Charlie Kirk speaks at Rob McCoy church in California - calls it his “home church” (though he mostly lives in Arizona) A thread 1/

First tough to see but it crowded with I am guessing few masks. Worship team didn’t wear one neither did pastor 2/x

About at 31 minutes, Kirk talks about “persecution” and said “if you are not under attack right now, you are not boldly enough in public square.” 3/x

He uses Matthew 25 to support this all the while blending the scriptural reason for persecution - gospel sharing - with his political reason (being for Trump). 4/x

He returns to his use of ecclesia - as if he found a new Greek hobby - and created strawman our of churches that said (not one has) they were “closed” until February. And he gets applause! 5/x

Then he moved into “fear that is propagandized” by people who make him wear mask in Starbucks. A key moment of why he is effective Trump sycophant. Kirk is giving evangelicals another fear, a perhaps more “real” fear that the fear of Trump. It’s a fear Trump can subside. 6/x

He offers evangelicals a “micro-tyrant” who “gets excited” to enforce pandemic related rules. This legalism distracts from legalism in their own lives. The new target becomes “the other” denying “freedom” to Christians, legalistic by another label. They must be fought. 7/x

He uses this fear of tyranny - the key argument against Trump - to argue in favor (implicitly) for Trump. He says “something we never thought would happen” in the US is happening in “real time.” 8/x

He literally contrasts the “person at the county health office” (the implied tyrant) as less in significance to orders of “higher meaning” like God and Jesus. 9/x

And key claim to his Christian nationalism from Dennis Prager: “freedom is a value.” Think about “value voters” from 90s. Freedom low on list. To be “new voice” Kirk had to be different “culture warrior” so he made it about 1 value, (poli-Theo) freedom, not biblical ones. 10/c

Kirk: “you need lies for tyranny to exist.” If that is not a validation of all scripture about how Christians will be deluded, I don’t know what is. But think about the rhetorical reversal here: Kirk thinks the liars are against him, not led by the Oval Office 11/c

I muted the last few minutes. But the themes are clear. Trump not mentioned by name but he didn’t have to be. He is the invisible one keeping this worldview of truth and liberty and freedom from being erased by tyrants. It’s disturbing and sadly effective. /end

PS this thread is added to my list of threads on Charlie Kirk https://link.medium.com/iyKlSEK0b9