I don’t want to lose you.” 

Ganahl said her reply was blunt: “Mom, you raised us to be this strong.”

That strength runs through her daughters. Tori speaks daily to thousands through the Mountain Minute at Rocky Mountain Voice. Holly leads a Turning Point chapter at Valor Christian High School. Their boldness fills Ganahl with pride—and fear. “Gosh, it’s scary,” she admitted.

Goble shared the same conflict. “I’m that same neurotic dad,” he joked, describing how he checks Life360 on a Friday night to be sure his kid is safe. “I’m constantly afraid for them,” he said. But then he set fear against the witness of the early church. 

Then he widened the frame. “We live in a spiritual cosmic war where every minute and every molecule, everything in reality is at war over the souls of every single person who will ever live.”

That war, he added, requires the posture of soldiers storming a beach. “We are called to storm the beaches of reality in order to win souls back to him… we have to expect both real and spiritual bullets to be whizzing by our heads constantly.”

The message, for both parents, is stark: to raise children strong enough to speak truth in an age that punishes it may mean asking them to carry risks once unthinkable. And yet, they insist, the alternative—silence—is worse.

A call to live like Charlie

For Goble, the way forward is not mourning in silence but multiplying voices. “We need to finally forsake our lazy, cowardly comfort to actually go out and apply all of Christ to all of life courageously, come what may,” he said.

Ganahl echoed that charge, urging conservatives and Christians alike to rise from shock into boldness. “We are all Charlie Kirk. We are now all Charlie. We have got to keep our voice bold and strong.”

The grief is heavy. The fear is real. But the torch cannot go out. If Kirk’s life meant anything, it was that faith must be lived openly—even when freedom proves dangerous.

The ember is here—whether it becomes a bonfire depends on how much courage grief can ignite.

You can watch the full Unleashed conversation with Heidi Ganahl and Pastor Chris Goble here.

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.