by Joanna Williams, spiked
The Charlie Kirk memorial and the Unite the Kingdom march featured a curious blend of activism and evangelism.
The coming together of tens of thousands of people at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona to commemorate the life of Charlie Kirk was a truly remarkable event. Sunday’s memorial, attended by US president Donald Trump and nearly every senior figure in his administration, combined evangelical Christianity with a political rally. As speaker after speaker reminded us, Kirk cared deeply about both freedom and faith, free speech and Jesus.
A week earlier, I walked with similarly huge crowds of people on the Unite the Kingdom march in London. The same combination of politics and religion was also a feature of that event. Unlike any other demonstration I have attended, this rally kicked off with gospel singers and an evangelical preacher. Some of those marching carried cardboard crucifixes along with English flags. Chants of ‘Christ is King’ could be heard.
On both sides of the Atlantic, there is talk of a Christian revival as lapsed or non-believers find faith in God, leading some to ask if America is undergoing another ‘Great Awakening’. I suspect not everyone brandishing a ‘Turn Back to God’ placard at the Unite the Kingdom rally turned up at church the following morning. However, research for the Bible Society suggests that church attendance in Britain is indeed on the increase, particularly among Gen Z men.
Read also: Is the right wing revival real?, Christian Concern