Beth Neibert

James Talarico went viral preaching about Christianity at a time when the left needed voices to counter conservative Christians. He used the viral success of that to appear on Joe Rogan in July 2025, and launch a Senate campaign two months later. His religious message is part and parcel of his persona. That makes what he preaches fair game for scrutiny. First, he was a seminary student, not an ordained pastor. Second nearly 2,000 years, Christian opposition to abortion has been explicit. The Didache, one of the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament, condemns it outright. Talarico says “the Bible is silent on abortion,” that life “starts when you take your first breath,” and that “God asks for Mary’s consent… You cannot force someone to create.” Genesis describes God breathing life into Adam, a man formed from dust. It does not say that every human life begins at first breath. Mary’s willing acceptance of bearing Jesus does not establish a right to end an existing pregnancy. In November 2022, he filed HJR 56, proposing a constitutional amendment that would prevent the Texas Legislature from restricting abortion access when the decision was made in consultation with a licensed physician. (newadvent.org, texastribune.org, capitol.texas.gov, legiscan.com) He has invoked creation to defend his position on biological sex. Genesis says, “Male and female He created them,” Talarico stood on the Texas House floor opposing legislation requiring school sports participation to be separated by biological sex, “God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is nonbinary.” In a separate committee hearing, he said there were “six” biological sexes, listing chromosome variations as additional sexes. Now that he is running statewide though, he says there are two sexes and acknowledges that his earlier statement was wrong. He also says he was “being provocative” with the nonbinary remark. That’s only because he can’t win on that message in a national race. The racial language he used is also disqualifying. After Ahmaud Arbery’s killing, he wrote: “White skin gives me and every white American immunity from the virus. But we spread it wherever we go—through our words, our actions, and our systems. We don’t have to be showing symptoms—like a white hood or a Confederate flag—to be contagious.” You can’t say that about any race or religion that’s called collective guilt and we don’t practice that as Christians. Christianity requires us to confront injustice and examine our own conduct. It’s a personal commandment not a collective one. The pattern is that Talarico repeatedly presents disputed political conclusions under the authority of Christian teaching. Jesus warned us: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing.” He also gave us the test: “By their fruits ye shall know them.” He chose to run on his Christian worldview, he should be judged by it. And if you are a Christian his public distortion of Christianity is disqualifying. And if you’re not a Christian his position on multiple genders and his refusal to protect women in sports is also disqualifying.