James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, is drawing sharp criticism from conservative Christian commentators over a string of past sermons and podcast appearances in which he described God as “nonbinary,” said he has at times “hated Christianity,” and warned of a rising “Christian theocracy” in America.
The criticism comes from an opinion piece published Thursday by American Thinker, written by Mike McDaniel, who takes aim at the Presbyterian seminarian and part-time preacher, labeling him a “false prophet” and accusing him of reading his own political views into scripture — a practice theologians call eisegesis.
McDaniel’s essay leans heavily on reporting from PJ Media’s Chris McQueen and a recent New York Post story that unearthed a sermon in which Talarico reportedly expressed shame at calling himself a Christian and declared that God is “not a Christian.”
“If Jesus is a contemporary leftist radical and God is ‘nonbinary,’ reality itself is up for grabs,” McDaniel wrote, summarizing what he sees as Talarico’s theological approach.
‘God is nonbinary’ and other remarks
According to PJ Media, Talarico has repeatedly said that “God is nonbinary” and has cited a “TransQueer, Latinx” activist theologian as a model for his faith. That theologian, Roberto Henderson-Espinoza, interviewed Talarico in 2021 for a podcast in which the Senate hopeful said, “I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity,” while also acknowledging that he is “always drawn back into it.”
In the same interview, Talarico reportedly praised Henderson-Espinoza as a guiding figure in his spiritual life.
McDaniel highlights those remarks as evidence that Talarico is out of step with orthodox Christian belief, arguing that “conservative Christianity” means taking the Bible as revealed truth — something he says Talarico rejects.
Sermon decries ‘Christian nationalism’
Last week, the New York Post reported on a sermon in which Talarico described “Christian nationalism” as “a sectarian movement based on mutual hate” and claimed its adherents have “co-opted the Son of God.”
“They’ve turned this humble rabbi into a gun-toting, gay-bashing, science-denying, money-loving, fear-mongering fascist,” Talarico said in the sermon, according to the Post. “And it is incumbent upon all Christians to confront it and denounce it. Christian nationalism is on the rise.”
He added that America is “closer than we think to a Christian theocracy.”
McDaniel counters that few Christians self-identify as “Christian nationalists” and argues the term is used as a smear for “essentially conservative Christianity combined with love of this country.”
Faith and policy collide
Talarico has also drawn attention for comments about the nature of salvation. In an interview with left-leaning podcaster Ezra Klein, he reportedly claimed the Bible does not say one must be a Christian to enter heaven. McDaniel used that remark to question whether Talarico’s church — where he grew up with what McDaniel calls “squishy, unbiblical theology” — has abandoned the Gospels for “contemporary leftist social orthodoxy.”
In public remarks on policy, Talarico has connected his faith to progressive priorities. “If this was truly a Christian nation, we would make sure every child in this state and in this country was housed, fed, clothed, educated, and insured,” he said. He also pushed back against the idea of an exclusive Christian nation, saying “the table of fellowship is open to everybody, including our Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and atheist neighbors.”
McDaniel, a retired police officer and Air Force veteran who writes frequently on faith and culture, said Christians are right to be wary of speakers like Talarico.
“Scripture warns about false prophets and how to discern them,” McDaniel wrote. “Prophets like Talarico.”
The American Thinker piece also accused Talarico of leftist, anti-American views and suggested his criticism of Christian nationalism is a veiled attack on traditional Christianity itself.
Background: A rising Democratic hopeful
Talarico, a Texas state representative, is challenging incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn in the 2026 election cycle. He has positioned himself as a faith-forward progressive, speaking openly about his Presbyterian seminary training and his belief that progressive politics align with Jesus’ teachings.
His campaign has not yet responded publicly to the American Thinker column or to the earlier PJ Media and New York Post reports. Talarico’s website emphasizes issues such as Medicaid expansion, public school funding, and gun safety measures.
The Texas Senate race is expected to be one of the most closely watched in the country, and Talarico’s comments on faith are likely to remain a flashpoint as he courts both religious voters and a national progressive base.
For conservative critics like McDaniel, the sharpest concern is what Talarico’s rhetoric reveals about his understanding of Christianity itself.
“We often hear essentially Godless leftists, and self-identified Christians belonging to churches that have abandoned the Gospels for contemporary leftist social orthodoxy, use the term ‘Christian Nationalism’ as an insult,” McDaniel wrote. “Yet few, if any, Christians think of themselves that way.”
Source: www.americanthinker.com — https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/09/james-talarico-false-prophet/