Undercover video recently obtained by the Daily Caller gives a glimpse into where Texas Senate candidate James Talarico is getting the heretical things he has been saying on the campaign trail.
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin describes itself as "Presbyterian & Progressive," with an emphasis on "inclusive language" when referring to God, arguing that "to say that our divine source is male is perhaps the most sexist comment a person can make" and "if we wanted to design a rape culture, sexist theology would be a good blueprint."
Texas Scorecard reports that the church also rejects titles such as "King" or "Lord" for God because "some of our language comes from European roots in the Middle Ages, when 'kings' and 'lords' were common, and power was almost exclusively in the hands of men."
Additionally, the church's Instagram page features a clip of a children's puppet show in which one of the performers wears a rainbow "Love is Love" shirt with rainbow streamers in the background.
Rev. Jim Rigby (pictured left), pastor and minister at St. Andrew's, is known for the church trial by the U.S. Presbyterian Church in the 1990s for ordaining gay and lesbian clergy. He is one of the performers, and according to the Daily Caller video, the "Inclusive Bible" is "typically [given] to people when they join."
The translation, he says, is "good on the gender stuff" but "not … very good … on the metaphysical stuff."
"I think it's really important to have a good translation so that you can let go of the stupid stuff," Rigby states in the Daily Caller video.
It includes a snapshot of 1 Timothy 1:10 printed in the Inclusive Bible, where the phrase "the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality…" is swapped out with "for men and women who traffic in human flesh."
Evangelical Texas pastor and AFR host Jeff Schreve is not a fan of the "inclusive" translation.
"I think it's an abomination," he states. "We have the Word of God. People who want to change it, I think immediately of 2 Timothy, Chapter 4, where it tells and commands us to preach the Word. They obviously want to take out language that would reprove and rebuke. We don't have that luxury to edit God’s Word."
Bizarre candidate does a sudden 180
With a slight lead in the polls, Talarico is now backtracking on some of the more controversial theological beliefs he has shared as a state senator.
He recently stated he would "absolutely" support a national ban on gender-mutilation procedures for minors. That sudden, miracle-like pivot on a controversial issue comes after he voted against legislation that banned the procedures in 2023 and stating the people he loves the most are "trans" children.
Among his most bizarre comments, Talarico has stated God is "non-binary." In another reversal, Talarico told Fox News he "missed the mark" on that topic, but that liberal theology mirrors the Austin church and its own version of the Bible.
The sudden backtracking isn't fooling everyone. Babs Miller, a self-described "'out' lesbian chaplain" at St. Andrews, assured the undercover Daily Caller journalist that it's just an act.
"I can guarantee you that once he gets elected, he'll change his tune back to where he was," Miller states in the video.
Schreve says it would be a monumental mistake to send Talarico to Washington.
"It would be disastrous for Texas," he asserts. "He is very, very dangerous. As Ted Cruz said, I prefer my wolves to not wear sheep's clothing."
