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As waves of shock rippled through America on Sept. 10, 2025, after Charlie Kirk was assassinated, the sorrow of losing a “brother in Christ” was felt in the Bible Belt of the United States.
“We immediately prayed for him to make it through. But then, just kind of hearing that he had passed, there was definitely a sorrow just as a brother in Christ,” Dr. Trenton Stewart, lead pastor of Foothills Church in Knoxville, Tenn., told Fox News Digital.
“[Seeing Kirk] killed essentially for [an] opinion, that just sparks something deep within our DNA. The unfairness of that, the unjustness of that — that’s why we saw so many people pick up a Bible [and] go to church for the first time ever,” he continued.
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The days following Kirk’s death saw people called to return to church and purchase Bibles after the 31-year-old’s assassination at Utah Valley University.
Stewart said the first weekend after Kirk’s death, Foothills Church experienced a 65% jump in first-time guests — something that was “definitely felt.”
Social media users shared testimonies of feeling compelled to reconnect with their faith and deepen their relationship with God after Kirk’s death.
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One user from Florida posted a TikTok about her experience, citing that she felt “woken up” after the incident.
Another man said that Charlie Kirk “won” him over, finding “peace” after the “rage and sorrow” he felt from Kirk’s assassination after reading the Bible.
Another woman posted about her experience buying her first Bible at 37-years-old, writing “#CharlieKirk.”
According to the American Bible Society, 2024 marked a 20-year high in U.S. Bible sales, with 17 million copies sold. As of August 2025, sales have already reached 10 million.
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“People resonated with his message, because if you’re a person of faith, you believe what he was teaching,” he added.
“The message of Charlie Kirk is going to go on and on and on, not because it was centered on Republican or conservative politics, but because it was centered on the Word of God,” Dr. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, said.
Pastor Stewart went on to say that Kirk’s death gave him “courage,” adding, “We should all aspire to be like [Charlie Kirk.]”
“Be ready for the blowback and don’t become discouraged if everybody doesn’t receive your message,” Jeffress said. “Most people at Jesus, during Jesus’ lifetime, they rejected his message. They crucified him, but he rose again, and he’s going to have the final word in human history.”
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