Revival

I am old enough to remember November 22, 1963.  That was the day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  I also don't think I will forget September 10, 2025, the day when Charlie Kirk was gunned down at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.  I am not much of a consumer of political discourse, so even though I had heard the name of Charlie Kirk, I had never seen one of his podcasts or videos.  He was called a right-wing political activist by some but I wanted to know what that meant.  So I looked up some of his videos and discovered that he expressed many views, that as a Christian, I agree with.  The thing that was different was that he was a very skilled debater and a quick thinker on his feet.  But the thing I did not see was any sign of vitriol that is sometimes associated with the political right.  He was a committed Christian and perhaps too political, for my taste, but undoubtedly a brother in Christ.  

A week and a half later I watched parts of his memorial service on Youtube the day after the event and was impressed.  Most impressive to me was the eulogy given by his wife Erika, especially when we she said to the assassin, "I forgive you."  I also saw the incredible crowd of nearly 90,000 to 100,000 mostly young people that had assembled to celebrate his life at Arrowhead Stadium.  Even more amazing was the report that there has been a movement across university, college and high school campuses to start new chapters of Charlie Kirk's organization, Turning Point U.S.A.  Currently the number is about 62,000 chapters since his assassination.  I was a part of the Jesus Movement in the early 1970s and met my wife at a Jesus House in Lexington, Kentucky.  This movement started in California and spread across the U.S.A. and even around the world.  Not only did it change worship styles in many churchesthat can still be seen today but it launched a modern mission movement that sent many people into cross-cultural missions.  It was a mass movement that I had not seen repeated until now.

Is this what some would call revival?  Are we seeing a movement of the Spirit that will change the face of the church around the world?  Revival has historically meant a return to the fire of the New Testament church, as recorded in the book of Acts, especially where the church in many places had fallen asleep to the call of Christ to the Great Commission.  It is seen in the passion and boldness of large numbers of believers at the same time.

The Christian pollster George Barna wrote a challenging article asking this very question.  In answer to the question of why God would have permitted the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Barna writes:

"The most plausible reason I have imagined is that as fruitful as his life would surely have been, God alone knew that his unjust and gruesome death at this moment in time would optimize the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Even more than all the life-changing conversations Charlie would have initiated or sparked on campuses, in churches, and through media around the world, his ghastly murder in September of 2025 would ignite a worldwide awareness and a global conversation, backed by action, that otherwise would not have occurred for many years."

I myself have personally seen a former Sikh medical doctor living in Ireland turn to Christ after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. He had followed Kirk's podcasts for several years.

Barna went on to say, "Unlike the false proclamations of revival we have heard consistently during the past two decades, the Kirk revival may be the real thing."  Barna says "may" rather than "is" because he remembers the crowded churches following 9/11 which fizzled out after several weeks.  Why?  Because churches were not ready to meet initial questions with strong Biblical teaching that would turn these enquirers into genuine disciples.  Offering programs is not enough.  He says that too many churches are more enamored with "numbers related to attendance, donations, program participation, staff hirings, and square footage."  The result can be seen in the statistics:

• 66% of U.S. adults call themselves Christians.

• 42% attend a church service at least once a month.

• 31% read the Bible at least once a week.

• 30% are theologically-defined born-again Christians.

• 11% lead a person to Christ per year.

• 4% possess a biblical worldview.

What do we need to do to see this incredible response to Kirk's assassination become a genuine renewal of New Testament Christianity?  The church itself has to be modeling such faith to those whom God is sending our way.  Our response to the Gospel should be more than occasional worship, little reading of the Bible, even less praying and seldom witnessing.  Our worldview should be evident to all who meet us, regardless of how we appear in the eyes of the secular culture.  Only then will those who are seeking what Charlie had, find what they are looking for.

May we, who call ourselves followers of Jesus, be the kind of people and churches that enfold those who are coming with a new hunger for the only truth that can forgive sins, heal hearts, mend fractured families, and restore truth to a culture that like Pilate says, "What is truth?"

You can check out Barna's article at: https://georgebarna.com/2025/09/charlie-kirks-death-offers-a-unique-spiritual-moment/

   William Fischer