Charlie Kirk murder sparks reported Christian uptick as Google searches for 'Jesus' surge

The shooting of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on September 10 at Utah Valley University in Orem has been followed by reports of renewed religious engagement in parts of the United States, including a Pittsburgh church where attendees described a surge in new worshippers the weekend after the attack.

In Pittsburgh, Pastor Jason Howard said new congregants arrived in busloads for Sunday service, describing the influx as unexpected from a demographic his congregation did not typically attract. “I’ll be honest with you, I am in my forties, so I was caught off guard by the response from people who are in my church in their twenties. They were much more in tune with Charlie’s influence than I was,” Howard told The Washington Examiner.

The effect has been described in other faith communities as well. While Kirk grew up Presbyterian, Catholicism in particular has seen a boost on college campuses, according to Matt Zerrusen, co-founder of Newman Ministry, a Catholic nonprofit operating on about 250 campuses nationwide. Zerrusen said church leaders he has spoken with report higher attendance, with some schools reporting increases of about 15 percent. He noted that more than 400 students at Texas A&M University took part in an Order of Christian Initiation of Adults class near the campus.

The surge in interest extended to online search behavior; the word “Jesus” trended on Google in the days following Kirk’s death, with the strongest concentrations of search activity originating in Utah, where he was fatally shot. The posthumous chatter fed into public memorials and campus conversations about faith, religion, and public life.

Kirk’s memorial, held September 21 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, drew thousands and featured remarks that blended Christian themes with political commentary. Erika Kirk, Charlie’s wife, who was chosen to lead Turning Point USA after his death, spoke about forgiveness, saying she forgives the man authorities say killed him because “it’s what Christ did.”

Speakers at the memorial included Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, with Kennedy drawing a direct comparison between Kirk and Jesus, and Carlson drawing parallels to a broader cultural reckoning. Benny Johnson, a TPUSA contributor, called Kirk “a martyr in the true Christian tradition,” saying, “You cut down a martyr and his power grows.”

The question many observers are asking is whether the moment will translate into lasting change for religious participation in the United States. Pew Research has tracked secular and religious identification for decades, showing that the share of Americans who identify as Christian has declined from 78 percent in 2007 to about 62 percent in 2024. Over the past five years, however, the Christian share has remained relatively steady, hovering between 60 percent and 64 percent, suggesting there is both resilience and volatility within the broader Christian landscape.

Kirk’s public stance had long urged a return to religious life as a cornerstone of social stability. In a Deseret News interview published a few days before his death, he described his mission as aiming to “stop a revolution” by steering people back toward church, faith, marriage, and family.

Erika Kirk’s forgiveness and the memorial’s tone amplified a narrative that some supporters view as a revival of Christian engagement, even as others caution against drawing sweeping conclusions from a single event. The newly reported conversations and campus participation shifts are being monitored by faith groups, researchers, and policymakers who say any sustained shift would require longer-term evidence beyond memorials and momentary spikes in attendance.

As the country absorbs the aftermath, researchers note that public faith life in the United States is shaped by a wide array of factors, including regional differences, generational changes, and the ongoing influence of digital media on religious identity. The episodes connected to Charlie Kirk’s death have added a new data point to a long-running national conversation about religion’s role in private life and public discourse, one that will unfold over months and perhaps years rather than days.