Erika Kirk warned Christians about what she called a “counterfeit” faith online, blaming social media, online outrage and division, and urging believers to live out their faith rather than simply claim to defend it.

The 37-year-old Turning Point USA CEO delivered the message during Liberty University’s Convocation, marking her first visit to her alma mater since the assassination of her husband, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, in September 2025.

Speaking to students at the Christian university, Kirk reflected on conversations she shared with her late husband about what it truly means to follow Jesus. She said those conversations kept bringing them back to the difference between claiming to be a Christian and living in obedience to Christ.

“We kept coming back to this … notion that saying you’re a Christian and living your life in obedience to Christ is not necessarily the same thing,” she said.

Kirk challenged believers to examine whether their actions reflect Jesus’ teachings, warning that outward displays of faith don’t always reveal a person’s heart.

“You can go to church every Sunday. You can memorize Scripture. You can have ‘child of God’ in your Instagram bio,” she said, and still believe you’re fighting for something righteous while being wrong.

She explained that some of the most dangerous spiritual influences are hard to recognize because they can look rooted in good intentions.

“It gets harder when something looks right when it’s wrong or when something feels righteous, but it’s actually destructive,” Kirk said.

The mother of two described witnessing people engage in cruel and dishonest behavior while invoking God, Scripture and spiritual warfare to justify their actions.

She warned that Christians can become convinced they are defending biblical truth while actually producing what she called “the fruit of chaos” rather than “the fruit of truth and order.”

“The enemy is very good at counterfeits,” Kirk said.

“The most dangerous counterfeit may be the one that feels so righteous, it convinces you that you are doing God’s work while slowly pulling you away from Him.”

Kirk also expressed concern about social media, arguing that online communities can create a false sense of connection while pulling believers away from meaningful relationships and service. She said the internet has distorted God’s design for community.

“The internet has distorted God’s design for community,” she said, describing how people can spend hours debating issues online without building relationships in the real world.

She noted that everyday acts of faithfulness rarely receive the attention or recognition that online arguments do. By contrast, those small acts often matter most.

“Nobody applauds you for putting your phone down and building real relationships with your friend,” Kirk said. “Serving at your church probably won’t go viral.”

Still, she reminded students that those seemingly small acts matter to God. God sees all, she emphasized.

“God sees all,” she emphasized.

Rather than relying on social media algorithms to determine what’s true, Kirk encouraged Christians to seek wisdom through Scripture, discipleship, and relationships with people who know them personally. She said it’s a lot harder to lose your way when you have real people around you who actually know you.

“It’s a lot harder to lose your way when you have real people around you who actually know you,” she said.

Kirk urged believers to evaluate spiritual influences by the results they produce, echoing Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7 about recognizing people by their fruit. She encouraged students to become “happy warriors” rather than angry ones, making room for the Holy Spirit in their daily lives.

She encouraged students to become “happy warriors” rather than angry ones and to make room for the Holy Spirit in their daily lives.

Kirk closed by thanking supporters for their prayers following her husband’s death, saying those prayers have been “so sustaining for us.”