Talarico Says ‘God Is Not A Christian’ In Unearthed Sermon

James Talarico wants Texas voters to know he's a devout, Bible-toting Christian running against Christian nationalism. Fine. But then you watch the actual sermon and he's up there telling a congregation that "God is not a Christian," comparing evangelism to handing a toddler a beer, and hedging on who Jesus actually was. That's not a nuanced theological position. That's a candidate trying to have it both ways with two different audiences who are never supposed to compare notes.

The tell here isn't the theology, it's the strategy. Talarico has built a whole campaign persona around being the seminary-student Democrat who can speak fluent scripture to skeptical rural Texans. It works great in a soundbite. It works a lot less great when the full sermon surfaces and it sounds like he's lecturing the very people he's courting about how their faith is basically a form of child abuse dressed up as Sunday school.

Voters can handle a politician who's genuinely wrestling with faith. What they don't love is discovering the wrestling match was private and the public version was curated for maximum electability. If Talarico believes what he preached, own it on the trail instead of hoping nobody digs up the tape. If he doesn't believe it anymore, say that too. Right now it just looks like a man who talks one way to a pulpit and another way to a podium, and Texans tend to notice when the two don't match.