A California pastor who was close friends with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk is seeing a spiritual revival after Kirk was assassinated on September 10.
Calvary Chapel Chino Hills Pastor Jack Hibbs told “Fox and Friends First” recently that people are asking his church for answers, the outlet reported on Sunday.
“People are coming to us, and they are saying, ‘I want to know the meaning of life, the purpose. Why am I here?’” he said. The Fox report said people are calling the movement the “Charlie Kirk Effect.”
Kirk was fatally shot during a speaking event at Utah Valley University, and his murder sent shockwaves across the nation and the world with many people mourning the Christian conservative and free speech advocate’s death.
In addition, Matt Zerrusen of Newman Ministry which supports numerous campus ministries, said some schools have reported a 15 percent increase in young people attending Mass.
The day after Kirk was killed, Hibbs said Kirk was a faithful witness for Jesus Christ and never hesitated to share the gospel with people, according to Breitbart News.
He stated, “I have had the honor of knowing Charlie Kirk well and personally for many years now. I cannot express how incredibly proud I have been of his faithful Christian witness and the way he has honored the Lord Jesus Christ with his life. Charlie was known as an intellectual giant, a very compassionate young man, and one who was tirelessly devoted to this nation’s welfare and our glorious republic. I am humbled and blessed to have played a small role in Charlie’s discipleship, and I know nothing was more important to Charlie than knowing Jesus Christ.”
During Kirk’s recent memorial service that filled the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, numerous people stood to show they wanted to trust Christ as their Lord and Savior when Kirk’s pastor, Rob McCoy, shared the gospel message.
In a social media post a few days after Kirk’s death, Turning Point USA Faith encouraged people to attend church.
“Charlie would have wanted nothing more than to see believers filling the pews, exalting Christ, and living out their faith boldly. So this Sunday, let’s do exactly that. Go to church. Save a seat for Charlie. Worship Jesus,” the organization said:
The recent Fox report said Bible sales through August hit 10 million copies which was a jump of over one million compared to the previous year.
During an interview with Breitbart News following Kirk’s assassination, X Strategies CEO Alex Bruesewitz said, “Charlie, I think he’s such more important than a political voice. I think he was the strongest voice for Christianity in our nation. I think his ability to spread the word of God…in the way he did, brought more people to Jesus than any living pastor today, and I’m so proud of him for that, and it’s a change that I witnessed in his life, and he became so proud of it.”
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