In some ways, US Senate candidate James Talarico’s ascension in Texas politics can be compared to Barack Obama’s arrival on the political scene in Illinois.
Both cases involve young, relatively charismatic, somewhat well-spoken messengers of a far-left ideology.
And now there’s a new common factor: a home church with some questionable doctrine.
TheBlaze’s Sara Gonzales recently detailed some of the startling revelations about Talarico’s church, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian in Austin:
1. ‘Christ-centered’ … but open to ‘all religions’: St. Andrew’s shocking statement of faith
On the FAQ page under the section “What does this church believe,” St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church’s website reads:
We are Presbyterian, yet our first allegiance is to Christ’s gospel of universal love. We are Christ centered, yet we respect and learn from all religions of love. We affirm the ancient symbols of our faith, yet we strive to speak a new language that includes all people and affirms the scientific discoveries of our day. We hope to teach children the stories of the Bible without sectarian dogma. We strive to be a close, nurturing community, yet we welcome all people into our midst. We wish to live in inner peace, yet hear God’s call to work for peace and for universal human rights. We take faith seriously, yet believe the journey should be fun. We celebrate life in many artistic forms.
“So, not a Christian church at all,” Sara says, calling it a “fun club.”
2. Proudly ‘out’ lesbian chaplain: The reverend on staff at Talarico’s church
One of the reverends on staff is a lesbian woman named Babs Miller. Her profile on the website reads, “I was finally ordained here in 2014, 24 years after I graduated from seminary, as an ‘out’ lesbian chaplain.”
“That’s how you know that this is not a real church, is when they have a pastor who’s like, ‘I’m living in sin, yeah. Come to our church. … I’m going to preach to you about God’s word while I’m not following it in my daily life and bragging about it,” Sara scoffs.
A third item in Gonzales’ list involved the trove of “sexually explicit” material found in the “banned books area” of the church’s library.
The revelation has fueled some social media discussion as Talarico hammers his faith as a talking point in the general election campaign:
Yeah thats right.
Churches shouldnt be teaching that kind of stuff or letting freaks and pedos around kids.
Its not in Gods plan at all. Protect the children and keep the faith pure. No compromise on that.— sandym (@Sandy1Texas) June 22, 2026
Everything I hear about Talarico is so disgusting 🤢 pic.twitter.com/ESbvUlvMZ0
— MaggieWise ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@maggiewise111) June 22, 2026
Too many words to just say Talarico is a heretic…. He’s no Christian. He’s a blatant wolf. He doesn’t even bother to put on sheep’s clothing.
— factscomefirst (@Ann0553) June 22, 2026
The National Review also highlighted the church in a recent report:
The minister of St. Andrew’s, the Reverend Jim Rigby, often brings politics into his sermons, frequently criticizing the Trump administration from the pulpit. His April 26 sermon, delivered a day after the assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, is a striking example. “There was an assassination attempt,” he told his congregation, “and I know a lot of people have mixed feelings” — he paused, and laughter rippled across the congregation — “but it’s really, really important if we’re going to be the healing agents of the world, to recognize that violence isn’t going to get rid of the problem that we have.”
St. Andrew’s church leadership passed an official resolution against Christian nationalism on Tuesday, shunning the narrative that America has a Christian founding. The leaders promote the idea that the United States has fundamentally corrupt roots, primarily in the unjust acquisition of Native American lands and enslavement of black Americans.
Advertised as Sunday school classes in St. Andrew’s news bulletin, the church’s summer “adult education” sessions are used to promote these ideas. The May 15–21 bulletin introduces one such class: “Christianity today, especially the American version, has discovered some interesting ways to ignore the message of Jesus,” it reads. The study aims to answer financial, political, ethical, and legal questions about Christopher Columbus and is rooted in sources like “art, Bible, Church documents, guest speakers, U.S. federal law, and the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Here’s the full report from Gonzales:
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