Charlie Kirk's Memorial-Sparking Revival & Spreading the Gospel Worldwide

Welcome, it is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. And Senator Cruz and I, we just returned after the funeral of Charlie Kirk. Today was, I think, maybe one of the most incredible things I've ever witnessed in my life. And I'm saying that going to memorial service. But Senator, I think you probably feel the exact same way that I do, that this was a day where I feel blessed. I feel honored that we were able to be there to be a part of it. I feel like I'm watching a revival take place that is so much bigger than politics. And I think what we've witnessed today was the start of something that could transform this country. They're now saying over 100 million was the number of streams coming out of this event. And well over 200,000 people showed up, the majority of them without a ticket to go to the memorial service. It was incredible. It was extraordinary, Ben. It is right now 1219 a.m. Sunday night, early Monday morning. You and I spent the entire day in Arizona at the memorial service for Charlie Kirk. And I got to say, this was a powerful day. It was powerful. Number one, we were grieving our friend. Both you and I knew Charlie really well. I talked to him not many weeks ago. I met him when he was 18 years old. And the last two weeks have been a hard week. You and I both watched our friend murdered on live video online. And the agony we felt was felt without hyperbole by millions of Americans who Charlie had touched. So there was grief. There was grieving. But I got to tell you, as much as there was grief, and then there were certainly tears, there were tears for Erica, there were tears for the his two children that will never know their daddy. But today the atmosphere more than anything was one of celebration. It was one of celebrating a life well lived. It was one of celebrating a legacy, an example. You know, I got to say, none of us know when we will go. We don't know if we'll be here tomorrow. We don't know if we'll be here in 10 years and 20 years and 50 years. But I will tell you, there's not a one of us who wouldn't hope to be remembered the way Charlie was today. Yeah. I mean, what a life well lived and what a celebration. And you mentioned revival. That was a term that was used over and over and over again by speakers today. And there was a feel of revival. There was a feel, you know, I saw the Babylon Bee had a story today about the devil saying, oh, I went too far. Yeah. And I got to say, it is amazing. You know, earlier today, Charlie Kirk's producer of his podcast sent out a tweet. And the tweet said, I was just told that we have more press interest in Sunday's celebration of Charlie Kirk's life and legacy than there is for the Super Bowl. The gospel of Jesus Christ is about to be proclaimed to the largest audience in the history of humanity. To God be the glory. And I got to say, a friend of mine who's a pastor, he texted that to me. And I just said, amen, God is sovereign and God is good. And look, none of us know why, why God allowed this deranged killer to take Charlie's life, to take it too early, to take it at just age 31. But I have to say it is, it is breathtaking. Number one, I think it is very likely that in the last two weeks, more people have listened to Charlie Kirk than listened in his entire life. It has been amazing, the penetration. And this was, it did, it felt like a Billy Graham revival. And the degree to which, you know, I'll tell you, Friday night, I was at a youth summit in Texas. And two to three thousand young people came out to it. The attendance more than doubled what it typically was. And it ended up being just a remembrance of Charlie Kirk. And I spoke at it. I'll tell you at the beginning, a pastor preached and about 200 young people gave their lives to Christ at a gathering. It's incredible. In Texas on a Friday night. And that, it was staggering. This was in the football stadium in Phoenix, Arizona. It's a huge stadium. People started showing up at four and 430 in the morning to line up to get in. And if you were there, I ran into people who were there by 8am, they didn't get in. The program started at 11. If you showed up at 8, you didn't make it in. And the over 100 million views is astonishing and powerful and I think transformational. The gospel was proclaimed to millions today. And I think a lot of people in the United States and across the world are listening to what is said and are moved. And you know, I'm reminded of Jesus in the New Testament gives the parable and gives the parable of sowing seeds and sowing seeds is spreading the gospel. And some of the seeds fall on rocky soil. Some of the seeds are eaten by birds. But some of the seeds fall in fertile ground and they take root and they bear fruit. And not everyone who watched and listened to the service today is going to have their life transformed, but I think an astonishing number are. And I pray, and I think you do too, that revival comes from this, that Charlie's death becomes a moment, particularly for young people, for young people to say, you know what? What he had, I want my life too. I want that kind of peace. I want that satisfaction. I want the joy of getting married and having kids and having a life where I'm a husband and a father and I know that God loves me and I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And I think Charlie's life was a powerful testament to that. But I think Charlie's death may have been an even more powerful testament to that. Dr. Darrell Bock No doubt. And I want to paint a picture for people that weren't there, so you understand. Many of you we know, I'm sure, watched online, as we know from the number of streams. It's just incredible. But from the moment that I left Houston, you and I flew separately, and I was flying in to, when we touched down in Arizona, Amazing Grace broke out on the plane. And I was able to record... Dr. Michael McKeown Ben, play that video, because that video is beautiful. Describe it, paint the scene, and then play the video. Dr. Darrell Bock Yeah, we landed, and it was an organic moment that just started. Dr. Michael McKeown And you're on a United flight. Dr. Darrell Bock Yeah, this is not Southwest is the best way I can describe it. This is a United flight. This is not normal on a United flight. And it just started. And I want to play it for you, because you're going to hear the very end of what I was able to witness, which was just incredible. And I grabbed my phone out, because I wanted to just share it. And it was as we landed, and it was just people singing Amazing Grace on a United flight. Number one, what a testimony to everyone, incredible testimony. From just a standpoint of the flight attendants, and I think it was pretty clear there was tears in the eyes of one of the pilots when we were walking off the plane. And the people were singing, and I want to play it for you. And it went viral yesterday. And then Fox News played it this morning when I was on. They put it up on foxnews.com, and it's hit millions and millions of views. And that just tells you the power, I think, of Charlie's legacy. But listen to this on the plane. It was amazing. Charlie. I mean, you can hear it there. And it was a moment that I'm thankful I was able to capture on video. But that was the mood. And I think the other thing, you got up early this morning, and you went to the stadium to do Maria's show. I got up early as well, and was going to go do Fox beforehand. The number of people that were at the stadium without a ticket, that just on blind faith, because they felt like they just needed to be there. They just went, and they didn't know if they were going to get in. I was driving to the stadium at six in the morning, and there was a line of people. It wasn't one or two. It was a steady line. And you know what? It looked like the Super Bowl. It looked like the Final Four or any major sporting event, except this was at six in the morning. And it was a constant line of people just walking to the stadium. They wanted to pay their respects to Charlie. They wanted to honor his legacy. They wanted to give thanks, give thanks for a life well lived. And that was incredibly impactful. And I will say, we heard a lot of really powerful remarks, a lineup of one after the other, after the other. I will say by far, the most impactful speech was from Erica Kirk, Charlie's widow. And you and I were sitting next to each other in the memorial, and we both looked at each other and said the same thing when she finished. We just said, wow. Like, it was. It was. It actually reminded me of years ago, if you remember Ben Carson's speech at the National Prayer Breakfast, that he gave a speech during the Obama presidency, and it went viral nationally. It launched Ben Carson. It made him a national superstar. Erica's speech had that power. And I think for a lot of people who'd never seen her before, they were turning on their TV, they were opening their phone or their computer. The strength it took to give that speech, less than two weeks after you've lost your husband, less than two weeks after you've lost the father of your kids, it boggles the mind. And you could see her before she went up, just stopping and just praying, God, give me the strength to make it through this. And she was so openly relying on God's strength. That's part of what made it so unbelievably powerful. I'll tell you, at the beginning, she made a really important point, a point distinguishing what the reaction was across America and across the world to Charlie's murder, compared to something like George Floyd being killed and the riots and everything that played out. Give a listen to what Erica Kirk said on this point. Most of all, God's mercy and God's love have been revealed to me these past 10 days. After Charlie's assassination, we didn't see violence. We didn't see rioting. We didn't see revolution. Instead, we saw what my husband always prayed he would see in this country. We saw revival. You know, when she walked up there, I was choked up. Yeah, you were. And I think everyone, every person there had tears in their eyes. Yeah, it was how is she going to do this? You and I had the conversation. I don't know if I could have done that. And we do this for a living. I mean, you and I speak a lot. Yeah, I that's part of I think, just watching God work in that room. I walked to that room earlier in the day. You and I, you came back after Maria and I left early because we knew it was just there were so many people there. I abandoned the car and walked a mile and a half just trying to get into the stadium and seeing all the people that weren't going to get in. And they were joyful. They weren't angry. They were praying. I saw groups holding hands. There's a whole second stadium filled with people watching it that we're just watching it on TV. Yeah. And I walked in. I finally got inside and was meeting with the Fox producers to get down to the risers. And they were singing the worship music that you and I hear at church. We go on Sundays before the pastor speaks. I literally on Fox and I'm not a crier. But like talking about now, it's even because this has been an incredible and a sad but amazing day. I told them on air, I was like, I've never felt in my life, the Holy Spirit's presence and the way that I felt it today, ever. And I'm 43. And I've been to some pretty cool, amazing Christian events, promise keepers and different things that you've been to. It was a feeling I will never forget. And it was very clear that God's presence were there. And if you were in that room, and I hope if you're watching it on TV, you felt it too, because what she was able to do was by the grace of God who gave her the power and the strength to do it, because on your own, no one could do that. Yeah, absolutely. There was one portion of her speech that I think will go down as the most memorable, the most consequential, and the most profound. And I want you to just to listen to it, because to be honest, if you heard nothing else that happened today at Charlie Kirk's memorial service, hear these two minutes, because this was the entirety of the service boiled down in two minutes. My husband, Charlie, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life. That young man, that young man. On the cross, our Savior said, Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do. That man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us. You and I were there on the second row watching those words, and you and I talked about it afterwards. I don't know if I could have done that that quickly. I know God says that we're supposed to forgive those who have wronged us, but you want to talk about a ministry to the world in that moment. If you are not a Christian, you have to be asking yourself a question, what is it that she has that I don't? How could she forgive in this moment, and why would Charlie want her to forgive after what happened to Charlie? It doesn't mean that we don't want justice, but wow. Look, when she said that I had tears in my eyes, you had tears in your eyes. Every one of us, 100,000 people had tears in our eyes. When she started on that, when she referenced Jesus on the cross, I knew where it was going, and I knew what she was planning to say, and I actually was holding my breath for her. Because look, you and I both had this conversation spontaneously walking out. To be honest, I don't think I could say that. I would want to. It would be the right thing to do. Thing to do. I cannot imagine being in the situation she is in and getting those words out, not just breaking down, not breaking down with rage, breaking down with tears. And it was the Holy Spirit that helped her get that out, because there is not a human strength that can say that. And one of the amazing things, and we talked a minute ago about this being one of, if not the largest presentation of the gospel in history. What you just said, you and I talked about, there are millions of people who watch this who are not Christians who have to have said, where did that come from? I don't understand. Why would you forgive someone who murdered your husband? Yeah. And that, I hope and pray and believe that it caused many people to say, you know, maybe I should ask a few more questions about Jesus. Maybe I should go read the Bible. Did Jesus really say on the cross, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do? Why would he say that when they were murdering him? That's what Jesus said as he was nailed to the cross, as he was hanging there dying. Yeah. Jesus asked God to forgive the people who killed him. And it was, you know, I'll tell you, I saw on Twitter a tweet from a woman named Sana Ibrahimi, and I don't know her, but this tweet struck me. I'm just going to read it to you. I retweeted it. I listened to Erica Kirk's full speech at the memorial, and I want to share a few thoughts that came to me while live streaming the event. This is not political. First, I should say that I grew up as a Muslim in a Muslim country. I don't know enough about Christianity to say if what I witnessed is rooted in faith or culture. But what struck me most is how, even though death is heavy, and this was by nature a sad occasion, the entire event carried a celebratory spirit that honored life. That contrast hit me deeply. In Islam, even though we believe that good people go to heaven, the relationship with God is taught through fear. Funerals are overwhelmingly sad, often filled with warnings of the terrifying first night in the grave. Growing up hearing that, and then witnessing people celebrate life, speak of God's love, and remember someone through the impact he had on others, it felt so refreshing and positive. Second, I was profoundly moved by Erica Kirk's words. I cannot fathom the strength it takes to stand and deliver such a meaningful speech after losing the love of your life. But even more than that, the grace it takes to forgive the very person who destroyed your world. I cannot imagine myself standing on a stage, sending love to those who cheered your husband's murder, or inviting others to spread God's love in response because, as she said, we do not respond to hate with hate. That is powerful beyond words. Again, I am ignorant when it comes to Christianity, but if this is what it truly embodies, then I'm envious of those who get to experience that feeling. I think this young lady is not alone, and I think that message touched millions, and I got to say it was an incredible privilege to be there and witness it firsthand and be part of, I think, what is a significant moment in the history of America and maybe the history of the world. One of the things I think that is so cool that came out of this that is just something that no one could have planned is how many people are now sharing their own faith and sharing the gospel. You and I have talked more about our faith on this podcast in the last two weeks than we have ever before, and it's not that we're afraid to talk about our faith, but we talk a lot about what's happening in the world in politics. J.D. Vance said that he has shared— Yeah, that was something really profound, J.D. said, is he said that he often felt uncomfortable talking about faith, and he made the same comment, that he's talked more about faith in the last two weeks than he has probably in his entire life. I mean, even this morning, I had two times—I was on Fox this morning before it started, and the entire conversation was not about politics. The entire conversation was about faith. His life being taken has given the opportunity for all of us to share our faith, and I think in a more bold way, in a more proud way, in a more I'm not afraid to share my faith. I think sometimes I think I'm in the world of politics, and that's maybe not my place to be doing that as much. I'm going to change my mentality on that, I think, forever moving forward. J.D. And I can think of very few sentiments that would make Charlie happier than that. Yeah, and it was the whole time it was about faith. If you look at today, I also think one of the most incredible things was you and I were sitting there with the most powerful people in the world, certainly in the conservative movement, where we're all in the political world, and the entire thing was about God. I've never seen that before. I've never been a part of that before. No, and at the very end, President Trump spoke, and he gave, I think, very good remarks, but I want you to listen to what he said in particular about Erica and her testimony. Here, give a listen. To Charlie's incredible and beautiful widow, Erica, we know the weight of this monumental loss is almost unbearable, but even in the midst of heartache and pain, too great to even fathom, you have somehow found the strength and deep faith to be a comfort to millions and millions of people, and thank you very much, Erica. Thank you very much. You and I have seen Donald Trump give a lot of speeches. This was one of the most, I think, somber, sincere, and one of the most incredible speeches, I think, by Donald Trump that had nothing to really do with him. Well, and President Trump knew Charlie well. Charlie had spent a lot of time with him. I think he's rattled by it. Charlie in the 2016 campaign was Don Jr.'s body man. He traveled with Don Jr. all over the country, and Charlie helped mobilize young people for the 2016 election. He helped mobilize young people for the 2020 election. He played a really integral part in the victory in 2024, and President Trump has spent a lot of time with Charlie Kirk, just about every one of the White House heads. I mean, it was one of the things, the entire White House is shaken. This is not some distant person they don't know. This touched almost everyone who works in the Trump administration, had connections to Charlie, had personal connections, and they were shaken by it. One of the bits of news that broke this week that I thought, it was a small snippet, but it encapsulated who Charlie was well. And Van Jones, who you and I both know well, he's very much a man of the left, maybe even far left. He's not someone who you would typically envision saying nice things about Charlie Kirk, but I want you to listen to what he said in the last few days about his last interaction with Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk and I were not friends at all. In fact, the last week of his life, we were beefing hard, beefing online, beefing on air. But the day before he died, he did something that shocked me. He sent me a personal message, calling for personal dialogue, wanting me to come on his show. He said we could be gentlemen together. He said we could deal with our disagreements agreeably. And in the past week and a half, just watching people talk about civil wars and censorship and all this stuff coming out of his death, I just thought it was important to let people know, don't put that on Charlie Kirk, because the last day of his life, he was reaching out to have not more censorship, more conversation, more dialogue with somebody who honestly was one of his adversaries, me. And I just want to share that with the world. And I hope that maybe it might help somebody on both sides deal with issues more like he did. Van, putting that out there immediately brought me to today. You and I were sitting there, and we looked over to the right of us, and you leaned over and you said, there's Elon. And several weeks or months ago, Charlie had said that he wanted Donald Trump and Elon to make up. We then, a few minutes later, see Elon in the box with President Trump. They hugged. The president patted him on the chest, and he tweeted out a picture Elon did of them talking. And all it said was, for Charlie. I mean, you want to talk about bringing people back together? That's incredible. I will say, I respect Van Jones for putting that out. You know Van better than I do. But he didn't have to put that out. He didn't have to say that. And I do think it reflects who Charlie was. And I think the entire memorial today reflected, it was a celebration of his life, and it was a proclamation of the gospel. And that, I'm really grateful to have been friends with Charlie. I'm really grateful to have a chance to be there for this celebration, because I think it is going to have really profound impacts on our country. I think we're going to end up finding out down the road that today was one of the biggest days, not in politics, with the biggest people in politics in a room, but one of the biggest days for young men and women accepting Christ and learning about the Lord from this horrific moment in our history. And I think you look at that, bring all these people together the way that he was doing it, I think it's going to change the way we have dialogue and conversation. I think my demeanor is probably going to be different. I'm still going to fight the good fight, and I'm still going to fight hard, but I want to have better conversations while doing it. I think everybody's temperature is going to change a little bit in how we interact the way that Charlie did it. And I left there today, and I don't know, I want to ask you this as we wrap, I left there today more hopeful for the future of this country than I have been in decades, and more hopeful for the younger generation in this country that they're going to see the light, because I have been very worried for quite some time, it's part of the reason why I do this, is that we have lost an entire generation to the radical left. I think we are seeing a very quick pendulum shift that only God could create and put people in a place to do it. Absolutely, you know, I'm reminded of the scripture, 2 Chronicles 7.14, if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sins, and I will heal their land. That has been my prayer for a long time, and I think today was in a very real sense a great many people in America calling out for God to hear our prayer, and to heal our land. And I pray that that is the outcome, the path we are on, that we see revival. Our country needs it. Amen to that. For all you guys that listen, I say this sincerely, thank you guys for what you do. Thank you for supporting us. We hope that we help you guys as well. We never, ever take you guys for granted. And just thank you for supporting us in this show, and sharing it where you do, and everybody we saw today that was giving thumbs up, and taking pictures, and saying thank you to Center for what you do. It's encouraging, I think now more than ever. And I just wanted to say to everyone that listens to Verdict, you guys are incredible, and we really appreciate it. Without you guys this show wouldn't exist, and we wouldn't do it. So thank you, and we'll see you back here on Wednesday morning.