A portrait of Charlie Kirk served as the backdrop for speakers at Sunday’s vigil. Photo by Jacob Clavijo 
An attendee stretches his hands out during one of the worship songs played at Sunday’s vigil. Photo by Jacob Clavijo 
Jesse Hughes, a law student at Liberty University, was one of many speakers on Sunday who attacked progressive ideologies and claimed that they attacked the Christian faith. Photo by Jacob Clavijo 
One of multiple prayer circles at Sunday’s vigil. Photo by Jacob Clavijo 
Attendees stand for the National Anthem. Photo by Jacob Clavijo 
Worship songs were sang throughout the vigil. Photo by Jacob Clavijo 
Attendees gathered in prayer groups after the event. Photo by Jacob Clavijo
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Hundreds gathered at Lynchburg City Stadium on Sunday night to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Multiple speakers, including local and state politicians, took to the mic to reflect on Kirk’s legacy and urge those in attendance to continue the mission that Kirk started.
“Charlie died for his faith. Charlie Kirk was a martyr,” said Councilman Marty Misjuns, who was one of many speakers on the night that labeled Kirk as such and praised his commitment to the Christian faith.
Timothy Griffin, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 53rd district, thanked Kirk for being the “first one” to speak out about the deceptions and wrongdoings of the political establishment and its attacks on Christians in America. He compared the deceptions that Americans have experienced in recent years to those of Russian citizens living under communist rule in the 80s, who Griffin says were told by their communist leaders to “pretend like things were okay.”
“I couldn’t help but notice that we were being told to look the other way and pretend like babies weren’t being butchered in America. We were being told to look the other way while they were trying to do surgeries and transgender on our children and say that it was normal. We were supposed to look the other way as our country was being flooded from people from other nations,” Griffin said.
In an interview after the event, Griffin said that he was “horrified by some of the reactions of the left,” and was unsure if unity could be achieved with individuals who celebrated Kirk’s death.
“We’ll certainly continue to speak the truth and love on our side of the aisle,” Griffin shared. “I can’t speak for some of the celebrations of death on the other side.”
As the vigil continued, the speakers that followed Griffin frequently referred to a “they,” which was used to refer to those who follow “progressive ideology” and “modern liberalism.”
Virgil Hurt, who is the founding pastor of Providence Church in Lynchburg, said that Kirk’s death has caused a “mighty spread of the gospel” and marks a turning point in American history.
“You must have a personal turning point in order to have an American turning point,” Hurt declared. “You turn from sin to righteousness. You turn from serving lies to serving the truth. You turn from this ugly death culture of abortion, euthanasia, trans-madness to the beauty of having babies, caring for the agent, and embracing the god-given sex roles that God has established in the world.”
The pastor added that leftist teachings have consumed American culture with an “evil” that conservative Americans have let go unchecked.
“The god of free education commanded us to send our kids to government schools to learn all the lessons of modern liberalism, and we did it. This evil prospered because good men were silent,” Hurt noted.
Hurt, like many other speakers on the night, was insistent that Christianity is under attack in America and pushed for listeners to continue practicing their faith.
“Time will tell how big this turning moment is. It has reached into the real crisis of America, a crisis of faith in Jesus Christ,” said Hurt, who claimed that attacks on Christianity in America have led to more disorder. “The result is the madness that we have witnessed in the last decade. Killing babies masqueraded as healthcare; castrated men pretend to be women; dutched up girls pretend to be boys.”
Younger speakers echoed these remarks and urged younger generations to stand up and speak out the same way that Kirk did.
Jesse Hughes, a law student at Liberty University, which is home to the largest Turning Point USA chapter in the country with over 1,200 members, spoke about the effect that Kirk had on young men in America.
“A lot of young men today are angry because they feel cut off from their heritage and from the culture that they were promised. They think it’s impossible to get a job today because of factors like mass immigration,” said Hughes, who added that the anger has been amplified by progressive teachings, which he believes are inconsistent with the teachings of Christ.
“Progressive ideology that the left is espousing comes straight from its father, who only wants to kill, steal, and destroy. Conservatives, we’re not perfect, but we’re not out here trying to kill our opponents because they have a different point of view than us,” Hughes claimed.
All speakers were met with applause and cheers from the crowd, who donned Trump-branded apparel and attire that honored Kirk. At the end of the event, attendees and organizers gathered in prayer groups on the field to pay respects to Kirk.
For updates, visit The Critograph.
