People began lining up before dawn outside State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona—hours before the start of Charlie Kirk’s memorial service Sunday afternoon. And while those who attended the service heard much about Kirk’s life, the Good News of Jesus Christ was unmistakable.
“The Name of Jesus was certainly heard at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service today,” Franklin Graham wrote on Facebook. “Speaker after speaker lifted up Jesus Christ, and this included many of President Donald J. Trump’s cabinet. The Gospel was clearly shared for all who were listening. As I watched, I couldn’t help but say, ‘Thank You Lord!’”
Kirk, 31, the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. In a sign of the extent to which Kirk’s assassination has captured the world’s attention and motivated Christians and conservatives, the service was broadcast on major news networks and streamed on multiple channels. An estimated 90,000 people attended in person; millions watched online.
Many members of Congress and most of President Trump’s cabinet members also attended. Speakers included President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who has taken the reins as CEO of Turning Point USA.
Speakers recounted memories of Kirk, many highlighting both his untiring energy and his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
“What was even more important to Charlie than politics and service was the choice he made in the fifth grade, which he called the most important decision of his life: to become a Christian and a follower of his Savior, Jesus Christ,” said Trump, who followed Erika Kirk toward the end of the service.
Kirk himself had stated in a June 29 interview how he would want people to remember him: “I want to be remembered for courage for my faith,” he said. “That would be the most important thing.”
Kirk’s pastor, Rob McCoy, explained how Kirk’s conservative politics intersected with his Christian faith: “Charlie looked at politics as an on-ramp to Jesus.” McCoy said. “He knew if he could get all of you rowing in the streams of liberty, you’d come to the source, and that’s the Lord.”
Apologist Frank Turek, who had mentored Kirk in Christian apologetics and was present the day Kirk was shot, explained that salvation comes not by our works but by trusting in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. “I want you to know that Charlie right now is in Heaven,” Turek said. “Not because he was a great husband and father; not because he saved millions of kids out of darkness on college campuses; not because he changed minds and chased votes to save the country; not because he sacrificed himself for his Savior. Charlie Kirk is in Heaven because his Savior sacrificed Himself for Charlie Kirk.”
Erika Kirk wiped away tears as she spoke for nearly 30 minutes.
“More than anything,” she said, “Charlie wanted to do not his will but God’s will. And over these past 11 days, through all of the pain, never before have I found as much comfort as I now do in the words of our Lord’s prayer: ‘Thy will be done.’”
She pointed out that Kirk’s assassination did not lead to violence, rioting or revolution. “Instead,” she said, “we saw what my husband always prayed he would see in this country: We saw revival. This past week, we saw people open a Bible for the first time in a decade. We saw people pray for the first time since they were children. We saw people go to a church service for the first time in their entire life.”
She gave words of encouragement to those who had stood earlier in the service to indicate that they wanted to put their faith in Christ, and she challenged men to be spiritual leaders.
And taking a deep breath, she spoke words that stunned many observers: “On the cross, our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they [do] not know what they do.’ That man. That young man. I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it’s what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer, we know from the Gospel, is love, and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”
