The assassination of Charlie Kirk is not only a personal tragedy — it marks the end of an era in America. For years, Charlie embodied the spirit of open debate and free exchange of ideas. He believed that by reasoning together, Americans could reach truth and consensus. But his death reveals something undeniable: the liberal order of neutrality and tolerance is dead.
As long ago as 2012, Catholic political philosopher Patrick Deneen foresaw this moment in his essay “Unsustainable Liberalism.” He warned that liberalism would eventually consume the moral capital it had inherited from Christianity, family, and community. Once those reserves were gone, it could not sustain itself and would collapse into either chaos or tyranny. Charlie’s assassination, and the vile glee with which some r