In Texas, Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is standing against a controversial Republican, Ken Paxton, in a state that, according to Pew research, is 27% evangelical Protestant, 10% “mainline” Protestant, 5% in historically Black Protestant churches, 22% Catholic, 10% other, and 26% religiously unaffiliated.
So when given the opportunity to preach a sermon, what does Talarico, who is a member of the progressive Presbyterian Church USA, sound like?
Here are some excerpts: some of which will appeal to all Christians and other parts that may not appeal to that 27 per cent of Texans who are evangelicals. What chance is there that some evangelicals, while disagreeing with part of Talarico’s platform will vote for him?
A Biblical call for equality
“Jesus belonged to a tradition of Hebrew prophets who called for this new world where in the words of the prophet Micah, everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree and no one shall make them afraid. The first words out of Jesus’ mouth are the words of the prophet Isaiah. The spirit of God is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news for the poor. Freedom for the prisoners, cite for the blind, to set the oppressed free and proclaim the year of God’s favour.
“That’s a pretty strong mission statement. But what is the year of God’s favour? Jesus is referencing the political economic tradition of the Torah called Jubilee in which every seventh year wealth was shared. Debt was forgiven. Land was redistributed and slaves were released. It was a year of rest for the people and the planet, a Sabbath year, societal reset, a restructuring of power. The Jubilee was central to Jesus’ politics. Economic justice is mentioned more than 3,000 times in the Bible. The only miracle to be recorded in all four gospels is the feeding of the multitude where Jesus feeds 5,000 people no questions asked. In fact, daily bread and debt forgiveness are major parts of the Lord’s prayer in which we as Christians pray to God thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The kingdom of God is not from this world, but it is for this world.”
Oppression
Talarico applies a vision of Christianity on the side of the vulnerable.
“Anytime a government or a corporation or a church is tyrannical and oppressive, it is in conflict with Jesus. But throughout history, too often Christians have sided with the rulers of this world. Sometimes loudly and sometimes with our silence. By staying neutral, by staying non-political, we are siding with the powerful. We are protecting the status quo. Christianity at its best challenged the empire, challenged the feudal system, challenged slavery, challenged Jim Crow. That is what we are called to as Christians the demolition of domination. And we have to continue that work today. When I was a kid, I remember people walked around with those bracelets with the letters WWJD. What would Jesus do? Well, what would Jesus do about a tax system that benefits the rich over the poor? What would Jesus do about a healthcare system that forces the sick to start GoFundMe pages to afford life-saving surgeries?
What about the good samaritan?
Talarico gives a good rendition of the good samaritan- but there is a sting in the tail. Can we set Christianity against neighbour?>
“The Samaritans were their sworn enemies. But in Jesus’s story, the Samaritan stops, bandages the man’s wounds, takes him to an end, nurses him back to health and before leaving pays the inkeeper to look after him. The parable of the good Samaritan is about so much more than helping people on the side of the road. It is a shocking definition of neighbour. The person who embodies divine love is the other, the outcast, the enemy. That is who Jesus is calling us to love. Theologian Barbara Brown Taylor summed up the meaning of the good Samaritan when she wrote, ‘The only clear line I draw these days is this. When my religion tries to come between me and my neighbour, I will choose my neighbour. Jesus never commanded me to love my religion.'”
Critiquing christian nationalism.
Talarico is strong on condemning the right for using religion. But innthe middle of his attack he adopts a pro-choice position, and uses the f word, fascism.
“Christian nationalists, those who fund it, those who preach it, those who legislate it are preying on people’s fears in a changing world. They’re trying to convince us that our neighbours are to blame for our alienation, that domination can calm our anxieties, that democracy is not the solution, but the problem. They’re undermining our elections and stealing our freedoms. They’re indoctrinating students and defunding schools. They’re banning books and banning abortion and some of them want to ban IVF, ban contraception, ban women from voting. Some of them want to ban gay marriage and interracial marriage all in the name of Jesus. It’s been said before that when fascism comes to America, it’ll be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross. Christian nationalists use Christianity to protect their own social political and economic power. But the teachings of Jesus are a threat to all power that is not shared….”
“Christian nationalists like to say that our laws should be based on the Bible until they read the words of Jesus. Release the prisoners. Welcome the stranger. Liberate the oppressed. Put away your sword. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor. I know some Republican politicians who are going to be pretty unhappy living in a Christian nation. Hey, I’m a progressive Democrat and the teachings of Jesus unsettle me too. Jesus should unsettle all of us. Jesus challenges the powerful. Christian nationalists indoctrinate the powerless. Instead of posting the 10 commandments in every classroom, why don’t they post money is the root of all evil in every boardroom. Why don’t they post do not judge in every courtroom? Why don’t they post turn the other cheek in the halls of the Pentagon? Why don’t they post it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into the kingdom of heaven on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. “
Image: James Talarico preches his sermon. Image Credit: Screenshot from YouTube