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Glenn Beck, Michael Knowles praise Charlie Kirk’s faith during Utah Valley U. memorial

Posted on September 11, 2026
By William Buckley - University of Utah
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Michael Knowles speaks at the Turning Point USA memorial for Charlie Kirk; TPUSA/X

OREM, UT – “His most enduring legacy was his faith,” recounted Michael Knowles of Charlie Kirk on Thursday. “And that legacy showed up in the statistics. A month after Charlie’s assassination, Bible sales jumped by 36 percent. Charlie’s wish turned out to be prophetic.”

Turning Point USA hosted a memorial at Utah Valley University to commemorate the one year anniversary since the organization’s founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated at an event at the school.

Called, “Freedom Built to Last, Honoring Charlie Kirk,” the event gathered national and local conservative leaders together at the school’s basketball arena to honor Kirk, one year after he was assassinated while speaking on campus.

The event featured Knowles, Glenn Beck, and Frank Turek, as well Turning Point area representative Caleb Chilcut and Utah Valley chapter President Sage Brynlee.

As Knowles highlighted in his speech, Kirk’s wish was to be known by his faith. Most of the speeches focuses on the slain Turning Point CEO’s love of God.

The evening began and ended with worship, bookending the memorial with the faith that Kirk cared so much about. Many of the speakers highlighted this as well. “Charlie wanted to be remembered for courage in his faith,” Turek said. “Well mission accomplished my friend.”

“Charlie’s strength was in and from Christ,” recounted Kirk’s chief of staff, Mikey McCoy.

Glenn Beck said during his speech, “If God knows your name, that’s a piece of you that the state can never take away. That’s why Charlie was killed.”

Many also highlighted the Christian revival which has taken place over the last year.

Knowles recounted seeing new people, likely first time or returning churchgoers, “in sweatpants and t-shirts” at his traditional Catholic church. “I’ve never been happier to see sweatpants and t-shirts at church,” he said.

McCoy highlighted later in his speech “the most important thing for [Charlie] was winning souls for Christ.”

“The students in our chapter are no stranger to hatred,” Brynlee, the chapter leader, said. “The hate is loud, but the love is louder, if we choose to hear it.” Sage was also given the opportunity to unveil a new statue of Kirk.

“Charlie Kirk was one of the first people who was willing to stand up for free speech, and for people on every side to have a voice.” Brynlee said. “Charlie Kirk may have just been one man. But what he built will never end with just one man.”

The event was also met with protestors outside the arena, including groups such as Students for Democratic Society, The Black Menaces, and the Community Defense Club, formerly known as the Civil Disobedience Club.

Their signs included “We never wanted Kirk here,” “No tolerance for the intolerant,” and “We shouldn’t memorialize hate.”

When asked for comment, Sharon Turner, senior director of public relations for Utah Valley University told The Fix “The UCCU Center is available to our community as an event space when it is not in use by the university. The center is frequently used by a variety of local and national organizations. The university does not endorse the third-party activities presented at the UCCU Center.”

Turner continued on to say “UVU, including its leaders speaking on behalf of the institution, does not take official positions on political, social, or cultural issues unless they directly impact our mission, operations or core values. This neutrality ensures that our campus remains a true marketplace of ideas, where faculty, staff and students are empowered to express viewpoints without institutional bias”

Prior to the event, Turning Point sent a statement to The Fix, saying “September 10 will never simply be an anniversary.”

“It is the day our lives were changed forever. Today, our hearts are especially with Erika, Charlie’s children, the Kirk family, and the countless people who loved him,” the statement read. “

No organization, movement, or mission can replace what was taken from them. We will never forget the unimaginable loss they continue to carry,” the national free market student group stated. “But we also remember Charlie for how he lived.”