If there’s one thing Charlie Kirk would have wanted people to embrace, it was a relationship with Jesus Christ. His memorial service on Sunday truly honored Christ. I didn’t catch all the moments, but here are the ones that resonated with me.
Before the service began, an A-list team of worship leaders, including Chris Tomlin, Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, Kari Jobe, and Cody Carnes, spent over an hour leading the assembled crowd in worship. I watched the feed on Fox News, and watching people raise their hands in worship encouraged me tremendously. It set the tone for what was to come.
Rob McCoy, Kirk’s pastor, led the speeches with his reminiscences of Kirk. He said that he wanted the Holy Spirit to be the guest of honor, but McCoy’s most powerful moment came when he offered an altar call, asking people to stand if they wanted to accept Jesus into their hearts. I’m not sure how many people stood in the crowd, but I imagine people across the nation made a decision, too.
McCoy pointed new believers to an onscreen QR code that linked to discipleship resources. Fox News showed the code on its feed as well. I can only hope and pray that thousands will come to faith as a result.
Larry Arnn, president of Hillsdale College, told the story of how he challenged Kirk to study the Bible and the classics of Western civilization. More to the point, Arnn told Kirk that he had to suffer to become stronger. After offering a college scholarship to Kirk’s two children, Arnn said, “Charlie, you see, has suffered enough. He's gone to the Lord. He deserves his reward.”
Tyler Bowyer, COO of Turning Point Action, joked that Kirk was having some “heavenly FOMO” at the moment, but he also related that Kirk’s dream was to “just bring the Holy Spirit into a Trump rally.” This memorial service sure sounded like that.
“He confronted evil and proclaimed the truth and called us to repent and be saved,” Andrew Kolvet, producer of The Charlie Kirk Show, said of Kirk. Later he said, “So friends, look around you. We've been worshiping, we've been singing, we've been joyful. Our hearts are grieving, but we do not grieve as the world grieves. Because it says in Scripture, ‘O, death, where is your victory? O, death, where is your sting? Christ has overcome death.’”
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Benny Johnson spoke next, and he referenced Genesis 50:20. “Evil thought there would be a funeral, but God intended a revival in this house right now,” he said. He asked the crowd if Kirk helped them center their lives toward Christ, and the reaction was unanimous across the whole arena. He called Kirk’s life a “miracle.”
Apologist Frank Turek, who was a Christian mentor to Kirk and who was standing behind Kirk when the shot rang out, told the story of what happened that day from his perspective. But then he gave a wonderful presentation of the gospel:
Now, I want you to know that Charlie, right now, is in heaven, 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. Now, look, there's only two things you can get in the afterlife. You can get justice, or you can get grace.
Ladies and gentlemen, does anyone in here, does anybody out there watching around the world want justice from an infinitely just Being?
I don't want justice, I want grace. Well, the only way to get grace for an infinitely just Being is for Him to punish an innocent substitute in our place. Where can He find an innocent substitute among us?
He can't. We're all fallen. So, what does this infinitely just and infinitely loving God do?
He adds humanity to His deity. He comes to Earth, allowing the creatures that rebelled against Him to torture and kill Him so that He could place their punishment upon Himself. By trusting in Him, every one of us can be forgiven and given His righteousness.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the greatest story ever told, and it happens to be true. There's evidence for this, and Charlie knew it.
Turek had other wonderful things to say:
After Turek spoke, the worship team led the crowd in “The Blessing.” On a personal note, singing along with this worship moment was the first time I was able to sing since my oral surgery on Thursday, and the emotion flooded me. What a powerful moment of worship!
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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who has practiced Hinduism, recognized Kirk’s deep faith. “Now, for those of us who knew Charlie and even those of you who may never have had the chance to meet him in person, we all know and experienced how Charlie spoke with a calm courage, not asking, ‘What will God do for me?’ But instead, praying, ‘God, use me for Your will.’” Later, she quoted 2 Corinthians 5:6.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio preached the gospel, too:
But I hope many who are watching, I imagine there are people watching here tonight that didn't know much about Charlie Kirk until 11 days ago.
Maybe they were disengaged from politics, maybe they were partially engaged. I hope one of the things they take from this is that the movement Charlie Kirk led and started and gave fuel to was about politics, but not only about politics. It was deeper, it was broader. And I would say that, taking the liberty, but I'm confident he would agree, one of the things he wants us to take away from this, from all of this, is the following, his deep belief that we were all created, every single one of us, before the beginning of time by the hands of the God of the universe, an all-powerful God, who loved us and created us for the purpose of living with him in eternity.
But then sin entered the world and separated us from our Creator. And so God took on the form of a man and came down and lived among us.
And He suffered like men, and He died like a man. But on the third day, He rose unlike any mortal man.
And to prove any doubters wrong, He ate with his disciples so they could see, and they touched His wounds.
He didn't rise as a ghost or as a spirit, but as flesh. And then He rose to heaven, but he promised He would return, and He will.
And when He returns, because He took on that death, because He carried that cross, we were freed from the sin that separated us from Him.
And when He returns, there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and we will all be together, and we are going to have a great reunion there again with Charlie and all the people we love.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth compared Kirk to the Apostle Paul. He also said, “Charlie Kirk was a true believer for the cause of freedom, for the power of young people, belief in our republic and our founding principles, in America first, and make America great again. But more importantly, he was a true believer. Only Christ is king, our Lord and Savior. Our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus. Fear God and fear no man.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said, “Charlie's overarching passion was his Christianity and his devotion to his God. He believed what St. Francis taught us almost a thousand years ago, that we should strive to live our lives in perfect, perfect imitation of Christ. That we should turn every day and every moment and every interaction into a prayer. And Charlie understood the great paradox, that it's only by surrender to God that God's power can flow into our lives and make us effective human beings.”
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Among the many things that Vice President JD Vance said, he brought up the Christian truths that Kirk shared with the world:
And Charlie Kirk brought many truths in his life. Charlie brought the truth that young people deserved a stake in the future and that they deserved to have a voice.
He brought the truth that marriage and family were the highest callings, far more important than any job or educational credential. He brought the truth that our nation would fade unless it brought order to its neighborhoods and prosperity to its people.
He brought the truth that life was precious and we must fight to protect it at all stages and at all times. But most of all, Charlie brought the truth that Jesus Christ was the King of Kings and that all truth flowed from this first and most important one.
But Charlie, he did so much more than tell the truth. He lived it. Charlie understood that the best evangelization was not in what you said, but in how you lived your life. And in this city, he lived his life well. He raised a wonderful family.
He had a beautiful wife, two beloved children, and a loving and Godly home. In this, he showed us the importance of family. He lived three decades he had on this earth with a sense of Christian virtue that would make any man, any person proud. And in this, he showed the importance of following God.
Vance struck me the most with a more personal moment. He said, “You know, I was telling somebody backstage that I always felt a little uncomfortable talking about my faith in public, as much as I loved the Lord, and as much as it was an important part of my life. I have talked more about Jesus Christ in the past two weeks than I have my entire time in public life. And that is an undeniable legacy of the great Charlie Kirk.”
Vance closed by quoting John 16:33. “Christ told us in the Gospel of John, ‘I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world.’ Charlie took heart, and now we must do the same.”
Kirk’s widow, Erika, who is taking the mantle of CEO of Turning Point USA, spoke poignantly and emotionally from the heart. After a standing ovation, she relayed the heaviness of the day her husband lost his life.
She’s such a tremendous speaker, and she said so much that I’m going to rely on my colleague Catherine Salgado to share in an article she’s writing later for most of it. But I want to highlight one powerful moment:
My husband, Charlie, he wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life. That young man, that young man...
On the cross our Savior said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." That man, that young man, I forgive him. Thank you. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is 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.
She concluded with an encouragement to the untold millions watching her speak: “Choose prayer, choose courage, choose beauty, choose adventure, choose family, choose a life of faith. Most importantly, choose Christ.”
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President Donald Trump spoke and characterized the service as an “old-time revival.” He also pointed out Kirk’s purpose in life, which began when he was in the 5th grade:
The president called Kirk “a missionary with a noble spirit and a great, great purpose.” He noted that Kirk constantly prayed, “God, use me for Your will.”
Trump pointed out how Kirk was at the forefront of a spiritual awakening in this country:
Perhaps it should be no surprise that Charlie, who spent his life speaking with the critics of these traditions, ultimately became convinced that we needed not just a political realignment, but also a spiritual reawakening.
We did. And we have to bring back religion to America because without borders, law and order, and religion, you really don't have a country anymore. We want religion brought back to America. We want to bring God back into our beautiful USA like never before. We want God back.
Charlie would've been so pleased to hear his friends and colleagues today giving testimony and giving glory to God.
Within minutes of the gunshot in Utah, millions of Americans, young and old, heard the news and dropped to their knees and started praying. Even many who rarely prayed asked God for a miracle. "Please, God, save Charlie." But although Charlie's time with us on Earth has ended, those prayers for a miracle have already been answered.
He reflected on Kirk’s legacy, saying, “He changed history. Today, Charlie Kirk rests in glory in heaven for all eternity. He has gone from speaking on campuses in Wisconsin to kneeling at the throne of God, where he is right now.”
It was an epic event that fittingly honored the memory of a young man who loved his country, loved freedom, and loved God. Even more, it was a service that glorified Jesus Christ in powerful ways.
At Charlie Kirk’s memorial, one truth rang out louder than any applause line: Jesus Christ is King. That’s the kind of bold faith and fearless truth we aim to deliver every single day at PJ Media.
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