A memorial for Charlie Kirk outside the US embassy in Berlin.<\/span>Adam Berry\/Getty<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n On Sunday, <\/span>a crowd of 80,000 people \u2014 plus scores more watching online \u2014 memorialized Charlie Kirk. The event, held at a State Farm Stadium, home to the NFL\u2019s Arizona Cardinals, brought together the biggest names in Christian music while also featuring a predictable lineup of MAGA loyalists. There were declarations that Donald Trump was chosen by God himself to punish evildoers, capped off with a rousing speech by Trump himself that seethed in hatred for his political opponents. The event was bizarre \u2014 unless you\u2019re acquainted with the liturgy and theology of Christian nationalism.<\/p>\n In many ways, this was one of Christian nationalism\u2019s biggest and loudest days. It was clear that in Kirk, this movement had found its icon \u2014 an exemplar of their brand of nationalistic faith. In life, Kirk tried to set himself apart from the movement that\u2019s come to define his legacy. \u201cI\u2019ve never described myself as a Christian nationalist,\u201d he said<\/a> during one campus debate months before his assassination. \u201cI\u201dm a Christian, and I\u2019m a nationalist.\u201d But it\u2019s a distinction without a difference. Kirk followed his own rebuttal by citing scripture to justify a faith-infused nationalism. The memorial of his life followed a similar pattern; gesturing at scripture, and dripping in the nationalistic fervor that\u2019s come to define modern conservative politics.<\/p>\n There was a sermon <\/strong>by Pastor Rob McCoy, which culminated in a call <\/strong>for people to accept Jesus as their personal savior. But what followed wasn\u2019t a moment of solemn, lingering, prayer. Instead, the crowd was called to stand for the national anthem.<\/p>\n In this video, I point out how this is the Christian nationalist hallmark: fusing the sacred and the secular, where praise and partisanship become strange bedfellows. <\/p>\n Watch:<\/p>\n
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