Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is drawing renewed attention over a 2023 sermon in which he declared that “God is not a Christian” while arguing against Christian nationalism.
The comments were delivered on Oct. 22, 2023, at Talarico’s home church, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin. Video of the sermon has resurfaced as Talarico campaigns for the US Senate.
The Western Journal republished a critique of Talarico’s remarks Sunday, bringing additional attention to the Democratic candidate’s comments about Christianity and other religions.
During the sermon, Talarico argued that people can find spiritual meaning through different religious traditions and invoked Islamic mystic and poet Rumi while explaining his views.
“There are so many pathways to the sacred,” Talarico told the congregation, before saying God transcends human religious categories.
“God is not a Presbyterian. God is not a Christian,” Talarico continued.
The Texas Democrat went further, describing God as neither a noun nor simply “a being,” but rather “being itself.” He ultimately characterized God as love and argued that Jesus opposed barriers to love between people, including religion.
The sermon centered largely on Talarico’s opposition to Christian nationalism, a political and religious movement he has repeatedly criticized throughout his career.
Talarico declared that “Religious Supremacy is antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ” and argued Jesus did not come to establish a Christian nation.
The Western Journal article, originally published by The Washington Stand, pushed back on Talarico’s theological interpretation, arguing that his comments conflicted with traditional Christian teachings about the exclusivity of Christianity.
Talarico has continued making religion a prominent component of his political identity.
He is a Presbyterian seminarian who has sought to present progressive political positions through his interpretation of Christianity, while frequently criticizing conservatives who mix religious beliefs with government power.
Talarico has also acknowledged having a complicated relationship with organized Christianity.
During a March 2021 podcast appearance, he described himself as a “Christian who hates Christianity,” according to the source. He repeated similar frustrations during his 2023 sermon.
“There is a cancer on our religion,” Talarico said while discussing Christian nationalism.
He argued that Christians needed to confront the movement within churches, warning that religion could otherwise cause significant harm.
The sermon also included a series of jokes contrasting religion with beer, which Talarico said came from a message sent by his church’s senior pastor.
Among the jokes, Talarico said people with beer do not knock on doors attempting to give it away and referenced laws preventing alcohol from being forced on minors.
He also joked about religious persecution, the Second Coming and people devoting their lives to religion.
Those remarks have become another focal point for conservative criticism as footage of the sermon circulates again.
The sermon itself, titled “God Is Not a Christian: Confronting Christian Nationalism,” has been publicly available online since 2024 and has accumulated millions of views. Talarico’s own campaign materials also reference the sermon and quote his criticism of Christian nationalism, per The Western Journal.
Talarico has not backed away from his broader argument.
During a subsequent PBS interview, he described Christian nationalism as the pursuit of economic, social and political power “in the name of Christ” and said he believes the ideology represents a betrayal of Jesus’ teachings.
He has also argued that conservatives and progressives can both legitimately identify as Christians despite reaching dramatically different political conclusions.
The resurfaced sermon now puts those religious views back under scrutiny as Talarico seeks higher office in Texas, where faith and politics remain closely intertwined.
