For too long, Christians have sold and bought the lie that loving God and loving your neighbor means embracing ill-named political centrism, caving in the culture war, and quietly refusing opportunities to obey the Great Commission. The assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and the widespread revival that followed, however, proves that the third way-ism that has infiltrated even the most seemingly solid Christian institutions has no home here any longer.
It’s not difficult to see that the “Christian nationalist” slur and smears corporate media, Democrats, and other cowards wielded in an effort to deter Biblically-informed life and law have taken root in key Christian circles, effectively neutering potential Good News bearers from delivering the best message of all time. Yet, a small but powerful sect of bold and morally courageous faithfuls, such as Charlie Kirk, successfully rejected those attacks and devoted their lives to sharing the Gospel with anyone who would listen.
The result of such a commendable act of obedience? A beautiful, one-of-a-kind memorial service in which millions of people across the world finally heard and saw the Good News that has been so readily suppressed from within in recent years.
For the first hour of the nearly eight-hour service, approximately 95,000 people threw up their hands and vowed to “praise You again and again.” The worship proclaiming the goodness of God was followed by the repeated declaration from the speakers, including several Trump administration officials, that Jesus saved. The end of the memorial featured widow Erika Kirk’s public proclamation of unthinkable forgiveness for her husband’s assassin.
Reports from within State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona suggested the room was electric with the Holy Spirit. From the stage, Tucker Carlson observed “God’s very obvious presence in this room, the presence of Jesus.”
Contrast Charlie’s exemplary evangelism and the many and mighty spiritual moments at his memorial with the behavior exhibited by some of the most renowned American Christian names, and you get an alarming picture.
The Big Eva leaders credited with carrying the mantle of American Christianity are guilty of shirking away from proclaiming the truth and celebrating Christian wins in the name of avoiding political skirmishes. In the worst cases, people such as Russell Moore, David French, and the Southern Baptist Convention’s lobbying arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, have become not just partisan pawns but active participants in the chorus of voices capitulating on Christ’s crucifixion, marriage, sex, the sanctity of life, and more and seeking to further divide Christ’s bride on what matters most.
Convincing an entire class of Christians to sit down and shut up about politics, or worse, pretend to coast in the middle of the road, certainly has been and would be an effective strategy for Satan to continue. Thankfully, God does not wait on the cooperation of man to enact his will.
Even without the help of Big Eva or the popular faith leaders who were shamefully silent or overly qualified their responses, God used Charlie’s martyrdom to spark a global revival.
People are flocking to churches, reading their Bibles, and publicly committing to live more like Charlie lived for Christ. Even the modern-day persecutors such as the corporate media have been forced to print stories with word-for-word calls to Christ-like love and forgiveness made at the memorial.
The Gospel by nature is offensive and “folly to those who are perishing,” which is why so many, even self-proclaimed shoo-ins for Heaven, fail to amplify it for fear of backlash. To the faithful and faith-curious who have received nothing but confirmation as of late that spiritual war for our souls rages on, however, the truth spoken from Charlie’s American Comeback tent and Charlie’s service shone with the unashamedness celebrated by Paul in Romans 1:16.
Americans are practically begging the Christians running our churches and country to return to the roots of their faith. The ever-present longing for a peace that surpasses all understanding and aching to taste and see that the Lord is good, however, won’t be satisfied with the lukewarmness that has dominated the pages of Christianity Today or possessed pulpits of many shapes and sizes any longer.
The mealy-mouthed and, frankly, cowardly behavior exhibited by so many prominent Christians in the last decade and especially this last week will not satisfy new converts who need pure spiritual milk nor will it nourish mature believers who long for soul-enriching meat.
The pastors, Christian podcasters, and others harping on Charlie’s past comments instead of focusing on the opportunity presented by his martyrdom are making a huge mistake. The time to make Heaven crowded is at hand, and those who have partnered with His will should waste no further time and effort whining about politics on colored Instagram graphics.
Instead, they should focus on living boldly for the Lord — like Charlie did. That includes staking everything on Christ, even if, as in Charlie’s case, it becomes the hill on which you die.