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Explaining James Talarico’s theology · The Daily Article

• 0:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Greetings.
• 0:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's Monday, March 9th, 2026, and you've joined us for Denison Forum's Daily Article Podcast.
• 0:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Chris Elkins, narrator.
• 0:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Today's Daily article is authored by Cultural Theologian, Dr. Jim Denison.
• 0:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Note, as the founder of a nonpartisan ministry, I do not endorse candidates or political parties.
• 0:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: My focus on the theological issues I will discuss today would be the same if the candidate in question for running as a Republican or a Democrat.
• 0:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: James Telerico has become a national figure after winning the Texas Democratic Senate primary last week.
• 0:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: His theological worldview has especially garnered attention.
• 0:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: For example, today's New York Times headlines that he, quote, hopes to counter what he sees as a conservative takeover of the American Church.
• 0:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: In quote, a recent Times headline asked if he can, quote, reclaim Christianity for the left.
• 1:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Talarico has stated that, quote, Jesus never said anything about abortion, transgenderism, or gay marriage.
• 1:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: In his view, Mary's agreement to become the mother of the Messiah means that creation has to be done with consent, affirming what abortion activists call reproductive rights for women, speaking against a bill restricting transgender student athletes, he stated that, God is not binary.
• 1:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: In an interview with New York Times columnist Ezra Klein, Talleriko stated he believes, quote, Christianity points to the truth, but other religions of love point to the same truth.
• 1:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: In quote, he views Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism as quote, circling the same truth about the universe, about the cosmos.
• 1:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that truth is inherently a mystery, in quote.
• 1:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: Because he is a student at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, the media often characterizes him as a biblical scholar.
• 1:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: Teller Rico's positions are consistent with a stream of theology often called liberalism.
• 2:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Where does it come from?
• 2:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: How do we understand its core beliefs in light of biblical truth?
• 2:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Liberalism is a frated word, which means different things in different contexts.
• 2:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you give generously to others, you are liberal with your money.
• 2:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you believe in freedom, equality, human rights, limited government, and democracy, you have historically been considered to be aligned with liberal governance.
• 2:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: For our purpose today, however, we will consider liberalism in the context of Christian theology.
• 2:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let's begin with a very brief history.
• 2:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Until the 17th century, Christians were united in their belief that the Bible is the objective and authoritative Word of God.
• 2:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Catholics believe that biblical truth is authoritatively interpreted through the teachings of the church, while Protestants insisted on so-law scripture-op, meaning scripture alone.
• 2:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: both consider truth to be objective and ultimately revealed by God to and through his people.
• 3:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: However, the European Enlightenment of the late 17th and 18th centuries shifted the focus of authority to human reason and or experience.
• 3:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: The 18th century German philosopher Emmanuel Kant detached reason from religion, arguing that only what can be demonstrated by reason
• 3:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: or learn through scientific discovery qualifies as knowledge.
• 3:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: He and those he influenced reinterpreted biblical teachings in line with their rational principles.
• 3:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: In his view, theology is progressive and must be developed by each generation.
• 3:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Many redefined miracles as myths that teach spiritual truths, some even reinterpreted the resurrection of Jesus as the resurrection of the faith of His disciples.
• 3:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: In 19th century America, the social gospel movement became especially prominent, claiming that Christianity is primarily about the transformation of culture in the context of justice and various social problems.
• 4:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: In recent years, culture war issues have dominated the conversation as many mainline denominations have taken positions in dorsing abortion, same sex marriage, LGBTQ advocacy, and use the nation as examples that contradict historic Christian teachings on these subjects.
• 4:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: For more, see my article, shocking the foundations, the shift in scriptural authority in a post-modern world.
• 4:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: My book, The Coming Sonami, and historian Andrew Hoffekker's excellent summaries.
• 4:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: Links to all of them are in today's podcast episode notes.
• 4:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: In the view of liberal, now sometimes called progressive Christianity, the Bible can and in their view should be reinterpreted by each individual and generation in accordance with their views of truth and their cultural and personal needs.
• 4:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: The intended original meaning of the biblical text, so we're told, is either a known, unknowable, and or irrelevant.
• 5:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: Consequently, the Annunciation of Mary can be a proof text for consent in reproduction and thus for abortion rights.
• 5:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus' affirmation of the worth of women can be used to fuel feminist theologies that far transcend biblical teachings.
• 5:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Biblical calls for social justice, especially dominant in the prophets, can frame the central mission of the church.
• 5:30
  [SPEAKER_00]: biblical claims regarding the uniqueness of Jesus and the necessity of faith in Him can be reinterpreted or ignored in a quest for cultural and theological tolerance.
• 5:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: Arguments from silence are especially significant here, if Jesus, allegedly, did not specifically address abortion or same-sex marriage as examples.
• 5:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: We're told that the church should have no decided position on these issues and that we are free to vote and express our personal convictions on them.
• 6:01
  [SPEAKER_00]: As you can see, this is a large and complex subject, one with massive ramifications for the way we view the Bible, our faith, and the role of our faith in the world.
• 6:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: My purpose has been to offer a brief explanation and context for the theological world view James Taloreco has brought into the larger cultural conversation.
• 6:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: Tomorrow, I plan to offer a biblical theological and apologetic response.
• 6:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: For today, let's close with a principle articulated by Gordon D.C. and Douglas Stewart in their marvellous book, how to read the Bible for all its worth.
• 6:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: I used it as a textbook when I taught seminary classes on biblical interpretation and recommended highly.
• 6:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: They explained that the, quote, first task of the interpreter is to discover the original intended meaning in, quote, of the biblical text.
• 6:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: This means to hear the word as the original recipients were to have heard it, to find out what was the original intent of the words of the Bible.
• 7:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: the spirit who inspired the words of Scripture noted in 2 Peter 1, verse 21, will lead us to know and apply their intended objective meaning.
• 7:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: Accordingly, as I have often warned my students, the Bible can never mean what it never meant.
• 7:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: We must, therefore, measure all theological assertions, whether made by James Taloreco, myself, or anyone else by the objective truth of Scripture.
• 7:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: In this sense, we need to emulate those in Beria, who, when Paul arrived during his second missionary journey, quoting Acts 17, verse 11, receive the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
• 7:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: As a result, in verse 12, many of them, therefore, believed.
• 7:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: When we do what they did, we will experience what they experienced.
• 7:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Will you be a Berean Christian today?