Erika Kirk, wife of the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, chose forgiveness over hatred for her husband’s alleged killer, saying it’s what Jesus and her husband would have done.
In a powerful and emotional moment at a memorial service for her late husband, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk publicly forgave the man accused of his murder. During a speech on Sunday, she drew a direct parallel to the Christian belief in Jesus’s forgiveness on the cross, saying that hate would not be met with hate.
Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on September 11 while at a “Prove Me Wrong” event at Utah Valley University. The accused, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested roughly 33 hours later.
Addressing a capacity crowd at State Farm Stadium, Erika Kirk recounted the biblical story of Jesus forgiving those who crucified him. “On the cross, our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,’” she said, her voice filled with emotion. “That man, that young man… I forgive him.”
The statement was met with a wave of applause and emotion from the audience, which lasted for nearly a minute as she wept. “I forgive him because it is what Christ did,” she said. “It is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love, and always all. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”
Prior to this moment, Mrs. Kirk spoke about her husband’s mission to reach young men. “Charlie passionately wanted to reach and save the lost boys of the west, the young men who feel like they have no direction, no purpose, no faith and no reason to live,” she said. “The men wasting their lives on distractions and the men consumed with resentment, anger and hate.”
She went on to state that her husband’s goal was to help these young men find a better path. “He wanted them to have a home with Turning Point USA… he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life.”
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