In Dallas, 6,700 women rally for culture war battles after Kirk’s death

DALLAS (RNS) — “Welcome to the fight,” commentator Allie Beth Stuckey said as she greeted 6,700 people conservative christian women They gathered at the arena in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday morning (October 11): “The fight for the 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, this fight is often waged in podcast recordings, comment sections, PTA meetings and local elections. But this weekend, the battle came together in the Dallas suburbs during Stuckey’s second annual “Share the Arrows” women’s conference; where Bible-wielding Christian women gathered at the Credit Union Texas Events Center to get inspired in person by their favorite online influencers, including Jinger Duggar Vuolo of the hit show “19 Kids and Counting” and homeschooling “mom fluent” Abbie Halberstadt.

Held just a month after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the event also served as a rally for women whose faith had been rekindled by the death of the far-right political activist.

“We’ve all had a new pain in our hearts since Charlie passed away, and we’re so excited to keep burning that fire. This is a great way to reignite that in all of us,” mother Rachel Jonson, 28, of Corinth, Texas, told RNS as she sat in the back of the arena and rocked the baby strapped to her chest.

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To these women, Kirk was an evangelist and martyr who died for defending conservative beliefs about Scripture, family, abortion, gender, and sexuality that they themselves held sacred. In the weeks after Kirk’s death, the conference saw a surge with more than 2,000 women purchasing tickets. The goal of the conference was to equip these women to bravely participate in the culture wars. While Stuckey maintains that the fight is primarily about defending biblical truths, he says political involvement is a byproduct.

“This is a fight to which every Christian is called, and it is not fought on a physical battlefield or just in the public square,” Stuckey said from the conference stage. “This is a spiritual war being waged in our homes, our neighborhoods, our schools, our workplaces.”

An hour before the event started at 9 a.m., thousands of women lined up around the event center, clutching notebooks and clear bags required by security protocols. Once inside, attendees were warmly greeted by sponsors at pastel-coloured stalls selling natural cosmetics, Bibles, nutritional supplements and merchandise, with witty remarks such as “you bet your stretch marks.”

Nearly everyone who spoke to RNS said they were excited to be with like-minded women. Anna Tumulty, 40, of Springtown, Texas, who was waiting in her seat before the event, said she brought her daughter, Lily, to the conference for her 16th birthday “to prepare her for her future walk with Christ and to prepare her to face issues in today’s culture.”

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

“I don’t know them, but they’re still from the same Christian family as me,” Graver said.

The “Share Your Arrows” conference was designed with women like Graver in mind. Stuckey, known for her sharp political, cultural and theological commentary and author of the 2024 book “Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploited Christian Compassion,” told RNS that the idea for the event was born in the wake of 2020, when many conservative women were afraid to speak their minds. Despite President Donald Trump winning the 2024 election, this year’s event was not framed as a victory lap. The phrase “share the arrows” refers to the idea that when a conservative believer is attacked, like-minded Christians should rally around him. And Kirk’s assassination has been cited repeatedly as evidence that conservative views are under threat.

“The pattern we have seen in Christianity for the last 2,000 years is Christians telling the truth, Christians being persecuted, and Christians multiplying, much to the disappointment of the tyrants who try to stop us,” Stuckey said during the conference.

According to the event’s speakers, the targeted values ​​include the dangers of “transgenderism” and queer identity, the belief that abortion is murder, and the maintenance of the traditional roles of men and women in marriage.

Satan was often described as the one who hurled “arrows”; but it was generally fellow Christians rather than the secular left who were accused of distorting what the conference framed as objective Biblical truths. Former Christian musician, author and apologist Alisa Childers condemned longtime NIH director and evangelist Francis Collins for supporting fetal tissue research, LGBTQ+ rights, DEI and “Darwinian evolution.” Childers later received laughter and applause when she called out LGBTQ-affirming evangelist Jen Hatmaker.

“We have groups of people who call themselves Christians and say, ‘The Bible doesn’t actually mean what we thought it did for 2,000 years. The words have no objective meaning,'” Childers said during his speech.

Hillary Morgan Ferrer, founder of the nonprofit Mama Bear Apologetics, described progressives as captives, not enemies.

“We have to realize that people have ideological Stockholm Syndrome, especially when it comes to the whole alphabet brigade, because they think these ideas are the things that give me purpose. They give me acceptance,” Ferrer said, referring to the acronym LGBTQ+.

Katy Faust, founder of the nonprofit Children’s Rights Foundation, stated that it is possible to love gay people without compromising conservative beliefs, but framed same-sex marriage as a justice issue that deprives children of a mother or father. He rejected no-fault divorce, in vitro fertilization and surrogacy, saying these practices prioritize parental choices over children’s rights.

The speeches took place on the arena’s main stage and were interspersed with worship sets that featured anthems such as “In Christ Alone” and the more recent hit “Holy Forever.” Christian musician Francesca Battistelli twice led participants in the hymn “This Is My Father’s World,” which included the line “the war is not over.”

However, although cultural struggles were the main focus of the conference, there were also joyful moments; speakers incorporated jokes about chicken coops and sourdough starters into their speeches; Panels on motherhood and health offered practical advice on how to control children’s access to social media and avoid processed foods.

Uniting the speakers was not just a conservative, evangelical worldview but also an aesthetic; All nine featured speakers were white women in their 30s and 50s. Most of the participants were also white women who appeared to have adopted a frayed uniform of jeans or long skirts and a casual top. Sponsors of the event include a Texas-based antibiotic-free meat company; a pro-life, chemical-free baby care brand; and a sustainable fashion brand—revealed significant overlap with MAHA moms (Make America Healthy Again), or “crunchy” moms, as Childers puts it.

Stuckey told RNS that the “Share Your Arrows” program has a “pretty narrow” theology and politics, and unlike other Christian women’s conferences that “deal with social and racial justice,” Stuckey has “zero tolerance” for it.

Stuckey observed that despite the specific conservative audience, “This is probably one of the largest Christian women’s conferences out there, and this is only our second year.” “I think that tells us a little bit about where Christian women are going.”

Following Kirk’s passing, Stuckey joined many conservative faith leaders speaking about the possibility of a revival. In his speech, Childers alluded to Stuckey’s role in this movement, describing Stuckey as “just like a female Charlie Kirk” who “brought 6,500 Charlie Kirks together to get together.”

But Stuckey insisted that Kirk was an anomaly.

“I and maybe 100 other people represent a small part of Charlie,” Stuckey told RNS. “If I can be part of the team that undertakes to be an evangelist and advocate for the faith among conservatives, I will be honored to receive it.”