A recently resurfaced 2023 sermon by Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian and state representative, has sparked intense scrutiny for its radical redefinition of Christian faith and condemnation of religious nationalism.
In the video recorded at St. Andrews’ Presbyterian Church, Talarico declared: “God is so much bigger than our human categories. God is not a Presbyterian. God is not a Christian. God is not a noun at all. God is a verb. God is not a being. God is being self. God is love.” He argued that Jesus “is against anything that gets in the way of that love between neighbors, including religion” and criticized Christian nationalism as “a sectarian movement based on mutual hate.”
Talarico further asserted that Christian nationalists have co-opted Jesus into promoting “gun-toting, gay-bashing, science-denying, money-loving, fear-mongering fascism,” while warning that the United States is “closer than we think to a Christian theocracy.” He cited specific examples from his sermon, including the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, efforts to replace Texas public schools with private Christian institutions, and the January 6th Capitol riot as evidence of this movement.
The remarks align with Talarico’s March 2021 interview on the “Activist Theology” podcast, where he described his own tensions with Christianity. He stated that his “whiteness” and “masculinity” limited his political imagination, praised his minister Jim Rigby as a “true white traitor,” and claimed Christianity’s political power arises because opponents share its traditions. Talarico also labeled Jesus a socialist, stating: “Nowhere else, in no other political philosophy, in no other economic theory, do I find anything as truly radical or revolutionary as the teachings of that barefoot Rabbi.”
As Talarico faces Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the November 2026 general election, his theological stance has drawn significant attention from critics who question his alignment with both mainstream Christian doctrine and progressive political messaging.