When I walked into State Farm Stadium on Sunday, I was immediately taken back to the Protestant and evangelical churches I attended as a kid.
The Glendale stadium hosted a memorial service for conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University earlier this month.
More than 60,000 people attended the memorial inside the stadium, with thousands of others watching remotely from an arena next door.
I entered the venue shortly after the gates had closed and was immediately hit with a loud blast of Christian rock music performed live on a stage at the opposite end of the stadium.
As I descended the stairs to reach the floor where media and VIPs were finding their seats, I could see many of those 60,000 singing along, raising hands in the air and praying.
It was, as Vice President JD Vance and other speakers put it, “a revival.”
For those not fluent in the evangelical tradition, the repeated invocation of the term revival could refer to different waves of spiritual renewal and enthusiasm in the Christian church that have occurred throughout the course of U.S. history.
Vance was joined by President Donald Trump and top Cabinet members at the memorial, showing how closely tied the Trump administration was with Kirk and Turning Point USA, the group he founded.
Kirk’s memorial is perhaps the most prominent public display in recent years of the sway the modern Christian church, and especially evangelicalism, has on conservative politics.
The melding between the church and the Republican Party is hardly new, with the religious right first flexing its muscles to exert more influence over the party as far back as 1979. Recent developments — such as the overturning of Roe v. Wade — show how that influence has translated into policy.
But, as New York Times reporter Elizabeth Dias wrote, “I have never experienced something like this where the highest level of government and evangelical worship are woven as one and the same — at such a grand scale.”
Vance, who is Catholic, seemed to confirm that observation, telling the crowd, “I have talked more about Jesus Christ the past two weeks than I have my entire time in public office.”
If the memorial is any indication, Americans may hear a lot more of that messaging moving forward as the Republican Party and evangelicals continue to coalesce, further blurring the line between where the government ends and religion begins.
All that shows that the Christian Nationalist movement that counted Kirk among its supporters — which rejects the traditional view that church and state should remain separate and argues that the U.S. was, and should continue to be, a Christian nation — is now firmly entrenched in mainstream Republican politics.
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The overall feeling of Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix three months after co-founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University was one of determination to carry out his legacy. -
Turning Point USA conference attendees in Phoenix say the organization is back stronger — and resonating with women — following co-founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination. -
The group is called National Ground Game, and they’re calling their event something we can’t say on the radio. -
Looking forward, Erika Kirk says Turning Point’s political arm will focus on keeping Congress in Republican hands and electing JD Vance as the 48th president in 2028. -
State Sen. Warren Petersen, Gilbert Republican and GOP candidate for attorney general, said Charlie Kirk should be publicly recognized by putting his name along a 78-mile stretch of Loop 202. -
Several cities and towns across the Valley will consider requests to officially memorialize conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed by a gunman last month. -
The memorial event honoring conservative activist Charlie Kirk was held at State Farm Stadium on Sept. 21, 2025. See KJZZ's coverage from Glendale. -
The Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority owns the stadium in Glendale. An authority spokesperson says event contracts, done by a separate stadium manager, are confidential.
