How Charlie Kirk learned to turn off the phone — and why the Sabbath shaped his life and posthumous book
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was exhausted and in physical pain when Pastor David Engelhardt persuaded him to pause his work week for one day and honor the Sabbath by turning off his phone and disconnecting from politics.
Years later, Kirk authored a book championing how honoring the Sabbath transformed his life and opened doors to build better foundations for his relationships — whether it be with his wife, Erika, and their children, family and friends, and his relationship with God.
"He would turn his phone off so he wouldn't be distracted by his work. … He would spend his time with his wife and kids and they would rest, and they would go on walks and …spend some time in scripture. He practiced it from Friday to Saturday. That's what worked best for his schedule," Englhardt, a TPUSA board member who has been a friend and pastor to the Kirks stretching back years, told Fox News Digital.
Engelhardt, who is the pastor of Kings' Church in New York City, spoke to Fox News Digital following the release of Kirk's best-selling posthumous book, "Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life," which celebrates that honoring the Sabbath is the answer to an exhausted, anxious, always-online America.
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Engelhardt met Charlie Kirk through Erika Kirk when she lived in New York City, the pastor explained. He took Fox Digital through a conversation he shared with Charlie Kirk in 2021, when Englhardt took notice that the TPUSA chief was physically and mentally drained and on a trajectory to burnout.
"He was physically in pain," Engelhard told Fox News Digital. "He was having back issues, and knee issues and the burden of the organization was really heavy on his shoulders. And I said, 'Charlie, I don't think you can continue to do this unless you take the Sabbath. Unless you take this biblical command.'"
The TPUSA chief initially resisted shutting off for one day to recalibrate for the next week.
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"I think one of the things Charlie said was, like, ‘What if the president calls me? Like, what am I supposed to do?’ We live in a day and age where anyone can call you at any time … and he's dealing with massive important matters of state. And you know the pushback, the response is like you actually have to care for yourself more than you care about your appearance in the eyes of the world. And you actually have to know that if you obey this and you actually turn off for 24 hours, it will bring blessing into your life," he said.
Engelhardt recounted that the pair "kind of argued about it for a minute" before Kirk warmed to the idea and adopted it with great success.
"I just said, 'Trust me, if you rest, you'll have more energy and more capacity and more ability.' And because he's insanely disciplined, or was insanely disciplined, he started, I think, the next week after I challenged him, and he told me it saved his life, he told it changed his life. And I think that's there's so many people that burn out and crash and burn their lives, because they just don't care for themselves They don't take care of the body. They don't recognize that we're not machines, that we need seasonal rest."
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Honoring the Sabbath is one of the 10 Commandments, with Engelhardt pointing to both the Old and New Testaments outlining that God, Himself, did not need to rest on the seventh day as described in the Book of Genesis, as He is all powerful, but showed people that they need a pattern of weekly cycles of ends and new beginnings.
"The commandment is that you're not supposed to work on the Sabbath," Engelhardt said. "And the idea is, the scripture says, in six days you shall labor and on the seventh day you shall rest because it is holy. And so it follows a pattern, the same pattern that we see in Genesis, where God works. He creates the whole world and then He rests on that seventh day."
"The scripture says, His mercies are new every morning. And so, it's a really important scripture or principle in the scripture that allows us to start again, to start afresh, to incorporate things like repentance," the pastor said.
Kirk's posthumous book was released Dec. 9 and quickly became a best seller on Amazon lists, walking readers through how "observing the Sabbath isn't a rejection of modern life but a rebellion against busyness and a pathway to genuine connection, peace, and presence," the book description outlines, specifically, "how to unplug, recharge, and reconnect with God, family, and yourself in a way that nurtures your soul."
The book's release was followed by TPUSA holding its AmericaFest event in Arizona from Dec. 18 to Dec. 21, where conservatives, supporters of President Donald Trump and others took the stage, frequently celebrating Trump's accomplishments following his return to office, as well as remembering Kirk following his assassination in September.
Engelhardt told Fox Digital that Kirk's book on the Sabbath was one of about four book projects he was thinking about and working on ahead of his death, remarking that "Charlie was really excited about it … he just kept saying, ‘I have to get this Sabbath book out.’"
During AmFest, old footage of Kirk celebrating his embrace of the Sabbath was projected out to the crowds.
"I actually don't work one day out of the week, so I take a Sabbath every Saturday, turn my phone off," Kirk was heard saying in footage played on the first day of AmFest. "No work, just kids, just family. It's an amazing blessing. If you are feeling overrun by society, you might be feeling depressed or anxious. Turn your phone off for one day."
"That is a day for worship. That is a day for the Lord," Kirk continued. "That is a day to go be with God and be out of the busyness and the hurried ness and the noise of this world."