Leftists were desperate for a festival of anger and fear from Charlie Kirk’s packed memorial service on Sunday.
Newsrooms and pundits throughout the land were no doubt salivating at the sight of a Republican gathering they could mock as a “Nazi” rally, another Nuremberg, a gathering of hatred in memory of a man they despised.
What they got was worship instead — and on a scale rarely seen in human history.
Journalist and author Saleno Zito captured the moment perfectly:
The left & the press & the Never Trump folks were expecting a Wellstone moment. (Look it up) What they got was a revival. An Awakening. Likely the most viewed gospel presentation ever in the history of the country perhaps the . They really have no idea what has been unleashed. https://t.co/y4NDc0yd0D
— ZitoSalena (@ZitoSalena) September 21, 2025
“The left & the press & the Never Trump folks were expecting a Wellstone moment. (Look it up),” she wrote in a post on the social media platform X.
“What they got was a revival. An Awakening. Likely the most viewed gospel presentation ever in the history of the country perhaps the [world emoji]. They really have no idea what has been unleashed.”
Zito’s “Wellstone moment” was a reference to the 2002 memorial service for Minnesota Democratic senator Paul Wellstone, which degenerated so disgracefully into a political rally that a writer for the liberal website Slate noted the service had been “overshadowed” by “the angry piety of populism.”
What came out at the Kirk service was Christianity — those gathered at Kirk’s service in Glendale, Arizona, were overwhelmingly politically conservative, yes, but Christianity came first.
There was the altar call early on from Pastor Rob McCoy, the man known as Charlie Kirk’s pastor.
Pastor Rob McCoy asked anyone ready to follow Jesus to stand, and just like that, Charlie Kirk’s legacy of faith came alive in the room. #CharlieKirk pic.twitter.com/srTlO65bmk
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) September 21, 2025
There was Frank Turek, the Christian apologist and close friend of Kirk, a man who witnessed Kirk’s final moments on this earth, describing the essential platform of the Christian faith:
Frank Turek just preached the gospel to Thousands. https://t.co/YWA5yEA1UQ pic.twitter.com/4dXOU6mMxd
— Niyonkuru David Israel (@StDavidIsrael) September 21, 2025
Kirk is in heaven, Turek said, “not because he sacrificed himself for his Savior.”
“Charlie Kirk is in heaven because his Savior sacrificed Himself for Charlie Kirk.”
And there was Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, delivering her own haunting version of Jesus’ words on the cross, except applied to the man facing the death sentence for murdering her husband:
If you watch one thing today, let it be this — the truly remarkable display of grace and compassion from Mrs. Erika Kirk as she forgives her husband’s assassin because that’s what Christ would do.
We love you, Erika. pic.twitter.com/EsSUgeJx1F
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 21, 2025
“On the cross, our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do,” she said. “That man, that young man — I forgive him.”
The crowd responded with a standing ovation.
“I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do,” she said. “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.”
The event was in a class by itself from any perspective, but Andrew Kolvet, producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” put out some numbers that are actually eye-popping.
Our production and streaming partners tracked over 100 million overall streams for today’s tribute to Charlie. This is JUST what they know about. It’s likely much larger.
Over 100 million people just heard the Gospel proclaimed again and again by speaker after speaker. Truly…
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) September 22, 2025
“Our production and streaming partners tracked over 100 million overall streams for today’s tribute to Charlie. This is JUST what they know about. It’s likely much larger,” he wrote. “Over 100 million people just heard the Gospel proclaimed again and again by speaker after speaker. Truly remarkable.”
Theologian and Christian commentator Owen Strachan summed it up in a post describing how the gospel was woven throughout the hours-long ceremony — and summed up its effect in one word: “WOW.”
The gospel at the Charlie Kirk funeral was:
–Sung (beautiful worship music)
–Proclaimed (McCoy, Turek, others)
–Exemplified (through a bold and joyful God-centeredness)
–Fleshed out (by connecting Charlie’s faith to his courageous actions)
–Applied (as Erika Kirk… https://t.co/RrWPOdIeFf
— Owen Strachan (@ostrachan) September 22, 2025
It wasn’t at all what the left wanted. It wasn’t even close to the carnival of pettiness and spite that came to dominate the Democratic Party at Paul Wellstone’s memorial service two decades ago.
It was a testament, in a literal sense, to Kirk’s own public priorities when it came to faith and politics.
Reading CNN coverage, with its obligatory jabs at President Donald Trump, the disappointment was almost palpable, along with a slight grudging admiration.
But it’s what the country — and the world — got. And it was exactly what was needed.
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