Pastor Rob McCoy on Charlie Kirk's Faith Legacy and Why Politics Was His On-Ramp to Jesus
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Pastor Rob McCoy on Charlie Kirk's Faith Legacy and Why Politics Was His On-Ramp to Jesus
Pastor Rob McCoy, who officiated Charlie Kirk and Erika Kirk's wedding and serves as co-chair of Turning Point USA Faith, shares the profound spiritual foundation that drove Charlie's work. McCoy explains how Charlie viewed politics as an on-ramp to Jesus, believing that if he could get young people rowing in the streams of liberty, they would eventually come to the source, the Lord. In this powerful conversation, McCoy discusses the unprecedented moment when hours of national news coverage focused on God and Christianity, Erika Kirk's supernatural strength in extending forgiveness, and why Christians must engage in the cultural and political arena. He challenges pastors who have abandoned the public square and reveals how Charlie awakened an entire generation to both faith and freedom.
Pastor Rob McCoy opened by sharing the spiritual foundation that guided Charlie Kirk's life and work. Speaking at Charlie's memorial service, McCoy emphasized that Charlie wanted his Savior to be the guest of honor and wanted everyone to receive the gift of understanding the 'why' behind what he did. According to McCoy, Charlie looked at politics as an on-ramp to Jesus. He knew that if he could get young people rowing in the streams of liberty, they would eventually come to the source and ask the Lord.
McCoy, who served as Charlie's long-term pastor and officiated his wedding to Erika Kirk, also serves as co-chair of Turning Point USA Faith. His insights reveal a man whose political activism was inseparable from his faith mission.
Counsel for New Believers
During the memorial service, McCoy witnessed a powerful moment when he asked those who were just finding Christ and connecting with their faith to stand up. When asked what he would tell these new believers who are just starting their journey to follow Charlie's legacy and teachings of the gospel, McCoy's advice was direct: "The first thing I would tell them is they have been born again. Now you have to get to a Bible-believing church, plug into it. The Bible says faith comes from the word of God."
McCoy noted the remarkable irony of Charlie's legacy: "I'm a minister, that's my calling in life. Now I think I need to run for politics because all the politicians were preaching the gospel. It was an amazing day."
An Unprecedented Moment for Faith in America
The memorial service represented something unprecedented in American public life—hours of national news coverage pointed toward a stage that spoke almost exclusively about God and Christianity. McCoy reflected on what this means for the country moving forward, not just for Charlie's legacy but for the nation as a whole.
"Charlie understood the history of our nation," McCoy explained. "As John Adams said, only a moral and religious people can govern a republic. This design of government was established to give people the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, the freedom to assemble for grievances. That's what Charlie understood."
McCoy drew a powerful comparison: "He was in a sense like Moses—he reawakened an entire generation of young people that have been indoctrinated to hate America and to think our founders were awful. Now they've awakened to the beauty of this form of government and they're excited about it. That's what Charlie did."
Politics as an On-Ramp to Faith
Addressing criticism that Charlie was too political, McCoy reframed the perspective entirely: "People said Charlie was too political. But politics was an on-ramp for a relationship with the Lord. If he could get the young people rowing in the streams of liberty, they would come to the source, which is the Lord."
This philosophy challenges the long-standing notion that Christians should avoid the culture war and political arena. McCoy believes Charlie's life proves that Christians can and should engage in that arena.
The Failure of American Pastors
McCoy didn't hold back in his assessment of why the church has retreated from public engagement. "I would also blame the pastors in America," he stated. "Ours was the first church Charlie preached at. I invited him to speak and he said, 'I don't speak in churches.' And I said, 'Why not?' He said, 'They think I'm too political.'"
McCoy's response to Charlie was instructive: "I said, 'Politics is the highest form of community. It combines morality with sociability. If God didn't want us in politics, He wouldn't have invented marriage. You have to have rules to live together. If you're going to love your neighbor as yourself, then you're going to engage in the public square for the sake of their families.'"
He continued: "I said, 'Charlie, that's exactly where you should be,' because pastors have adopted a gnostic view of the gospel, which is an early heresy—separating the spiritual from the material. They say politics is dirty. My comment to them: the church is dirty. What's your point? Your life is dirty and you're working on that. Why wouldn't you contend for your neighbor's children in the public square, at the school board meetings? That's what Charlie did for these young people. They saw that. He believed in their future, in an America where they could raise a family, have kids, and most importantly, freely worship God without all the censorship and all the misery."
McCoy issued a challenge to pastors: "When people show up at church on Sunday who were at that memorial service, and you said nothing about it, you might want to ask them why they're there. And they're going to say, 'Charlie Kirk.' You might want to learn a little bit about his life, pastor, because he's the one that the Lord used to create an awakening in America."
Erika Kirk's Supernatural Strength and the Gift of Forgiveness
One of the most powerful moments of the discussion centered on Erika Kirk and the scripture from Colossians 3:12-17: "God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another. If any of you has a grievance against someone, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive."
For many watching Erika extend forgiveness after what happened to Charlie, this was a difficult teaching to accept. McCoy addressed this directly: "It was divine. There's no explanation for Erika having such strength right now other than a supernatural blessing from God. She has been a lioness in the midst of this."
He drew a historical parallel: "A lot of viewers probably don't know Jim Elliott, but he was martyred in the 20th century and it started the largest mission movement in the world. His widow, Elisabeth Elliott, ended up becoming a fixture. Erika Kirk is a modern Elisabeth Elliott. She's going to take this nation to a place of faith and understanding of the most important principle."
McCoy explained the theology of forgiveness that Erika embraced: "When we come to Christ, we realize a multitude of our sins. His blood covered us from past, present, and future. Erika understood that. She dug deep in the Word and she meant what she said."
He clarified an important distinction: "Let me say something to your viewers. Forgiveness is not forgetting—it's putting the consequences in the hands of God and moving on with your life. She let that go and gave it to the Lord. He is before the Lord now. Whatever he faces in the judicial system is the case. We have laws in this nation. Erika has no ill will toward him. She's given that to the Lord, and that is a gift from God."
The conversation concluded with a powerful reminder: "Bitterness and unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting somebody else to pass away from it. Let go of that. She did, and it was so beautiful to watch."
