Despite his proclivity for sparking controversy, Kirk’s real interest lies in changing his followers’ behavior. //

Kirk said he hopes his calls for young adults to lead a more meaningful life will actually result in them spending less time on social media. He has cautioned his young fans against becoming enamored by “deep-internet theories” taking the form of white supremacy, misogyny and antisemitism.

In recent Q&As Kirk has condemned those who “want to point and blame Jews for all their problems,” which he characterized as “hyper-online brain rot” that is becoming increasingly common, especially among “young white men.”

Kirk’s antidote is to channel young people’s frustration “toward the transcendent” instead of “tearing everything down.” More often than not transgressive conspiracies directly contradict scripture, according to Kirk.

In the face of “women-hating,” for example, Kirk reminds listeners that the New Testament teaches men to love their wife like Christ loved the church. Kirk is confident that much of the internet’s fringe rightwing commentary “can be easily debunked or dismissed.” But he feels a personal responsibility to provide a positive alternative.

“My job every single day is actively trying to stop a revolution,” Kirk said. “This is where you have to try to point them toward ultimate purposes and toward getting back to the church, getting back to faith, getting married, having children. That is the type of conservatism that I represent, and I’m trying to paint a picture of virtue, of lifting people up, not just staying angry.” //

However, Kirk has given his opponents plenty to react to, from calling Martin Luther King Jr. an awful person, to arguing that while ending segregation was good the Civil Rights Act was a mistake, to telling young women to prioritize starting a family over their careers and questioning whether certain Muslim elected officials are real Americans. //

Increasingly Kirk, who identifies as an evangelical Christian, has described his project in spiritual terms — using technology and talking-points to trigger a cultural Great Awakening. But the next American revival won’t happen on TikTok, and it won’t be spurred by political triumphs alone, Kirk says. It will show up in rising church attendance, marriage rates and childbirths.