Charlie Kirk killing spurs Christian revival chatter as crowds surge and Jesus trends online
Pastors report busloads of new worshippers; Catholic campuses see attendance upticks; Google searches for Jesus spike in the wake of Turning Point USA founder's death.
The weekend after Charlie Kirk was shot, churches across the country reported a surge in attendance, with a Pittsburgh-area pastor telling The Washington Examiner that new congregants arrived by the busload for Sunday services.
While Kirk grew up Presbyterian, Catholicism has shown the most visible bump on college campuses. Matt Zerrusen, co-founder of Newman Ministry, said church leaders he has spoken with report larger Mass attendance, with some schools citing increases of about 15 percent. He noted that more than 400 students at Texas A&M University joined the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults class near the campus.
Separately, data tracked online show renewed interest in Christianity. The term Jesus trended on Google in the days after Kirk's death, with early activity strongest in Utah, where he was fatally shot on September 10.
At the memorial service held September 21 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, attendees were seen raising their hands in prayer as a Christian singer performed.
Speakers at the service tied Kirk's legacy to Christian faith; Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. drew a parallel between Kirk and Jesus, while Tucker Carlson and other commentators described Kirk as a martyr.
Erika Kirk, Charlie's wife, who was chosen to lead Turning Point USA after his death, carried on her husband's Christian ethos by forgiving Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man authorities say murdered him. She told a large crowd that she forgives him because forgiveness reflects a Christlike example.
Observers caution that it is too early to know whether this surge will endure. Pew Research Center has tracked trends in the religious landscape for decades. In 2007, 78 percent of U.S. adults identified as Christians; by 2024, that share had fallen to 62 percent. Over the past five years, the Christian share has remained relatively stable, hovering between 60 and 64 percent.
Whether the current attention translates into lasting engagement remains to be seen, but the events have injected a culture-and-faith axis into national discourse at a moment when debates over religion's role in public life are already intense.