Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico once claimed ‘God is not a Christian,’ defended abortion during 2023 sermon

A guy running for Senate in Texas, of all places, decided the best sermon topic was telling Christians they're not Christian enough. That takes a certain kind of nerve. James Talarico wants to have it both ways: the pious seminary student who quotes scripture on the campaign trail, and the guy who tells a congregation that wanting less abortion and more religious liberty is basically theocracy in disguise. Pick a lane.

The title alone tells you where this is going. "God is not a Christian" sounds like a bumper sticker for a philosophy seminar, not something you'd hear from someone trying to represent Texans who go to church on Sunday and vote on Tuesday. It's the kind of line that gets nodded along in a seminary lecture hall and gets you laughed out of a diner in Waco.

What's actually going on here isn't subtle. Talarico is trying to sell progressive politics to a state that isn't buying it, and he's using religious language to soften the pitch. Defending abortion from the pulpit isn't some brave theological insight, it's a talking point wearing vestments. Texans have seen this move before, dressing up the same old positions in new language and hoping nobody notices the substance hasn't changed.

The bigger tell is the accusation itself. Calling conservatives theocrats for wanting the government to leave religious institutions alone is a strange definition of tyranny. If anything, it's Talarico doing the imposing, using a sermon to tell believers their faith is being practiced wrong. Texans can spot a lecture dressed up as a blessing. This one won't preach past the primary.