I can’t stop thinking about the Charlie Kirk memorial that I watched earlier this evening. I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like it. When have we ever seen the Vice-President of the United States, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of War, and many other high public officials speak of their faith in Christ? It was even more stunning that such high officials shared the platform with the likes of us “low church” evangelicals. But there it was.
I have no illusions about what that gathering was. It was less of a church service than it was a political rally. Nevertheless, many of the Christians who took the stage sought to bear faithful witness to Christ and his gospel. And that they did. So the event was a mixture of Lee-Greenwood-style patriotism and Billy-Graham-style Christian witness. Some may be offended by this mixture, but I am not. A friend wrote to me privately after the memorial, “Politics is often made better when it gets more religious; religion is almost always made worst when it gets more political.” That is true. And what was on display today was the former, not the latter.
Anyway the two different visions for America going forward couldn’t be more stark. There have been no riots or widespread violence in response to Kirk’s assassination, and there isn’t going be. What a contrast to the cities that burned in the “mostly peaceful protests” of 2020. People can’t help but notice, can they?
It would be a mistake to view that memorial as Christian Nationalism. There was no imposition of a state church or of a “Christian Prince.” None of that was in the offing at all. Rather, it was simply freedom-loving Americans celebrating the life of a conservative patriot and Christian, Charlie Kirk. They all knew that honoring Charlie would mean honoring Christ first of all, and that is what so many of them did. But no one was pushing any thing like an established church or Christian Nationalism.
But still, none of that was what has arrested my attention. What has gripped me and everyone who watched that broadcast is Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow. She put the gospel on display for the whole world to see in her remarks. She also did the one thing that cannot be explained on planet Earth except as a consequence of the new birth. It’s what Jesus commands his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:43-45).
Today, Erika Kirk was her Father’s daughter. She addressed “that young man” who murdered her husband. She said that her husband’s life work was to reach hopeless people like “that young man.” She cited Jesus’ death on the cross for sinners and in a shot heard round the world exclaimed “I forgive him.” The crowd stood to their feet in a tearful ovation and in awe of such grace.
This is the miracle that cannot be explained except by the new birth. It’s one thing to love your neighbor. But love your enemies? No one can love like that apart from the animating power of the Holy Spirit. It was the gospel embodied, and it was powerful. It was the argument to which there is no answer. It’s the game-breaker that makes all the cynics and the skeptics put their hands over their mouths. What the enemies of God need to know most is that God loves His enemies. How are they going to learn that unless Christians love their enemies as well? That is what Charlie’s widow put on display, and we will never forget it.
The President spoke after Erika, and his words were not the same as hers. They were quite the opposite, in fact. He declared—with sort of a tongue-in-cheek— that he likes to hate his enemies. This kind of rhetoric from the president used to get me angry, even though he was joking. But no more. Now I just see him as a man who needs Jesus. Nothing is ever going to change for him unless he repents from his sin and trusts in Christ. I’m less concerned about being mad at the President for such expressions and more concerned about praying for him. Maybe you will be too.
Before the memorial was all said and done, there were both wheat and chaff taking turns on that stage. So it was definitely a mixture. But there was some real christian gospel in there, and people can tell the difference. I tuned into MSNBC to see what they were saying about the memorial. I kid you not. They were discussing whether Erika Kirk’s vision of “love your enemies” would win out or Trump’s “hate your enemies.” Even the commentators on MSNBC could absolutely see the difference between the two.
Thank God for that, and pray for the President to bow the knee to Jesus once and for all.
In the meantime, marvel at the manifold grace of God, and rejoice that the Gospel was preached. Is a revival about to break out? It’s too soon to say. If revival happens, the first sign of it will be repentance. As far as sin is concerned, people must name it, claim it, and repudiate it. When that happens, we’ll know whether Jesus has smiled on us by granting revival. Until then, watch and wait and pray.
