By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Monday, September 22, 2025Chris Tomlin performs at Bridgestone Arena on April 18, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. | Jason Kempin/Getty ImagesAfter leading millions, both in person and online, in worship at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service, Chris Tomlin is sure of one thing: A movement of God is happening, and the Spirit of the Lord is moving.The Grammy Award-winning worship leader, whose songs have become staples in churches worldwide, opened the Sept. 21 service for the slain Turning Point USA founder at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Standing before dignitaries, political leaders and a global press corps, Tomlin began the day by singing one of Kirk’s favorite hymns: “How Great Is Our God.”“I was so moved,” the 53-year-old Texas native told The Christian Post in his first interview since the performance, revealing Kirk’s wife, Erika, had reached out and asked him to sing at her late husband’s memorial service. “For Jesus to be proclaimed so boldly throughout this whole day by everyone … what an awakening moment in our nation. It feels like a shift; it feels like this real awakening that so many people have been praying for,” he said. The scale of the service stunned even a veteran artist like Tomlin, who has performed at sold-out nights at venues like Red Rocks and Bridgestone. Originally scheduled for a church, the memorial quickly shifted to a stadium to accommodate crowds, with more press credential requests than even the Super Bowl.But what marked him most was Erika Kirk’s declaration of forgiveness toward her husband’s killer: “Our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ That young man … I forgive him,” she said, drawing a standing ovation. “I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it’s what Charlie would do.”“I think Erika’s words of forgiveness were the words heard around the world,” Tomlin said. “That simple moment of, ‘I forgive you,’ was more than anybody could say. You can preach all you want, but when you see something like that, when you see the true essence of the Spirit of God in somebody, that can only come from the Spirit of God.That kind of forgiveness can only come from somebody who really walks with God. And for people to see that and witness that — what a moment around the world. I think so many people came to faith yesterday, thousands and thousands of people. And I pray it’s an awakening in this nation.”Tomlin said he entered the memorial service “in fear and trembling,” unsure how to step into the moment but determined — like he does at every performance — to lead people to God.“I said, ‘Lord, I’m just going to lead people. I don’t really know how to even walk in this moment, but just to lead people to You,’” he said.“I kept thinking about the words that I was singing over our nation, over the world: ‘Above all thrones and dominions, positions and positions, Your name stands above them all.’ Thinking of all the names that are in that room, thinking of all the powers and positions in that room, that are tuned in, to point people to the name above every name, and right off the start, what a privilege. That’ll be a marking moment for me in my life.”The day before the memorial, Tomlin revealed he had an encounter that underscored for him just how wide the ripple effect of Kirk’s legacy already was.“I was in an Uber, and the driver started sharing his story,” he said. “He just said how he had been in the military, and I could tell he’d lived a little harder life. He just began to talk to me and … he said, ‘Man, I’m getting baptized this Sunday.’ And I was like, really? And then he said, ‘Yeah. That thing that happened to Charlie, that really woke me up.’ And I’m headed to the memorial in a couple of hours on a plane through the night, and I’m just thinking of how many people all over the country that that was happening to. God’s Spirit is moving.”Tomlin, who recently launched his tour “An Evening of Worship with Chris Tomlin,” is gearing up for the release of his new album, The King Is Still the King,which releases Sept. 26 — a timing he calls providential.Courtesy of Chris Tomlin“I was actually thinking about that this morning,” he said. “’The King is still the King.’ What a moment in this nation, in this world, to declare that. It’s not just a nice little title; it’s a declaration of faith. It is a statement of faith to the world, a reminder that we are part of a Kingdom that’s so much greater than this Earth.”The album cover features two crowns — a crown of thorns wrapped around a golden crown.“That tells the whole story,” Tomlin explained. “When Jesus was on this Earth, He wore a crown of thorns … a crown of mockery, of shame, of taking on the forgiveness of the world. And yet today, He wears the crown of King of Kings. Just to be reminded of those two crowns tells the whole story. It’s the reason that Erika could stand there and say, ‘I forgive you.’ Because of that crown of thorns, and yet the crown of the King of Kings.”The single from the project, “How Good It Is,” written by Tomlin, Jess Cates and Jordan Mohilowski, has already become the highest debut of Tomlin’s career. The album features other artists, including Phil Wickham and Aodhán King, and includes covers of classics like “You Are My King (Amazing Love)” and “My Father’s World,” along with original worship songs.But according to Tomlin, it’s one of the album’s standout tracks, “Help My Unbelief, ” that might surprise longtime listeners.“It comes from the Gospel of Mark,” Tomlin said, recounting the story of a father who brought his sick son to Jesus. “And in that, that’s the bumper sticker, right? ‘All things are possible for those who believe.’ But it’s the dad’s response next, he says, ‘I do believe, but help my unbelief.’ That’s right from God’s Word, looking right at Jesus. And who hasn’t felt that?”Tomlin said he hopes the song meets people in their struggles. “Sometimes to have your faith, you’ve got to sing your faith. And that’s all you can do. Sometimes that’s all you got,” he said. “It’s not a song of despair, of sorrow; there’s a lot of hope in this song.”Ultimately, Tomlin sees both Kirk’s memorial and the music as part of a larger movement, reiterating that there is an “awakening moment in our world.”“I just hope that it continues to point people and remind people … that there is a king that reigns above all things. If we put our hope in governments, they will fail. People will fail. But our hope is a greater hope. That’s what I’m pointing people to,” he said.On the back of the record’s artwork is Revelation 19, the vision of Christ returning on a white horse, his robe dipped in blood, with the name “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” written across it.“The blood is still the blood, the King is still the King,” Tomlin said. “That’s our hope. That’s the King I’m pointing people to, above all powers and positions, above all thrones, all dominions, as ‘Holy Forever’ says. Above all that, there’s a name that stands above all.”Preorder The King Is Still the King here.Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
Chris Tomlin on leading worship at Charlie Kirk’s memorial
