Lucas Miles, lead pastor of Nfluence Church and senior director of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) Faith, is rebuking claims that late TPUSA co-founder Charlie Kirk was in the process of converting to Catholicism.
Kirk led the organization until he was fatally shot Wednesday, Sept. 10, while speaking during his The American Comeback Tour stop at Utah Valley University. He was 31.
“A few recent interviews with John Yep (@USAYep) are circulating the claim that Charlie Kirk was in the process of converting to Catholicism. That claim is not accurate, and it needs to be corrected,” Miles posted on X Monday morning.
Yep is president and CEO of Catholics for Catholics.
Miles served directly under Kirk for 18 months before the TPUSA cofounder was assassinated.
“I have personally communicated with Charlie’s wife, Erika, and I also spoke directly with Father Kline, the priest referenced in these discussions,” Miles said. “After those conversations, the facts are straightforward.”
“Charlie was not in the process of converting to Catholicism, he never took Catholic conversion classes (OCIA), his marriage was never convalidated in the Catholic Church, and he was baptized Presbyterian and remained a Bible believing evangelical throughout his life,” Miles continued.
Miles added, “Father Kline indicated concern that his prior comments have been misconstrued and that the current public narrative is not accurately representing his conversations with Charlie’s intentions.”
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Miles emphasized that he wanted to be “clear” before stating that “respect for Catholicism is not the same thing as moving toward conversion.”
“Charlie respected many people across denominational lines,” he said. “Like many evangelicals, including myself, he read widely, including Augustine and Aquinas. None of that constitutes a conversion trajectory.”
Miles shared details regarding personal conversations he had with Kirk.
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