Joel Halldorf

COMMENT. The brutally murdered conservative debater Charlie Kirk has had a huge impact on USA :'s politics. But to understand Kirk's politics, you need to understand his Christian faith.

His political beliefs sprang from an extreme but growing religious movement in the United States.

When Kirk started Turning Point USA in 2012, he was influenced by the old right, which was more libertarian than conservative: free capitalism and as small a government as possible. At the time, he also emphasized the importance of separating religion from politics.

That changed in 2020, after Kirk met the pastor Rob McCoy McCoy preached a theology called “The seven mountain mandate.” According to it, society consists of seven spheres, or “mountains”: family, religion, education, media, arts and entertainment, business, and politics.

Christians, the followers believe, are called to take control of these seven mountains.

Here, political work becomes a “spiritual battle,” where the goal is to free the nation from demonic forces.

It clashes not only with liberal values, but also with a classically liberal view of the state.

Kirk's transformation from secular libertarian to conservative Christian was rapid. As early as 2020, he stood at a conference and introduced Donald Trump with the words:"Finally, we have a president who understands the seven mountains of cultural influence."

Against this backdrop, Kirk's political stances become more understandable. Not just the expected things, like his opposition to abortion and LGBTQ rights, but also his suspicion of institutions (universities, media). According to this worldview, these mountains are corrupted by destructive forces – demons or Marxists – and they become trustworthy only when conquered by Christians.

This is a form of Christian nationalism that wants society to be governed by Christians, based on their interpretation of the Bible.

This clashes not only with liberal values, but also with a classically liberal view of the state. Since Anabaptism in the 16th century, liberals have defended themselves against state interference in church life. Faith, they argue, must be completely voluntary if it is to be worth anything.

But in American evangelicalism, this principle is now being eroded.

Kirk has not only been inspired by the Seven Mountain movement, but has also given it something. A new style: more aggressive, provocative and taboo-breaking. There has been a shift within the religious right so that what was previously on the margins has become the center. Clean pastors have been replaced by eccentric and extreme voices. Instead of Billy Graham now dominates Paula White the scene.

Kirk's Christianity is now intertwined with Donald Trump's politics. This world of ideas also permeates Project 2025: the evangelical, nationalist roadmap that guides the Trump administration.

Together, Seven Mountain theology and Maga politics are a force that profoundly shapes the United States.