Thousands packed the State Farm Stadium yesterday to honor the late Turning Point USA co-founder, Charlie Kirk. Among those who attended the event was revivalist and author, Isaiah Saldivar.
One of the most powerful moments of the event was when Erika Kirk publicly forgave her husband’s killer.
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“On the cross, our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them for they not know what they do,” said Kirk. “That man. That young man. I forgive him.” Saldivar simply captioned the video of this statement as “True Christianity.” How accurate this is. Erika Kirk did the hardest thing that anyone could possible do: She forgave the person who stole the life of her very best friend.
Another moment that Saldivar highlighted from the service was Pete Hegseth’s speech where he acknowledged that what we see happening around us is much more than a political or cultural battle.
“…This is not a political war,” Hegseth said. “It’s not even a cultural war. It’s a spiritual war. Faith and family first. There is a God, and as Charlie would say, it is not us. We’re sinners saved only by grace in need of the gospel.”
Hegseth described our greater need for God in every area of life, something that Charlie Kirk realized.
“Charlie had big plans. But God had even bigger plans.”
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Another highlight of the event was the three-hour-long worship that took place before any remarks were made. This includes how the holiness of God took over with Brandon Lake’s rendition of Angus Dei. Not only was God being displayed as real in this arena, but his glory was filling the space.
In the end, the Charlie Kirk memorial was far more than a gathering to mourn—it was a declaration of faith, forgiveness, and the eternal hope found in Christ. As Isaiah Saldivar rightly noted, this is “true Christianity”—a faith that forgives, a faith that worships and a faith that stands firm in the truth of God’s Word even in the darkest of times.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment.
