HE RECENT PASSING Charlie Kirk has sent shockwaves through the entire western world. His passion for truth seeking and debate was inspiring to many who followed him. He was especially passionate about his faith. While identifying as an evangelical protestant, Kirk seemed to be drawn to many Traditional worship elements that exist within Catholic and Orthodox worship.
The Appeal of “Smells and Bells” • Charlie Kirk has repeatedly spoken about the power of traditional liturgy, often contrasting it with the modern entertainment-driven style of worship common in many evangelical settings.
On his podcast, he remarked that people are not truly drawn to churches filled with electric guitars, smoke machines, and high production value. Instead, he argued, they long for “tradition, beauty, reverence.” These qualities, often dismissed by contemporary worship leaders, are precisely what Catholic liturgy in its traditional form offers.
Ancient and Beautiful Spaces • Kirk often points to Catholic and Orthodox churches as living witnesses to a faith that has endured. He praises these spaces as “ancient” and “beautiful,” marveling that they have “stood the test of time.”
Unlike evangelical worship centers, which can sometimes resemble concert halls or coffee shops, Catholic and Orthodox churches communicate a sense of permanence. Their architecture, music, and ritual are designed to point upward—to God—rather than inward toward entertainment.
A Generation Restless for Tradition • One of Kirk’s sharpest insights is his observation that younger generations are increasingly disillusioned with the consumerist model of evangelical worship. For many millennials and Gen Z believers, the guitar-driven music and TED Talk-style preaching feel shallow and unsatisfying. Instead, Kirk notes, they are being drawn to the aesthetic and liturgical traditionalism of Catholic and Orthodox services. These traditions provide a depth and seriousness that modern trends cannot replicate, offering something transcendent in a world starved of meaning.
“I Want to Feel Holy” • In a conversation from his Another Signal Chat … And Another Pope? episode, Kirk cut to the heart of his critique: “I don’t need a worship song with electric guitar and smoke. I want to feel holy.” With this statement, he distills what attracts him—and so many others—to Catholic worship: it is not about spectacle, but sanctity.
The Power of Easter Vigil • Perhaps most striking is Kirk’s personal testimony of attending the Catholic Easter Vigil. He described the experience vividly: “I go there … I point up. It’s not a Costco with a rock band and a TED Talk and good coffee … I enjoy the holiness, the beauty, the pageantry, the structure, tradition, and reverence.”
His words reflect a fascination with the Mass as something utterly unlike consumer culture—an encounter with mystery and transcendence.
May he rest in peace.
