Government · Austin, TX Metro · August 30, 2026
TX Senate Candidate Talarico Agrees Christians Are America's 'Villains'
According to a report from The Gateway Pundit, a resurfaced clip from the August 5 episode of the Higher Learning podcast shows Texas Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico laughing and nodding as host Van Lathan Jr. described American Christians as "villains" and "mean people." Talarico told Lathan that while he didn't consider "good person" Christianity dead, he called Lathan's assessment "spot on." The report ties Talarico's professed faith to St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin, led by Jim Rigby, which the outlet says uses an "inclusive Bible" that removes masculine pronouns for God, treats titles such as "King" or "Lord" for Christ as examples of "rape culture," distributes sexually explicit material to children under a "God is queer" message, and funds Planned Parenthood and transgender youth programs. These specific claims about the church's materials and teaching are reported by Gateway Pundit and have not been independently verified in the material reviewed here. Talarico has publicly identified as Christian during his Senate campaign.
Source: thegatewaypundit.com
Why Bible-Believing Christians Should Care
A candidate who publicly identifies as Christian nodding along as a podcast host brands Christians society's 'villains' raises legitimate questions about what gospel, if any, stands behind that label. More significant is the church named in this report: if the described teaching is accurate, it shows a congregation retaining the Presbyterian and Christian name while rewriting core doctrines — the nature of God, the Lordship of Christ, sexual ethics toward children — into something Scripture does not recognize. Voters and church members should not assume that a politician's or a congregation's use of 'Christian' language reflects biblical belief. The label must be tested against what is actually taught, not accepted on branding alone.
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. — 2 Timothy 3:5
Share this alert
From the book
Leadership, fearing lost revenue or status, adopts a strategy of studious ambiguity. They do not reject orthodoxy explicitly. They simply stop teaching it. The drift happens not by vote but by omission, which is why it is so rarely noticed until it is complete.
— Chapter 17, “The Mechanics of Capture”
Get the BookKnow where you stand
The free 4-minute assessment identifies your mountain and your institution’s capture phase — so alerts like this one arrive matched to where you actually stand.
Facing this yourself? Ask. Describe what is happening and get what the book, Scripture, and the law of your state say, with the exact words to use. Your first one is free.