The New Evangelicals Podcast 408. I Used to Work For Turning Point. Here's How I Got Out
Dec 15, 2025
Caroline Stout, a former staffer at Turning Point USA, shares her transformative journey from evangelical fundamentalism to a nuanced understanding of faith and politics. She discusses her upbringing in a Houston mega-church and how it shaped her worldview. Caroline reflects on her role in founding a campus chapter and the organization’s shift towards Christian nationalism. She also delves into her political deconstruction and the impact of media on youth recruitment while emphasizing the importance of curiosity in her spiritual rediscovery.
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Megachurch Pipeline To Politics
- Caroline Stout grew up in a Houston Baptist megachurch with glitzy perks like film studios and celebrity speakers.
- That environment normalized political pipelines and made conservative-politics involvement feel like belonging.
Turning Point's Strategic Shift
- Turning Point USA shifted from a libertarian, fiscal-focused group to far-right culture-war advocacy after 2017–2018.
- The organization’s tactics intentionally created cultural division by claiming to avoid social issues while stoking them.
From CPAC Fan To Turning Point Staff
- Caroline met Charlie Kirk at a Houston young conservatives event and soon attended CPAC as a Turning Point student activist.
- She joined Turning Point at Texas A&M, then became a field staffer passing out voter materials and recruiting students.