The Charlie Kirk Show

Episode Summary: "Continuing the Revival Charlie's Martyrdom Started"

Date: September 29, 2025
Host: Andrew Colvett (Executive Producer, guest-hosting for the late Charlie Kirk)
Guests: Pastor Mark Driscoll, Pastor Josh McPherson

Overview: Main Theme and Purpose

This deeply emotional episode, occurring after Charlie Kirk's public assassination, explores the powerful spiritual and cultural impact sparked by his death. The show focuses on the national revival movement ignited by Charlie’s martyrdom, examining historical models of revival, the current surge in faith, and practical advice for pastors and churches navigating this new landscape. The episode intertwines personal stories of salvation and church attendance, robust theological discussion, and a call for bold, truth-centered Christian leadership.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Charlie Kirk's Martyrdom as Catalyst for Revival

• Listeners call and send messages expressing how Charlie’s death brought them to church or revived their faith after years away (00:13-04:19).
• The team and pastors observe real, quantifiable spikes in church attendance and spiritual interest across America (07:15-13:28, 21:29-22:45).
• “Charlie's death really ignited a spiritual flame inside of me that I have never, never in my life experienced before. It is. It's like a spiritual switch.” – Listener testimony (00:15).

2. Defining Revival: Historical and Spiritual Dimensions

• Pastor Driscoll: Explains that "martyr" literally means "witness" in Greek, and that historically, martyrdom has catalyzed church growth (07:50-09:41).
• Pastor McPherson: Outlines revival as a supernatural, God-initiated movement, not manufactured by human effort, often marked by a sudden, overwhelming spiritual hunger and youthful leadership (13:30-15:19, 17:06-20:29).
• Notable Quote:
  "Revival is where the manifest presence of God overrides the omnipresence of God... like taking sunlight everywhere and concentrating it with a magnifying glass." – Pastor Josh McPherson (13:30)

3. Technology and Evangelical Movements

• The spread of Christianity has historically coincided with new communication technologies, from the Roman road to the printing press to digital media. Charlie’s use of social media is cited as a modern parallel (17:23-18:41).
• Remarkable reach: “We did 15 billion views on social media in the lead-up to the election… and basically doubled it in the spring after.” – Andrew Colvett (21:29)

4. Ingredients and Challenges of Sustained Revival

• Moment to Movement: Martyrdom sparks revival (“moment”), but sustaining it requires movement—continued church attendance, Bible reading, repentance, and new leadership. (18:42, 20:29)
• Youth-Led Change: Analogies to past revivals (Great Awakenings, Jesus Movement), historically led by young people (20:11-20:29).
• Divine Agency: God determines when and where to send revival, and it demands humility and hunger from his followers (24:25-25:24).
  • “God goes where he’s wanted.” – John Tyson, quoted by Pastor McPherson (24:25)

5. Revival vs. Patriotism and Christian Nationalism

• Hosts address concerns about conflating revival with nationalism or mere political action (12:39, 45:37-47:54).
• Christian Nationalism: Critics and media are “misinterpreting the signs of the times,” labeling the revival as Christian nationalism instead of sincere public faith (50:47-54:38).
  • “Jesus is Lord overall or he’s not Lord at all… To say Jesus Christ has jurisdiction here, but not there, is to be disloyal to his sovereignty and lordship.” – Pastor Mark Driscoll (47:54)

6. Church Leadership in This Moment

• Cowardice vs. Courage: Pastors and churches face a “test”—to boldly proclaim truth or shrink back; historical patterns from Acts show that bold proclamation precedes revival and opposition (26:46-28:43).
• Shepherds as Cowboys: Calls for pastors to embrace both tenderness and toughness—to defend the flock from cultural “wolves” (80:33).
  • “A pastor is supposed to be a cowboy—supposed to be able to kill wolves and protect sheep.” – Pastor Mark Driscoll (80:33)
• Practical Six-Point Grid for Pastors (85:50):
  1. Set forth the truth plainly
  2. Demonstrate the Spirit’s power
  3. Boldly proclaim the truth
  4. Live not by lies
  5. Enjoy the King (“laughing, happy warriors”)
  6. Fight downhill (build new institutions, not just reform old ones)

7. Erica Kirk’s Forgiveness and The Role of Women

• Erica’s public forgiveness of her husband’s killer is described as releasing spiritual power and modeling true Christian revival centered on forgiveness (32:55-34:42).
• “When Erica said, 'I forgive him,' forgiveness of sin is what unleashes the power of the Holy Spirit, and revival is all about one thing: the forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ.” – Pastor Mark Driscoll (34:33)
• Erica’s leadership may spur a parallel movement among young women, complementing the surge among young men (67:28-69:20).
  • “Your wife is not your rival… You are one flesh working together for the glory of God.” – Erica Kirk, quoted by Andrew Colvett (74:45-74:56)

8. Confronting Evil: Spiritual Warfare and Demonic Influence

• Punk-driven evil—especially in cultural trends harming children—is framed as openly demonic. The show argues that Charlie’s clarity in naming and opposing this evil is one reason he was so targeted (55:09-57:37, 70:09-72:00).
• “Charlie was not primarily a political animal… Charlie’s political theory was rooted in biblical theology.” – Pastor Josh McPherson (55:09)
• "There are other things that you can't explain apart from something that is a pure force of spiritual evil." – Pastor Mark Driscoll (71:08)

9. Emotional Processing and Community Grief

• Andrew Colvett shares candidly about the waves of grief following Charlie’s death, the role of prayer support, and how team solidarity is sustaining them (62:45-66:07).
• "There was definitely an effort to make him wooden and two-dimensional. And to us, he was always in Technicolor 3D… joyful, funny, one of the warmest people." – Andrew Colvett (66:07)

10. Next Steps: Practical Calls to Action

• To Listeners/Newcomers to Faith: Go to church, read the Bible, take the first step toward faith.
• To Pastors/Shepherds: Lead with courage; don’t compartmentalize faith; do not cede ground to culture.
• Free Resource: Pastor Driscoll’s “Doctrine” book available for free download/text (“Text DOCTRINE to 99383”; also on charliekirk.com) (89:19-89:36).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Highlight | | ----------- | -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 00:13 | Testimonials | "Charlie Kirk's death led me to give my life fully to Jesus Christ. Charlie's death really ignited a spiritual flame inside of me." – Haley (00:13) | 09:41 | Pastor Driscoll | "Charlie loved Jesus Christ, and his highest allegiance and devotion was to Jesus Christ… everyone who talked about Charlie had to talk about Jesus because Jesus was the person Charlie was always talking about." (09:41) | 13:30 | Pastor McPherson | "Revival is where the manifest presence of God overrides the omnipresence of God... it's like taking sunlight everywhere and concentrating it with a magnifying glass." | 15:19 | Andrew Colvett | "When Tucker came up to the stage at the memorial and he said, the Holy Spirit is humming like a tuning fork in here." | 24:25 | Pastor McPherson | "God goes where he's wanted. And so there is something that draws the manifest presence of God in our hunger and our desire and our prayer..." | 32:55 | Pastor Driscoll | "Whoever decided to allow the live stream of Charlie's funeral and memorial to not be copyrighted, but to be freely shared, to say thank you on behalf of Jesus Christ... you decided to allow the most people to hear about Jesus..." | 34:33 | Pastor Driscoll | "When Erica said, 'I forgive him.' Forgiveness of sin is what unleashes the power of the Holy Spirit, and revival is all about one thing: the forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ." | 47:54 | Pastor Driscoll | "Jesus is Lord overall or he's not Lord at all. We believe that he right now is high and exalted. He's over government, he's over family, he's over nations, cultures, businesses, churches..." | 55:09 | Pastor McPherson | "Charlie was not primarily a political animal... Charlie's political theory was rooted in biblical theology." | 74:45 | Erica Kirk | "Your wife is not your rival. You are one flesh working together for the glory of God." | 80:33 | Pastor Driscoll | "A pastor is supposed to be a cowboy—supposed to be able to kill wolves and protect sheep." | 83:18 | Charlie Kirk | "We don't want to have to be accountable to God when this life passes, and he asks, why did you not trust in me and not fight evil? Because we as Christians are called to fight evil."

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:13-04:19: Listener and testimony montage; spiritual impact of Charlie’s martyrdom
• 07:15-09:41: What is a martyr? The biblical, historical significance of death for faith
• 13:30-15:19: What real revival looks like; hunger, prayer, evidence of God’s presence
• 17:23-18:41: Technology and the spread of revival – from Gutenberg to TikTok
• 26:46-28:43: The tests facing churches and leadership; courage vs. cowardice
• 32:55-34:42: Erica Kirk’s forgiveness as a spiritual turning point
• 43:25-45:37: Distinction between church, government, and family responsibilities
• 50:47-54:38: Mainstream media on “Christian nationalism” and the biblical response
• 70:09-72:00: Explaining the “demonic” nature of cultural decay
• 80:33-83:18: Pastors as shepherds/cowboys, the need for masculine, protective leadership
• 85:50-89:19: Six-point action plan for pastors and leaders; resource offer

Concluding Challenge & Encouragement

To Listeners:

• “Go to church, open a Bible, keep going.”
• Faith is lived publicly; revival begins with steps of repentance and forgiveness.

To Pastors and Churches:

• Seize this moment: recognize the spiritual hunger, teach boldly, fight lies and offer hope.
• “Fear is contagious—and so is courage.”
• Real revival is messy, explosive, youth-driven, and demands new wineskins (new methods, movements, leaders).

Lasting Legacy:

• Charlie Kirk’s spiritual impact rivals or exceeds his political influence.
• The movement sparked can be sustained—if leaders step into it with humility, courage, and truth.

Free Resource Reminder:

• Download a free copy of "Doctrine" by Pastor Mark Driscoll and Gary Beshears: Text DOCTRINE to 99383 or visit charliekirk.com.

This episode stands as a call to faith, boldness, and spiritual clarity in a time of national grief and supernatural stirring. The revival Charlie Kirk’s martyrdom sparked has the potential to reshape a generation, if the church will rise to meet it.