Texas – “This is blasphemy,” Texas Attorney General and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton said Wednesday as he attacked the Austin church attended by Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, accusing the congregation of promoting transgender issues and distributing an “inclusive” Bible.
“James Talarico is trying to convince Texans he is a moderate pastor, but this is what his church represents,” Paxton wrote on X. “They boast about hanging a trans flag on the cross and hand out ‘inclusive’ Bibles.”
Paxton’s comments came as Talarico’s longtime church, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, has drawn increasing attention during the Texas Senate campaign because of its progressive positions on religion, LGBTQ issues and immigration. Talarico has attended the church since childhood and has described it as an important influence on his faith and worldview.
The dispute over the church intensified after conservative outlets published undercover videos involving ministers at St. Andrew’s. One video showed Rev. Jim Rigby, the church’s longtime pastor and a spiritual mentor to Talarico, discussing the “Inclusive Bible,” a modern translation that uses gender-inclusive language. The Daily Caller reported that Rigby said the church typically gives the translation to new members.
The Christian Post also reported on the video, saying the translation changes traditional gendered references to God and alters titles traditionally used for Jesus. During the footage, a church member described the Bible as a version rewritten to use inclusive language rather than the gendered language found in traditional translations.
The controversy expanded further this week after another undercover video involving a St. Andrew’s minister circulated online. Newsweek reported that Paxton accused the church of “harboring illegals,” hanging a transgender flag over the cross and having a minister who said most members were atheist. The video cited by Newsweek showed Rev. Carol Johnson, identified by the church as its minister for welcome and inclusion, discussing the congregation’s support for LGBTQ rights, racial justice and immigration issues.
Johnson also described St. Andrew’s as a “sanctuary church” and said someone from Guatemala had lived at the church for years. The church has previously been identified as an active member of the Austin Sanctuary Network, according to The Christian Post.
Paxton’s claim about the transgender flag has also been reported by Newsweek, although the outlet noted that the footage and reports it reviewed did not independently verify that specific description. The image of Talarico speaking in front of a cross with transgender, Pride and nonbinary flags has circulated separately online, per reports.
The church controversy is particularly significant because Talarico has increasingly emphasized his Christian faith during his campaign for the U.S. Senate. He is a Presbyterian seminarian and has spoken publicly about his religious beliefs while campaigning against Paxton.
Talarico has also faced scrutiny over previous statements about Christianity and gender. FactCheck.org recently examined an attack ad released by Paxton’s campaign that used an AI-generated version of Talarico to combine several of the Democrat’s past statements. The fact-checking organization found that the statements featured in the ad were based on real remarks but had been taken from different moments and contexts, while Talarico had subsequently clarified some of them.
Among the statements at issue was Talarico’s 2021 comment that “God is non-binary,” which he later described as provocative and clarified by saying that human categories cannot be used to define God.
Talarico has also sought to distinguish his religious beliefs from the political use of Christianity. At the Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 24, he said he would “always stand up for the separation of church and state,” according to Baptist News Global.
The latest clash places Talarico’s longtime congregation directly into the increasingly personal campaign battle between the two Senate candidates. Paxton has repeatedly used Talarico’s religious statements, church affiliations and past comments on gender as part of his criticism of the Democratic nominee.
The church, meanwhile, has publicly described itself as progressive and has previously expressed support for LGBTQIA+ members and visitors. In a 2024 church newsletter, St. Andrew’s said it stood with LGBTQIA+ people and wished members and visitors a happy Pride Month.
Paxton’s latest attack therefore comes as both campaigns continue trying to define Talarico’s religious beliefs and political identity for Texas voters, with the Republican candidate focusing on the practices and statements associated with Talarico’s longtime church while Talarico continues presenting his own faith and separation-of-church-and-state views on the campaign trail.
