“This is like an old-time revival, isn’t it?”

President Donald J. Trump’s speech in honor of Charlie Kirk came at the end of a five-hour memorial service held in Phoenix’s State Farm Stadium. “This is like an old-time revival, isn’t it?” the president asked. It was indeed like an old-time revival service in tone and substance. President Trump has not been known as a frequenter of such old-fashioned revivals, but he was surely right. That’s just what it was.

A massive crowd gathered in the sports arena and in an adjacent facility. Major media reported a total attendance of nearly 200,000 people. The entire event was unprecedented and heart-wrenching. This was a memorial service for a young man, just 31 years of age, a husband and father of two very young children, struck down in the violence of an assassin’s bullet. Those facts were ever present and ever visible. A huge image of Charlie loomed over the huge platform. Charlie Kirk’s young widow spoke bravely in her late husband’s honor. It was emotionally charged from the beginning. But, from the beginning, it was not the usual memorial service. President Trump got it right. It was like a revival.

Pastor Rob McCoy started it all off with a bold presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, speaking directly to the New Testament message of Jesus the Christ, the very Son of God, who “left the glory of heaven’s throne for the humiliation of an earthly cross.” Pastor McCoy, Charlie Kirk’s own pastor, spoke of the reality of sin, of the wages of sin as death, and of the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners. He called sinners to believe and be saved—right there as the service started.

Speaker after speaker bore witness to the gospel. They spoke openly of Charlie Kirk’s personal faith in Christ and of his call for others to believe and be saved and to follow Christ in obedience. They did not speak of Charlie’s faith in political terms. They bore witness to Charlie Kirk’s politics in terms of his Christian commitments. Honestly, it was five hours of witness and encouragement and Christian testimony. One young man spoke of learning from Charlie Kirk and “his love of God and true joy he found in his savior Jesus Christ.” Andrew Kolvet, who worked with Charlie on his podcast, spoke of his evangelistic mission: “He confronted evil and proclaimed the truth and called us to repent and be saved.” He cited 1 Corinthians 15 in his thankfulness for the promise of the resurrection. The sum of his message? “Christ has overcome death.”

Benny Johnson spoke of Charlie Kirk as a martyr for the Christian faith and then made it really personal: “When Charlie first met me, I was a degenerate loser. I’m still a loser, but I was addicted to alcohol. I had no wife, I had no kids. I had nothing going for me. After ten years of work with Charlie Kirk, after his witnessing to my life, I had become a Christ-centered man.” He then pointed to his wife and eight-month-old son.

Apologist Frank Turek presented the gospel in doctrinal detail, right down to penal substitutionary atonement. In His righteousness, the Father demanded an innocent and perfect sacrifice for sin, and the Father sent the Son to die for sinners on the cross, the perfect substitute. This same Christ rose from the grave, raised by the Father. Sinners who come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are “given His righteousness.” As Turek declared: “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the greatest story ever told, and it happens to be true.”

Explicit gospel testimony came from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Peter Hegseth, and a host of others. Then Vice President J. D. Vance went to the platform. In a remarkably moving statement, the vice president of the United States said this: “I was telling somebody backstage that I always felt a little uncomfortable talking about my faith in public, as much as I loved the Lord and as much as it was an important part of my life. I have talked more about Jesus Christ in the past two weeks than I have in my entire time in public life.”

Cynics will think what they will think, but comments of this depth were not at all necessary. The speakers could have gotten away with spiritual platitudes and a little Christian jargon. That’s not the message that was conveyed at the service. That means the words must have been heartfelt and sincere. For some of these public leaders, the words may be costly, but they said them anyway.

Some observers of American religion have argued that much of the Christian language used by public figures is just evidence of “civil religion,” a basic mixture of patriotism and some vague spiritual language. But the message of the memorial service for Charlie Kirk was not vague, and it was not minimal. It was far more than that. Did you ever expect to hear a vice president of the United States talk like J. D. Vance did yesterday? We will be thinking about this service for a long time.

We continue to pray for Erika Kirk and her sweet children, and for the perpetuation of the amazing work Charlie Kirk accomplished in raising up an army of young people—especially young men. Erika Kirk pointed to her husband’s mission “to save young men just like the one who took his life.” Then in an absolutely astounding statement, Erika Kirk directly spoke with reference to her husband’s killer, speaking of God’s forgiveness. She movingly spoke of “that man, that young man,” and then went on to say: “I forgive him.” She said she did so because “it is what Christ did, and it is what Charlie would do.” Amazing grace—right there for all to see.

Right now, I am still stunned by the sheer weight of Christian testimony that came in that service yesterday. May God use it for the increase of the gospel and all to His glory.