{"id":405419,"date":"2026-08-13T11:40:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T11:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/405419\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T11:40:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T11:40:17","slug":"paxton-talarico-tap-contrary-versions-of-god-and-christianity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/405419\/","title":{"rendered":"Paxton, Talarico tap contrary versions of God and Christianity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy<\/a>, and give us feedback<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Republican Ken Paxton<\/a> and Democrat James Talarico<\/a> portray their U.S. Senate campaigns as a fight for the soul of America \u2014 one in which God plays an active yet vastly different role.<\/p>\n

Talarico, believing God is on the side of the oppressed and the marginalized, focuses his message to voters on equity and protecting personal freedom.<\/p>\n

Paxton sees God as on his side \u2014 a force safeguarding his ability to protect Texas and the nation from disaster at the hands of the \u201cradical left.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI truly believe that God just delivered me, not because I am a great person, because God is sovereign and he does what he wants to do,\u201d Paxton said on Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick\u2019s<\/a> podcast<\/a>, referring to tribulations that included an unsuccessful 2023 impeachment<\/a> on corruption charges.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t take credit for it, it\u2019s really by the grace of God,\u201d Paxton said.<\/p>\n

In Texas \u2014 where two-thirds of the adult population<\/a> identifies as Christian and 45% say religion is \u201cvery important\u201d in their life \u2014 the candidates are asking voters to choose between two dramatically different views of Christianity. Paxton\u2019s version insists conservative Christian values \u2014 such as protecting the unborn and preserving the nation\u2019s Judeo-Christian heritage \u2014 must prevail. Talarico\u2019s Christianity celebrates pluralism, affirms LGBTQ+ individuals and believes God transcends all partisan divisions. <\/p>\n

\"\"People say a prayer before starting the Ken Paxton campaign rally in McAllen, Texas on July 14, 2026. Gabriel V. C\u00e1rdenas for The Texas Tribune Gabriel V. C\u00e1rdenas for The Texas Tribune<\/p>\n

\u201cScripture says you can\u2019t love God and hate other people,\u201d Talarico, a seminarian, said in a sermon<\/a> posted on TikTok in December 2025. \u201cYou can\u2019t love God and abuse the immigrant. You can\u2019t love God and bully the outcast. You can\u2019t love God and oppress the poor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spend so much time looking for God out there that we miss God in the person sitting right next to us, in that neighbor who bears the divine image. In the face of a neighbor, we glimpse the face of God,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Talarico has made the New Testament command to love thy neighbor a centerpiece of his campaign. That focus has also given Paxton ammunition to portray his opponent as out of touch with Texas values and Scripture.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what are the differences between me and my opponent?\u201d Paxton said in a July campaign rally in McAllen in a now viral X clip<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m sure you know some of them. One of them is family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, let me talk about faith first,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Paxton spent the next minute critiquing Talarico\u2019s faith, stating the Democratic nominee had said that God is nonbinary and that supporting the oil and gas industry is un-Christian.<\/p>\n

Talarico has dismissed the criticism<\/a>, saying his statements were taken out of context, but the Republican continues to assail his opponent\u2019s faith, implying and outright stating that Talarico cannot be considered a Christian.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Talarico\u2019s views, Paxton said on Patrick\u2019s podcast, are \u201cantithetical to historical Christian views\u201d and \u201cadopted from liberal theology that do not reflect what Scripture says.\u201d <\/p>\n

The message is a frequent theme in Paxton\u2019s stump speeches.<\/p>\n

\"\"Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and state Rep. James Talarico preaches at Central Presbyterian Church in downtown Austin on Dec.14, 2025. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune<\/p>\n

Talarico has gone on the offensive as well, criticizing Christian nationalism, an ideology that depicts the U.S. as a nation founded on Christian principles that must be protected by the government. Many Paxton-supported policies, according to Talarico, advance that agenda. <\/p>\n

Talarico pointed to a state law requiring Texas public school classrooms to display donated copies of the Ten Commandments \u2014 a law that Paxton supports and has defended in court as state attorney general.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s using political power to elevate one religious tradition over all the others,\u201d Talarico told podcaster Joe Rogan in July 2025<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s using governmental power to dominate our neighbors instead of loving them as ourselves, which is exactly what we\u2019re called to do as Christians.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Texas Tribune and Religion News Service requested interviews from both candidates. Paxton\u2019s campaign did not respond to the interview request but had sent an earlier statement criticizing Talarico\u2019s understanding of Christianity. Talarico\u2019s campaign pointed to the Democrat\u2019s extensive comments about his faith in sermons, speeches and interviews.<\/p>\n

\u201cFounded on the rock of Biblical Truth\u201d<\/p>\n

Paxton is an evangelical Christian, though his denominational affiliation is unclear, who has questioned a strict separation of church and state, arguing the phrase does not appear in the U.S. Constitution. Last year he encouraged Texas students<\/a> to recite the King James version of the Lord\u2019s Prayer in support of a law allowing school districts to dedicate class time for prayer. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up,\u201d Paxton wrote in a message on the office of attorney general\u2019s website. \u201cTwisted, radical liberals want to erase Truth, dismantle the solid foundation that America\u2019s success and strength were built upon, and erode the moral fabric of our society.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RepublicanRepublican candidate for U.S. Senate and state Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Red River Roll Call, a Republican rally hosted by Texas Rep. Shelley Luther in Sherman on July 27, 2026. Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune<\/p>\n

The U.S. was \u201cfounded on the rock of Biblical Truth,\u201d he wrote, vowing to fight \u201cfar-left attempts to push our country into the sinking sand.\u201d <\/p>\n

Paxton has also said his faith \u2014\u00a0and the Constitution, which he said was \u201cwritten by people of faith\u201d in a 2015 interview<\/a> with the Tribune \u2014 informs his opposition to abortion and gay marriage, and he has called gun ownership a God-given right protected by the Second Amendment.<\/p>\n

Paxton\u2019s combination of religion and politics is rooted in the alliance between the Republican Party and conservative Christianity that dates to \u201cthe late 1970s and early 1980s in the formation of the Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition,\u201d said Janine Giordano Drake, a professor of history at Indiana University.<\/p>\n

There were \u201cmany efforts at that time to define a so-called Christian moral politics around what they call family values, personal responsibility, what they defined as appropriate expression of sexuality and patriotism,\u201d Drake said.<\/p>\n

Talarico, disagreeing with many of the theological and political positions commonly associated with the religious right, rejects the idea that faithful Christians must oppose abortion and says he trusts women to make decisions about their own bodies. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a belief I have not despite my faith, but because of it. Jesus never talks about abortion. The Bible is silent on abortion,\u201d he said in an interview<\/a> with Jamie Kern Lima in late May. <\/p>\n

\"\"Audience members hold signs during a town hall meeting hosted by James Talarico at Kingdom Builders Center in Houston on Sunday, July 19, 2026, in Houston. Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune<\/p>\n

Talarico\u2019s campaign emphasizes the need to get the government out of private personal decisions, and the Democrat advocates for a version of Christianity that accepts all people as made in God\u2019s image. <\/p>\n

Talarico attends Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and is training to become a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA), the nation\u2019s largest Presbyterian denomination. He is currently on leave from his degree program.<\/p>\n

Both Senate candidates have been criticized for falling short of being an authentic or true Christian \u2014 Talarico for his progressive Christian message, and Paxton for two alleged extramarital affairs whose wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton,<\/a> filed for divorce \u201con biblical grounds\u201d in July 2025.<\/p>\n

Elesha J. Coffman, a professor of American intellectual and religious history at Baylor University, traces debates over the \u201ccorrect\u201d practice of Christianity to the Civil War, when Christians on both sides of the conflict disagreed over interpretations of the Bible. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe pro-slavery factions were picking on specific verses like \u2018slaves obey your masters\u2019 and saying, \u2018Well, we\u2019re clearly advancing the more biblical society because look, the Bible says exactly what we\u2019re doing,\u2019\u201d Coffman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Northern abolitionists had some specific verses, but it was also bigger picture \u2014 what do we understand to be true about God? What do we understand to be true about human nature and human flourishing? So even if the Bible says these specific things, like let\u2019s nuance that, let\u2019s contextualize that, let\u2019s acknowledge that our world is different,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

A recent Fox News poll<\/a> found 78% of white evangelicals would choose Paxton over Talarico. Support for Paxton drops to 57% for \u201cregular worship attenders.\u201d The same poll found 51% of registered voters in Texas preferred Talarico, as did 63% of moderates. <\/p>\n

\u201cForcing our religion down their throats\u201d<\/p>\n

Protecting religious freedom and practice has been a Paxton priority since he became attorney general in 2015, generating loyal support from grassroots conservatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was thinking about one of my very first cases when I was attorney general,\u201d he said during a July campaign speech in McAllen. \u201cThere was a teacher in Bell County, just an innocent teacher who put up a Linus cartoon over Christmas that said \u2018Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.\u2019 And the school board voted to make her take that down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe defended her,\u201d Paxton said. \u201cShe has a right to her free expression, her religious liberty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the last 10 years, Paxton has championed religious freedom in court, often defending groups or individuals with conservative Christian views, particularly on marriage and gender. <\/p>\n

Paxton has filed legal briefs defending Christian prayer<\/a> as an acceptable way to open court proceedings, supporting an employer\u2019s right<\/a> to refuse to supply contraceptives, defending foster parents<\/a> who \u201chold traditional beliefs about marriage,\u201d defending a baker<\/a> who refused on religious grounds to make a cake celebrating a \u201cgender transition,\u201d supporting a football coach<\/a> who was fired for praying after games, and more. <\/p>\n

Tisa Wenger, a professor of American religious history at Yale Divinity School, said religious liberty has long been understood as \u201can all-American ideal that many Americans are very proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a kind of principle that lots of people can claim, and do claim \u2014 and they claim it for their own purposes,\u201d Wenger said in an interview. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not restricted to one group or one side of the political spectrum,\u201d she said, adding that the past two decades have seen a \u201cmore conservative approach to religious freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

This shift prioritizes the expression of conservative Christianity over other religions, replacing \u201colder American traditions\u201d that believed the separation of church and state was the foundation of religious freedom, Wenger said. <\/p>\n

At the nation\u2019s founding, \u201cthe fear was religious tyranny of one particular church over others,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn some ways, we are also returning to that moment now,\u201d Wenger said. \u201cConservative Christians have a lot of public power, and there are many minorities \u2014\u00a0including Christians who are more on the left \u2014\u00a0who are protesting that on very similar grounds that people like Baptists did in the Revolutionary period against a kind of established church.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Republican Party has increasingly embraced<\/a> blurring the line between religion and government, Paxton has called the Ten Commandments an expression of America\u2019s legal, moral and historical heritage, even as families have sued<\/a> \u2014 and are suing<\/a> \u2014 to remove them from classrooms, arguing the displays violate their right to practice religion and improperly expose students to religious doctrine.<\/p>\n

On the floor of the Texas House, where Talarico has served since 2019, the Austin-area representative said displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools was un-American and un-Christian.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe this bill is idolatrous, I believe it is exclusionary, and I believe it is arrogant,\u201d he said in a May 2023 clip that went viral on X with over 5.7 million views<\/a>. \u201cAnd those three things, in my reading of the Gospel, are diametrically opposed to the teachings of Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talarico expanded on the notion during a February appearance<\/a> on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, saying: \u201cWe are called to love all of our neighbors, including our Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, agnostic, atheist neighbors.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cForcing our religion down their throats is not love. It\u2019s why I\u2019ve fought so hard for that sacred separation in our First Amendment,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf God wants me here, no one can stop me\u201d<\/p>\n

Paxton, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, has frequently portrayed himself as a victim of political witch hunts. And like Trump, Paxton believes he is destined to usher in a greater, God-ordained future.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the fact that the left and the establishment wanted me out, there\u2019s a greater power,\u201d Paxton said during the Faith & Freedom Coalition\u2019s<\/a> Road to Majority Conference in June. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not here because of some great thing I did, I\u2019m here because God delivered me,\u201d Paxton said, likening himself to other \u201cnot particularly perfect\u201d biblical figures like Peter, Paul and David. \u201cIf God wants me here, no one can stop me. If God doesn\u2019t want me here, no one can help me.\u201d <\/p>\n

Daniel Shelton attended an early August campaign rally in Houston and said he admired Paxton\u2019s common sense.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people say, \u2018Well, he\u2019s got baggage, he cheated on his wife.\u2019 Well, so did King David. Get over it,\u201d said Shelton, 66. \u201cI\u2019m voting for the office. I\u2019m praying for the man that\u2019s going to fill that office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Across the political spectrum, invocations of divine favor have a long history in the United States, said Heath Carter, professor of American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary and author of \u201cUnion Made,\u201d a book about the 19th-century labor movement in Chicago. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe workers that I write about in Union Made, they believed God was on their side,\u201d Carter said. \u201cThey looked at the Bible and they said, look, Jesus said the labor is worthy of his hire.\u201d <\/p>\n

Black Christians during the civil rights movement also understood \u201cthat God was on their side, that God was the God who led the Israelites out of Egypt and out of slavery and into liberation,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Over the last four decades, members of the Christian right \u201cfelt that they have the momentum, the kind of wind in their sails, and that God is with them in their righteous fight to take back America,\u201d Carter said. <\/p>\n

Talarico said he does not believe Jesus would be on the side of Democrats or Republicans.\u00a0\u201dJesus is far more radical than any political party. \u2026 I think he would challenge both political parties to keep working toward a more radical vision for democracy,\u201d he said in an interview<\/a> with The Breakfast Club. <\/p>\n

Paxton has described his political fights with Democrats in terms of spiritual warfare. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe fight is vicious,\u201d he told the Faith & Freedom Coalition crowd after encouraging them to pray for him and the future of the country. \u201cThey try to put us in jail. They try to disparage us. \u2026 They try to ruin our families.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a battle not with flesh and blood, as we know, this is a spiritual battle,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Colleen DeGuzman contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

This story is published through a collaboration between The Texas Tribune and Religion News Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Disclosure: Baylor University and Fox News have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in The Texas Tribune\u2019s journalism. Find a complete\u00a0list of them here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t