In Dallas, 6,700 Women Rally for Culture War Battles After Kirk’s Death

DALLAS (RNS) — “Welcome to the fight,” said commentator Allie Beth Stuckey as she greeted the 6,700 conservative Christian women assembled in the Dallas, Texas, arena on Saturday morning (Oct. 11): “The fight for truth, the fight for our Christian faith, the fight for our children, the fight for the nation.”

Among Stuckey’s hundreds of thousands of social media followers, that fight is often waged in podcast recordings, comment sections, PTA meetings and local elections. But this weekend, the battle converged in the Dallas suburbs during Stuckey’s second annual “Share the Arrows” women’s conference, where throngs of Bible-wielding Christian women gathered at the Credit Union Texas Event Center to be inspired in person by their favorite online influencers, including Jinger Duggar Vuolo from the hit show “19 Kids and Counting” and homeschooling “momfluencer” Abbie Halberstadt.

Held just one month since the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the event also served as a rallying cry for women whose faith has been reignited by the death of the far-right political activist.

“There’s a new ache in all of our hearts since Charlie passed, and we’re just so excited to keep this fire burning. This is a great way to rekindle that in all of us,” Rachel Jonson, a 28-year-old mother from Corinth, Texas, told RNS as she sat near the back of the arena, rocking the infant wrapped to her chest.

To these women, Kirk was an evangelist turned martyr who died for defending conservative beliefs about Scripture, family, abortion, gender and sexuality that they, too, hold sacred. In the weeks after Kirk’s passing, the conference saw a swell of more than 2,000 women purchase tickets. And the conference aimed to equip these women to boldly enter the fray of the culture wars. Though Stuckey argues the battle is primarily about defending biblical truths, she says political engagement is a byproduct.

“This is a fight to which every single Christian is called, and it’s not fought on a physical battlefield or even only in the public square,” said Stuckey from the conference stage. “This is a spiritual battle that is waged in our homes and in our neighborhoods, at school, at your job.”

An hour before the event’s 9 a.m. start, thousands of women formed a line wrapping around the event center, clutching notebooks and the clear bags dictated by security protocols. Once inside, attendees were greeted warmly by sponsors in pastel-colored stalls peddling natural cosmetics, Bibles, nutritional supplements and merch with quippy sayings like “you bet your stretch marks.”

Nearly everyone who spoke with RNS said they were excited to be with likeminded women. Waiting in her seat before the event, Anna Tumulty, 40, from Springtown, Texas, said she brought her daughter Lily to the conference for her 16^th birthday “to help prepare her for her future walk with Christ, and to prepare her to face the problems in today’s culture.”

Carolina Graver, 29, flew in from Palmer, Alaska, to see Stuckey in person. Listening to Stuckey’s hit podcast, “Relatable,” in 2020 inspired her to serve on her local city council, she told RNS. Though she attended the conference alone, Graver said her fellow conferencegoers were an “extension” of her local faith community.

“I don’t know them, but they’re still in the same family of Christians as I am,” said Graver.

The “Share the Arrows” conference was designed with women like Graver in mind. Stuckey, who is best known for her sharp political, cultural and theological commentary and who authored the 2024 book “Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion,” told RNS that the idea for the event was born in the wake of 2020, when many conservative women feared speaking their minds. Despite President Donald Trump’s 2024 election win, this year’s event wasn’t framed as a victory lap. The phrase “share the arrows” refers to the idea that when a conservative believer is attacked, likeminded Christians should rally around them. And Kirk’s assassination was cited repeatedly as evidence that conservative views remain under threat.