Charlie Kirk's memorial serves as a conservative 'revival,' mixing calls for forgiveness and vengeance

Some called for forgiveness and unity Sunday at Charlie Kirk’s memorial in Arizona.

Some called for forgiveness and unity Sunday at Charlie Kirk’s memorial in Arizona. Others called for combat and retribution. But one thing the Republican leaders had in common in their speeches was that the activist’s assassination should be a turning point, the start of a revival for religious conservatives.

Tens of thousands of mourners gathered in State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday afternoon. Leaders in the MAGA movement, of which Kirk, 31, was a central part, attended, including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, a number of Cabinet officials and billionaire tech executive Elon Musk.

People listen during a worship song before the start of a memorial for Charlie Kirk.John Locher / APMany speakers used their time eulogizing Kirk to also make renewed arguments for American conservatism, with, they argued, Christianity, marriage, having children and open debate at the core.

Many speakers invoked the notion of a “revival” and spoke in expressly religious terms, canonizing Kirk, a co-founder of the organization Turning Point USA, and describing “a spiritual war,” in the words of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in which Kirk was a fighter.

“The day that Charlie died, the angels wept, but those tears have been turned into fire in our hearts,” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said. “And that fire burns with a righteous fury that our enemies cannot comprehend or understand.”