Texas state Representative James Talarico (D) has openly acknowledged the significant influence that Jim Rigby, the pastor of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas, has had on his perspective.
Talarico, who is currently in a race against state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) for a U.S. Senate seat, mentioned in a conversation with the New York Times that Rigby is “one of the biggest influences on [him] as a Christian, as a human being.”
“He is my pastor in every sense of the word,” Talarico affirmed. He is a part-time seminarian in the Presbyterian tradition, known for his controversial stance on several issues—such as working to remove the Bible from schools, using Scripture to support abortion, accepting donations from an associate of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, voicing concerns over traditional Christian beliefs, and voting against measures protecting minors from extreme medical interventions.
Recent hidden-camera footage obtained by Blaze News indicates that the pastor who has shaped Talarico’s worldview seems to have a negative view of evangelical Christians.
In footage from August 30, Rigby was questioned off-camera about evangelical Christians and their beliefs.
In his response, Rigby speculated, “My guess is that they’re people who are just not that smart in, like, abstract thinking, which is where a lot of the liberal stuff and the principles of human rights and all that stuff come up—it’s like they just, it doesn’t show up on their radar.”
He elaborated further, suggesting that evangelicals “panic when that stuff is laid out in front of them,” likening their understanding to having “black and white vision” while others are offering a “color photograph.”
Rigby suggested that figures like Donald Trump and even Adolf Hitler have taken advantage of evangelicals’ perceived simplistic thinking for their own gain, stating, “what Hitler did and what Trump is doing is play off of that.”
The pastor expressed his view that evangelical beliefs in the supernatural, including hell, angels, and demons, are quite irrational. He remarked, “The church is a huge part of the problem—teaching people from the cradle that things are true because you believe them,” stating that a belief in hell can hinder rational thought.
According to the latest Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study, about 27% of adults in Texas identify as evangelical Protestants. However, these beliefs are not exclusive to evangelicals, as a broader survey indicated that 62% of all American adults and 69% of American Christians believe in hell. Additionally, a 2023 Gallup survey found that 69% of Americans believe in angels, while 58% believe in the devil.
Steve Deace, a host at BlazeTV, commented on the footage, remarking on Talarico’s association with Rigby, saying, “It’s not surprising an open and avowed heretic like James Talarico goes to a church led by fellow heretics. What is surprising, though, is how this false shepherd managed to deny virtually every key doctrine of Christianity in less than two minutes.” He further criticized the pastor for displaying a high level of deception disguised as conviction.
Rigby has made additional statements that Talarico may want to distance himself from as his campaign progresses. For instance, Rigby has called for a “true jihad” during a pro-Palestine rally, expressed doubts about a literal resurrection, and suggested that Christianity is not necessarily the best path for many people.
Despite acknowledging that he does not speak for Talarico, Rigby’s influence on the politician is clear, especially in Talarico’s willingness to criticize traditional Christianity. Talarico himself once commented on a podcast that even though he often feels “drawn back” into Christianity, he “always thinks of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity.”
Meanwhile, Paxton has labeled Talarico as “a threat to our values, our way of life, and the future of Texas.”
