The murder of Charlie Kirk is more than a personal tragedy. It is evidence that America has entered the crisis era. Violence, political decay, and collapsing institutions are the hallmarks of what historians call the Fourth Turning—the final stage in an 80–100 year cycle of renewal through hardship. The question before us is whether this crisis will consume us or whether a rising generation will lead us out of it.

At Kirk’s memorial, amid tears, there was worship. Thousands lifted their voices in prayer and song. In a moment of national darkness, faith shone through. Even atheists and lapsed believers testified online that they felt called by God. “I bought a Bible for the first time,” one wrote. Another confessed, “I am returning to church after 30 years.” This return to Christianity was not nostalgia. It was a glimpse of the foundation that can steady a faltering nation.

The Crisis Is Real

You may have heard the saying, “Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create hard times.” Though coined by novelist G. Michael Hopf, the idea echoes the generational theory of Strauss and Howe in their book The Fourth Turning.

Strauss and Howe explain that history moves in cycles, much like the seasons. The First Turning is a time of strong institutions and civic order. The Second Turning brings a spiritual awakening that questions those institutions. The Third Turning is an unraveling, when trust in authority erodes. The Fourth Turning is the crisis, when institutions collapse, conflict erupts, and a nation faces the possibility of rebirth—or ruin.

America’s history reflects this pattern. The Revolutionary War and the founding era were one Fourth Turning. The Civil War was another. The Great Depression and World War II formed yet another. Each crisis brought the nation to the brink, but each also produced renewal.

We are now living through the next Fourth Turning. Trust in government, media, education, and even once-reliable institutions like banking and medicine is collapsing. Anger and polarization are rising. Families are strained, communities fractured, and civic order weakened. Violence and despair spill into daily life. The tragic loss of Charlie Kirk is a reminder that this is not abstract theory—it is our lived reality.

But history also teaches that crises are not merely destructive. They are moments of transformation. The storm can destroy, but it can also purify. Out of fire and trial comes the possibility of renewal.

Why Millennials and Gen Z Are Ready

In every Fourth Turning, a rising generation is called to shoulder the task of rebuilding. Strauss and Howe identified Millennials as the Hero Generation—those who come of age during crisis, rise to meet the challenge, and rebuild institutions for the next era. Gen Z follows as the Artist Generation—those who grow up in the shadow of crisis, refining and stabilizing what the heroes rebuild.

Far from the stereotypes of fragility and entitlement, Millennials and Gen Z are uniquely prepared for this calling.

• They know disillusionment. From 9/11 to the Great Recession, from endless wars to pandemic lockdowns, they have seen firsthand the cost of failed institutions. They do not idolize the system—they are ready to reform it.

• They are builders. When old systems collapsed, they created new ones: homeschooling networks, startups, small businesses, alternative media platforms, and even homesteads. They have learned to build when others only complain.

• They crave meaning. Consumerism and shallow politics have left them empty, but many are rediscovering faith in Christ and the timeless truths of liberty. This hunger for transcendence equips them for leadership rooted in principle, not ideology.

• They are resilient. Economic instability, cultural hostility, and political dysfunction have not crushed them. Hardship has shaped them for responsibility, just as the Great Depression shaped the G.I. Generation before World War II.

This generation is not doomed to be passive. They are being summoned by history.

Faith and Freedom Rise Together

What can steady a nation in such times? Not mere politics. Not stronger laws. Not new bureaucracies. Only a return to first principles.

The Constitution’s checks and balances reflect a biblical truth: man’s power must be limited because man is fallen. Liberty can only endure when the people acknowledge a higher law than government—the law of God. For generations, this conviction kept America both free and stable. But as we have abandoned it, our institutions have decayed.

We will not heal America by further breaking the Constitution. We must restore the checks and balances eroded by misguided amendments, destructive court rulings, and decades of executive and judicial overreach. Only then can liberty once again thrive.

This is why the spirit of revival at Charlie Kirk’s memorial matters so deeply. Christianity is not merely private comfort; it is the cultural and moral anchor of a free people. It provides the shared moral language that allows us to live together under liberty. A generation that bows before Christ will never bow before tyranny.

A Call Across Generations

For Millennials and Gen Z to fulfill their calling, they will need the support of those who came before them. Just as the G.I. Generation was supported by the Silent Generation, today’s rising generations cannot carry the burden alone.

• Gen X and Boomers: Resist the temptations of cynicism and nostalgia. Do not dismiss the youth or retreat into despair. Instead, mentor them. Invest in them. Share your wisdom, resources, and encouragement. Stand beside them as they build.

• Millennials and Gen Z: Do not shrink back. History is waiting for you. Embrace faith, family, and responsibility. Study history, and learn governing principles from thinkers like Cleon Skousen, Milton Friedman, and Thomas Sowell. Restore moral institutions, protect liberty, and rebuild America’s civic life from the ground up. Do not wait for permission. Do not wait for perfect conditions. Begin now.

The Way Out

Charlie Kirk’s murder underscores the depth of our crisis, but the hope displayed at his memorial shows the way forward: faith in God, restoration of constitutional principles, and the courage of a rising generation.

We cannot avoid the storm of the Fourth Turning—but we can decide what kind of nation will emerge on the other side. Will it be a people consumed by fear and tyranny, or a people renewed by faith and liberty?

America has faced such questions before. In the Revolution, ordinary farmers and merchants took up the cause of independence. In the Civil War, Americans shed blood to preserve the Union and end slavery. In the Depression and World War II, an entire generation rebuilt the world on the principles of freedom. Each crisis was real, but each gave birth to renewal.

Now it is our turn. The storm is upon us, but storms do not last forever. What follows depends on us.

Let us be the generation that chooses faith over fear, liberty over tyranny, and truth over lies. Let us rebuild America on her true foundation: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Richard Genck – Iron County Republican Executive Secretary