{"id":6993,"date":"2026-08-20T09:36:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T09:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6993"},"modified":"2026-08-20T09:36:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T09:36:58","slug":"texas-senate-hopeful-james-talarico-once-claimed-god-is-not-a-christian-defended-abortion-during-2023-sermon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6993","title":{"rendered":"Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico once claimed ‘God is not a Christian,’ defended abortion during 2023 sermon"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

WASHINGTON \u2014\u00a0Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico once delivered a sermon titled \u201cGod is not a Christian\u201d as part of a fiery rebuke of conservatives whom the Democrat accused of trying to transform America into a theocracy.<\/p>\n

Read more The DSA\u2019s leaders are so privileged they can\u2019t even see the insanity of their ideas<\/a><\/p>\n

Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian and Texas state rep., admitted in his 2023 sermon that he is sometimes reluctant to share his faith, while warning, \u201cThere is a cancer on our religion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGod 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,\u201d Talarico told a congregation at St. Andrews\u2019 Presbyterian Church.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why Jesus is against anything that gets in the way of that love between neighbors, including religion. That\u2019s why he\u2019s always breaking religious rules,\u201d he added. \u201cThat\u2019s why he says sinners will see the kingdom of heaven before religious people do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout his meteoric political rise, Talarico has leaned on religious themes, similar to former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is also known for his sharp oratory skills and disdain for elements of religious conservatism.<\/p>\n

But the aspiring senator, who once called God nonbinary, previously explained in a 2021 podcast that \u201cI always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity,\u201d though he also noted that despite his misgivings at times, \u201cI always get drawn back into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those remarks were made during an interview with self-described \u201cTransQueer, Latinx\u201d activist theologian Roberto Henderson-Espinoza, whom Talarico described as a model for his faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cJames is a Christian seminarian who\u2019s dedicated his life to the teachings of Jesus Christ \u2014 fighting corruption when he sees it because there\u2019s nothing Christ-like about powerful people using scripture to justify hate and greed and score political points,\u201d Talarico\u2019s spokesperson JT Ennis told The Post about the remarks. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhile billionaire-bought politicians like Ken Paxton attack James for his faith \u2014 he will continue encouraging Texans to come together by loving their neighbors as themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his 2023 sermon, the Democrat detailed his struggle with Christian nationalism \u2014 which he said needs to be booted from church teachings. <\/p>\n

Read more Paul Skenes pulled early again \u2014 even after Pirates pushed back start<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cChristian nationalism is a sectarian movement based on mutual hate,\u201d he argued. \u201cJesus came to transform the world. Christian nationalism is here to maintain the status quo. They have co-opted the Son of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve turned this humble rabbi into a gun-toting, gay-bashing, science-denying, money-loving, fear-mongering fascist,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd it is incumbent upon all Christians to confront it and denounce it. Christian nationalism is on the rise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are closer than we think to a Christian theocracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Examples Talarico cited during his sermon on Christian nationalism wreaking havoc include the Supreme Court\u2019s overturning of Roe v. Wade, a push \u201cto replace public schools in Texas with private Christian schools,\u201d and the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol.<\/p>\n

Talarico also rejected the idea that America is a Christian nation and slammed those who weren\u2019t open-minded towards other religions. <\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIf this was truly a Christian nation, we would make sure every child in this state and in this country was housed, fed, clothed, educated, and insured,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf this was truly a Christian nation, we would never make it a Christian nation, because we know the table of fellowship is open to everybody, including our Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and atheist neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talarico currently has a 1.2 percentage point edge over his scandal-scarred rival, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), in the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls. <\/p>\n

When faced with some of his past \u201cwoke\u201d comments from the early 2020s, Talarico has since described them as \u201ccringey\u201d and added that he \u201cmissed the mark on some of those old statements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Illegal immigrant, 19, killed co-worker he had \u2018intimate\u2019 relationship with near Virginia trail \u2014 tried to set her body on fire: police<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico once delivered a sermon titled “God is not a Christian” in a fiery rebuke of conservatives he accused of trying to transform America into a theocracy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nTexas Senate hopeful James Talarico once claimed 'God is not a Christian,' defended abortion during 2023 sermon - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6993\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico once claimed 'God is not a Christian,' defended abortion during 2023 sermon - 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