National memorial for Charlie Kirk: the American evangelical community mobilized in Glendale
On Sunday September 21, 2025, Glendale’s State Farm Stadium, Arizona, welcomed a major public memorial for Charlie Kirk, evangelical conservative leader and founder of Turning Point USA, assassinated on September 10, 2025 during a speech at Utah Valley University. The ceremony, organized by his relatives and the organization he directed, brought together tens of thousands of participants, reaching the almost maximum capacity of the stadium renowned to receive up to 73,000 people.
This major rally was marked by the presence of national political figures such as Donald Trump, vice-president JD Vance, as well as Erika Kirk, widow and new leader of Turning Point USA, accompanied by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Marco Rubio and other figures of the American right. The event was also led by Pastor Rob McCoy, a figure of conservative Christianity, as well as the artists Chris Tomlin, Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake, Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes during the praise and opening sequences.
The memorial, filmed live by several national channels and Christian sites, has highlighted the importance of the evangelical movement in the United States through messages centered on faith, religious freedom and social mobilization. The striking point came from Erika Kirk who publicly declared to forgive the assassin of her husband during a speaking relayed throughout the country.
The ceremony was described by observers as a giant awakening cult, unifying for the Christian movement, strengthening the political and social role of conservative Christianity in American news. The organization of the event, the musical sequences and the record affluence indicate the impact of the figure of Charlie Kirk within the evangelical community.
