Revival Rises

Thoughts about Charlie Kirk's Memorial

I watched the whole thing because there had already been so many falsehoods put out about Charlie Kirk and I would rather hear the primary sources. I held off until I could talk to a friend who attended the gathering in person. Some of these observations really belong to her

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There were five undeniable facts about Charlie Kirk’s Memorial:

1. the gospel of Jesus Christ was preached to the whole world by several people with boldness and clarity. If you’re a Christian and you can’t rejoice about that — well, maybe some time on your knees is in order.

2. God is doing something significant in the hearts of people.

3. There were a diversity of speakers, some of whom are false teachers, opportunists, people with misplaced motives and malice. Some people were there because they are attracted to power.

4. There was some REALLY BAD theology spoken from the platform.

5. There was also some REALLY GOOD theology spoken from the platform.

A Great Commission Moment

The gospel was preached to the whole world by several people with boldness and clarity. That was the main observation I had and my friend April agreed with me.

Think about the impact of one life. Charlie Kirk was 31 years old. He had such an influence on the people around him that even the nonChristians were preaching the gospel at his memorial. Some of the speakers sounded like baby-Christians — a kindly term evangelicals apply to new Christians who don’t have all their theology worked out yet. So many speakers focused on Jesus Christ and repentance. That’s not a popular message these days, but it is one the world needs to hear. The estimate is that 100 million people have viewed the memorial in just three days.

Christians should rejoice that occurred, even if the impetus for it was horrible.

A worship service occured before the livestream began. Aptil felt it was a great way to “tone down” any rage people might be feeling as was Erika Kirk’s Christ-centered example of faith in forgiving the man who assassinated her husband right in front of her.

Transformation of Hearts

God is doing something significant in the hearts of people. This didn’t start with Charlie Kirk, although I’m sure he approved. A spontaneous student-led revival at Asbury College in 2023, centered around worship and prayer and spread to several other university campuses. Som of us were saddened to see the wave break after several months, but there has been a lingering spiritual impact that Christians have noted and hoped to sustain. Certainly, many of us are praying Asbury signaled the start of a broader spiritual wave that will grow globally.

The risk of movements like that is people try to manufacture what cannot be faked. Revival comes from the soul of Christian worship. It is Christ-centered. It can’t be, no matter how much people want it, the product of programming. Asbury was spontaneous and that’s what made it wonderful. It didn’t need a big rally or a flashy preacher whipping everyone into an emotional frenzy.

True revival is centered on true repentance and that’s hard to fake. I’m seeing fleeting glimpses of Christ-centeredness unmarked by emotionalism. For example, Cabot Phillips of the Daily Wire posted that students in his community have been so inspired by the events of this past week that they set up a table at the mall giving away free Bibles with a sign invited people come talk to them, ask them a question, let them pray for them.

I’ve encountered social media posts by people a lot of churchy Christians would normally think are beyond help and hope, saying they’re now curious about Jesus.

My church’s college-age group ballooned over the last two weeks — so much that our regular college students had to ask for help gettng the curious and the returning to church this Sunday. Their cars weren’t enough.

There’s a coffee shop just off our campus here where I usually go to overhear conversations which end up in my novels. Normally, I get a lot of socialism (right off campus), but this Sunday there were three tables where people were talking about Charlie Kirk and Christianity and one where three college-aged girls were having a Bible study. When I complimented them, they shared that they’d normally do this in one of their dorm rooms, but in light of Charlie Kirk being assassinated for standing for the truth, they figured they’d be brave and start having their weekly after church meeting in a public place.

A coworker who was raised in Taiwan who has always been apolitical and arelgious didn’t know what to think when there were people with such divergent opinions about a man she’d never heard of before he died. She sat down and listened to at least six hours of Turning Point USA videos of Charlie Kirk fielding questions from sometimes very angry college students. She wanted to know why people hate such a kind man. And that gave me an opportunity to share my faith that she’s never given me before.

We have an unprecedented (within our lifetimes) opportunity to share the gospel right now. People are the most receptive to the gospel right after a tragedy that causes them to question their own worldview.

My pastor usually avoids politics like the plague, but these last couple of weeks he’s had a dozen conversations about Charlie Kirk, so he spoke from the pulpit about the situation, this last Sunday.

God is doing something significant, but we should probably realize it’s going to be messy. Lots of new Christians means lots of need to welcome people in truth and compassion.

Charlatans Have Always Been with Us

The apostles had to deal with some. There’s always going to be people attracted to the bright lights and be careful what you believe. Just because it happens at a church service or is said at the memorial service of an outspoken Christian, doesn’t mean it’s God speaking.

Bad Theology Exists

I heard a lot of it during the livestream. I think some people were genuinely trying to honor Charlie by talking about Jesus, but they just don’t know a lot about the subject. I really like Tulsi Gabbard, but she’s a Hindu and, unlike Rivek Rhamaswamy, she didn’t attend Catholic school as a kid. I think she meant well and, if I were to meet her face-to-face, I wouldn’t tell her she a spiritual dunderhead, but that whole bit about “take shelter in God, draw strength and fearlessness from the Lord. He sits within everyone of our hearts just waiting for us to choose him, to say — as Charlie did—God use me for your will” - NOT the gospel. Maybe that’s what she remembered from some conversation she’d had with Charlie.

If you’re doing it right, Christians, your faith leaks out in conversations.

But….

God is not sitting within every one of our hearts. That would be pantheism, which teaches when God created the universe, he poured his spirit into all created matter. As a Hindu, Tulsi probably believes that, but you won’t find that theology in the Bible. I don’t hate her for it. She didn’t screw up the memorial. It just wasn’t the gospel. The Bible teaches God is omnipresent — everywhere all at the same time — because He is spirit. He doesn’t have a physical body so He’s not contained by physical matter.

It is entirely allowable to appreciate her for speaking and still disagree with the content of her speech. I’m praying for her salvation.

Do we need to get into the theological problems with Trump’s speech?

Trump was definitely lost in the theological woods, but he also pointed out that Charlie was the better man and Erika is a better woman. Trump doesn’t want to forgive. Charlie would have. We should pray Trump will be convicted of his sin and turn to Jesus.

Words of Truth

There was some excellant theology spoken from the platform. Frank Turek preached it in a way I wasn’t expecting. I was familiar with Turek before this, but that sermon was white hot gospel, touching on penal substitutionary atonement, imparted righteousness, justification by grace through faith alone, Rob McCoy did an excellent job of proclaiming the gospel. I especially loved that he invited people to stand to make their commitment to Christ public. April says a lot of people stood up, though you couldn’t really see it on the livestream.

All Christians should be rejoicing that 100 million people, including the president of the United States and the wealthiest man currently alive, heard the gospel.

When I heard Charlie Kirk had been assassinated, I was stunned and my first thought was — They have just ended the free speech movement in America — followed by a second thought to wonder if it would have a chilling effect on evangelism.

If anything, it’s made the two movements stronger. I do want to caution new Christians that you don’t work out your relationship with Jesus by joining a political party. TPUSA does some really cool things, but what they do is not nearly as cool as what Jesus does. The two are not synonomous. And that was a bit of bad theology coming from that stage.

Overall, I’m very positive about what has grown out of this tragedy. There are several Christian podcasters and ministers who are stepping out from behind the microphone to do what Charlie did. Charlie was a Christian, but he was primarily focused on politics and culture. TPUSA is a secular organization. It’s not a ministry. But there is TPUSA Faith and it’s not had a perfect record from an evangelical perspective, but the moment is precious and we shouldn’t waste it. We’re call to reach people for Christian by all ways available. Let’s pray for that to happen.

I Peter 3:15

But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.

Yet do it with courtesy and respect, keeping a good conscience, so that those who slander your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame when they accuse you. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if God wills it, than for doing evil.

Because Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring you to God, by being put to death in the flesh but by being made alive in the spirit.