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(NewsNation) — A few months before he was assassinated, Turning Point USA founder and conservative activist Charlie Kirk said if he were to die, he would want his legacy to be his Christian faith.

“I want to be remembered for courage for my faith. That would be the most important thing. The most important thing is my faith in my life,” he said.

Kirk was shot dead at an event at Utah Valley University where he was debating students. He was 31 years old.

The husband and father of two founded Turning Point USA when he was 18 years old, driven by his deep faith and love of country. He said the advocacy group centered on three big ideas. 

“I had this idea to galvanize and motivate the future youth of this country around a core set of ideas, not just political parties or politicians. And the ideas are: America is the greatest country in the history of the world, the Constitution is the greatest political document ever written, and free enterprise is the most sure way to lift people out of poverty and create prosperity for all,” Kirk said.

Charlie Kirk was an evangelical Christian

Kirk was an evangelical Christian with extensive knowledge of the Bible, which he often quoted during his talks and debates. He was outspoken about his opposition to abortion, calling it murder, and defined marriage as one woman and one man.

“Every human being has a right to life,” Kirk said. “Every human being, I believe, is made in the image of the divine, is sacred, is unique. And if we get away from this principle, as we have, we not only have moral degradation, we not only have the collapsing of the society around us, but it’s bad for that being itself. That being itself is unique, that being has rights, and who are we to say, just because we are older, that we get to murder it?”

Kirk encouraged young people to get married and to have children and to seek out a relationship with God. He told them marriage and family would lead to authentic happiness. 

“You are commanded to go do something productive with your life,” he said. “To go give, and to produce, and to risk and to then go sow into other people. That is a biblical idea that has made the world a profoundly better place.” 

Erika Kirk described Charlie’s devotion

In an emotional message after his murder, his widow Erika Kirk described his devotion to her.

“Every day he asked me, ‘How could I serve you better, be a better husband, be a better father?” Erika said tearfully. 

In a conversation with comedian and political commentator Bill Maher earlier this year, Kirk described what he believed as a committed Christian.

“We believe [Christ] … suffering the death that he did on the cross was him atoning for our sins, the sins of humanity,” Kirk said. “We’re all sinners, we’re all screwed up. We all got problems. We all got vices. … We all fall short of God’s standard and Jesus makes us whole.”

Charlie Kirk speaks of his faith

Kirk said his commitment to public discourse and political organizing was intimately linked to his faith.

“We as Christians are called to go into the public arena to correct error with truth. So I go to college campuses and there’s a lot of error. We are all sinners. We all live in error,” he said.

He said he worked to promote the debate of ideas among Americans to unify the country and prevent violence.   

“I go around universities and have challenging conversations because that’s what is so important to our country … to find our disagreements respectfully. Because when people stop talking, that’s when violence happens.”

Kirk said his goal was simple. 

“Before I go on a college campus, my prayer is very simple. God, use me for your will.”