Remembering Charlie Kirk: A Legacy of Faith & Courage
Photos by Jeff Adair and other sources
Erika Kirk pauses before she starts her speech during the memorial service for her husband, Charlie. She announced, with tears in her voice, that she had forgiven the shooter. “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.”
Erika Kirk, now the widow of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk, stood tall before more than 100,000-plus attendees at her husband’s memorial service in Glendale, AZ, on Sunday, quietly wiping tears from her eyes. Yet her voice was strong as she described his heart for the calling for which he’s now been immortalized.
Charlie was murdered on September 10 at Utah Valley University in Orem, UT, leaving Erika to raise their two young children.
“He knew things were not right with America, and especially [with] the young people, and that they needed a new direction. Charlie passionately wanted to reach and save the lost boys of the West, the young men who feel like they have no direction, no purpose, no faith, and no reason to live,” she declared. He regularly traveled to high school and college campuses to show them “a better path,” she added.
“He wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life.” Then she gently whispered, “That young man. … On the cross, our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Full tears then flowed as she looked up at a giant photo of her husband. “I forgive him [the shooter]. 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.” Her healing words were rewarded with long applause and a standing ovation.
Charlie’s assassination caused a deep shock to the U.S. and even the world. Just 31 years old, he died doing what he loved, engaging in dialog and debate with college students—all the while sharing his faith in Jesus Christ. He was known for energizing a generation of teenagers and young adults in freedom, faith, and responsibility, including political engagement. He interacted often in the highest political circles of this country. In the days following his death, many—adults young and old—gathered in huge groups around the country and the world to mourn the loss of a man they believed died too soon.
During a video shown during the service, Charlie shared these prophetic words: “Turning Point will live longer than me. That’s my mission.”
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7
His extraordinary memorial 11 days after his death felt more like a revival than a funeral. At least 70,000 people attended the heavily secured event at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, as another 30,000-plus watched on a screen at a nearby sports arena. Many were turned away. TPUSA leaders said 100 million streamed it online.
It was a literal “Who’s Who” event, as President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and all members of their Cabinet filled the front rows of the stadium, many of them relating Charlie’s impact on their lives, not just politically—but more importantly, spiritually. In a touching conclusion, President Trump closed out the service as the last speaker, inviting Erika back to the stage, embracing her in her grief, and walking off with her.
Preaching the Gospel
The more than five-hour service featured powerful worship led by some of America’s most well-known Christian music artists. The long list of speakers included his co-workers at TP USA, journalists and media personalities, politicians, and Christian apologists, many of them unashamedly and unapologetically preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ—as Charlie had modeled for them.
Apologist Frank Turek, one of Charlie’s mentors who was with him at his death, related that Charlie is in Heaven not because of his many accomplishments but “because his Savior sacrificed Himself for him. … The purpose of his life was to know Jesus Christ and make Him known—to make Heaven crowded.” He boldly asked the audience, “Where have your eyes been fixed?”
Rob McCoy, pastor emeritus of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park, CA, reported that TPUSA is alive and well despite the death of its leader. “Charlie Kirk called me his pastor. I called him my friend,” he recounted. “I was with Charlie a little over two weeks ago in Korea as he was supporting the persecuted Christians there. … He spoke to the youth there that now are chanting on the streets, ‘I am Charlie Kirk,’ standing for freedom across that country.”
Rob McCoy, pastor emeritus of Godspeak Calvary Chapel, passionately shares the Gospel during the memorial service. Many responded to that invitation.
Rob continued, “He had more lifetimes in 31 years than all of us in the entirety of our own. You’re going to hear what Charlie did, but I’m here today to tell you the Why in what he did. The Why brought him the courage, … the wisdom and the strength. The Why is the one that Charlie wanted to welcome as the guest of honor. The guest of honor’s resume is long. He’s the King of glory, … the Prince of Peace, … the Savior of the world, … the living God, … the God of all mercy and grace, the total embodiment of love, … of truth, and He’s here today to call His children back to Him. … Charlie wanted his Savior to be the guest of honor. He wanted all of you to receive this gift from Him. … Charlie was never afraid because he knew his life was secure in the hand of God.”
Pastor Rob offered a passionate invitation to the largest “church” of his life: “The Lord loves you. He wants to save you. He wants to give you a new life. He wants to cover the multitude of your sins with the blood He shed on the cross. You see, Charlie looked at politics as an on-ramp to Jesus. He knew if he could get all of you rowing in the streams of liberty, you’d come to its source, and that’s the Lord.”
He asked all who profess Christ as Savior to remain seated and those who were not saved, to stand. “The Bible says that when one sinner gives his heart to the Lord, the angels in Heaven rejoice; and I’ve got to tell you, there’s [some]one up there right now, Charlie Kirk, and he’s stoked and excited about your commitment to his Savior.” Spectators reported that many stood up to make that commitment.
Erika Kirk: Submitting to God’s Will
Erika described a time two years ago when Charlie spoke without a script at a TPUSA Faith event. “What he chose to speak about that day was his submission to the will of God. He quoted one of his favorite Bible verses, Isaiah 6:8: “Here I am, Lord, send me.”
I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” Isaiah 6:8
Backstage, she warned him, “… There’s so much power in that verse. … God will take you up on that.” And He did, 11 days ago. “God accepted that total surrender from my husband and then called him to His side. More than anything, Charlie wanted to do not his [own] will but God’s will.”
Erika explained, “Over these past 11 days, through all 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 was told that Charlie didn’t suffer. “In one moment, Charlie was doing what he loved—arguing and debating on campus, fighting for the Gospel in front of a big crowd. And then he blinked, … and saw his Savior in paradise. And all the heavenly mysteries were revealed to him.”
Following Charlie’s assassination, Erika noted, “We didn’t see violence, … rioting, … revolution. Instead, we saw what my husband always prayed he would see in this country—… 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 lives.”
Erika continued, “To those of you who just made that decision and took the first step toward a spiritual life, I say, ‘Thank you’ and ‘Welcome.’ One day, I hope you look back and realize this was the most important decision of your life, because it is. All of you who are already believers, it is your job to shepherd these people. Do not take that lightly. Water the seed of their faith, protect it, and help it grow.”
Being a follower of Christ is not easy and isn’t supposed to be, Erika cautioned. “Jesus said, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me’” (Matthew 16:24). He said He would be persecuted, that we would be persecuted; Charlie knew that and happily carried his cross all the way to the end. I want all of you to know that while Charlie died far too early, he was also ready to die. There was nothing he was putting off. … He left this world without regrets. … [He] died with incomplete work but not unfinished business.”
Erika issued Charlie’s common challenge to men: “Embrace true manhood. Be strong and courageous for your families, love your wives and lead them, love your children and protect them, be the spiritual head of your home, but please be a leader worth following.”
To women, she urged, “Be virtuous. Our strength is found in God’s design for our role. We are the guardians, … the encouragers, … the preservers. Guard your heart. Everything you do flows from it. If you’re a mother, please recognize that is the single most important ministry you have.”
After Charlie’s death, Erika was named the CEO and Chair of TPUSA. “I do not take that lightly. His passion was my passion and now his mission is my mission,” she proclaimed.
She also exhorted, “The world needs TPUSA. It needs a group that will point young people away from the path of misery and sin. It needs something that will lead people away from hell and this world and into the next. It needs young people pointed in the direction of truth and beauty.”
Erika closed out: “[Charlie] was going to change the world, and he did. [His] life was a real turning point for this country. It was a miracle. Let that miracle that was Charlie’s life be your turning point as well. Choose prayer, choose courage, choose beauty, choose adventure, choose family, choose a life of faith. Most importantly, choose Christ.”
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