2025: Triumphs, tragedies, and lasting legacies — Allie Beth Stuckey’s year in review

Without question, 2025 was anything but dull. Trump made a historic return to the White House. Biden regime policies were thankfully booted out the door. Left-wing violence reached astonishing heights. Natural disasters ravaged parts of the country. Infighting in conservatism burned bridges and fractured the MAGA base.

It’s been a wild year full of ups and downs. On this episode of “Relatable,” Allie Beth Stuckey revisits four defining moments of 2025.

1. Trump’s inauguration

On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump was sworn into the presidency for his second term.

It was quite an eventful occasion. The sound system failed just as Carrie Underwood began “America the Beautiful.” But the blonde country icon didn’t skip a beat, launching into an a cappella performance and hitting every note with her usual precision and cadence.

“That was beautiful,” Allie says.

However, controversy erupted when Trump took his oath. Unlike the majority of presidents before him, he did not put his hand on the Bible, leading many to brand it a scandal. But Allie says there was nothing significant or covert about it. The fact that the Trump family provided their own family Bible for the ceremony is proof that he wasn’t making any sort of anti-Bible statement.

2. Vatican elects the first American pope

On May 8, 2025, following the death of Pope Francis, white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel, announcing that the successor had been named. It was Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who selected the name Pope Leo XIV. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he is the first-ever American pope.

“It’s a really important historical moment — not just in the Catholic Church, but really in the West in general,” Allie says.

“Unfortunately, Pope Leo has some progressive views on some things that I would call unbiblical views on some things that I don’t love,” she adds.

3. Loss of four prominent Protestant leaders

The year 2025 sadly saw four courageous evangelicals pass away.

On May 26, Duck Dynasty patriarch, BlazeTV host, and devout Christ-follower Phil Robertson passed away at the age of 79 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

John MacArthur, an 86-year-old evangelical pastor and theologian, then died on July 14. He died from pneumonia after being hospitalized.

The following month on August 21, James Dobson — psychologist, author, and founder of the conservative Christian ministry Focus on the Family — passed away at age 89 from undisclosed causes.

And finally, reformed Baptist preacher and speaker Voddie Baucham Jr. passed away from an undisclosed emergency medical incident on September 25, 2025. He was only 56 years old.

“I mean, this is, like, just a generation of faithful evangelical Protestant pastors and leaders that we lost,” Allie says.

“Their legacy lives on, and God ordained all of their days, knew exactly when they were going to pass, but it’s still sad for all of us, but especially their families.”

4. Murder of Charlie Kirk

Lastly, 2025 will go down in history as the year when our beloved Charlie Kirk was murdered while speaking at a Turning Point USA event. On September 10, the TPUSA founder was struck in the neck by an assassin’s bullet on the Utah Valley University campus where he was launching his TPUSA 2025 tour. He left behind his wife, Erika, and their two children, as well as the TPUSA empire that has only exploded in growth since his death.

“I will never forget that day,” says Allie, who was friends with Charlie.

“This renewed interest in [God] that we all saw at Charlie’s memorial, that we all saw on college campuses, it is happening,” she encourages.

“It seems like the love of many has grown cold really fast — like we so quickly went from this unified moment at the memorial to conspiracies, to accusations, to slander, to gossip, to division.”

But revival is still happening. Maybe it’s not as loud and bold as it appeared in the beginning, but it’s happening nonetheless. “When we get to the other side of eternity, we are going to see this incredible, complex, interwoven tapestry of all of these little unseen and unsung moments in the lives of believers that culminated in someone’s salvation, and angels rejoicing because of that,” Allie says.

To hear more of Allie’s 2025 recap, watch the episode above.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

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