Religion Rewritten—a New Face for the Democratic Party

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Episode: Religion Rewritten—a New Face for the Democratic Party

Date: June 26, 2026
Host: Ben Ferguson (Premiere Networks)

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Episode Overview

In this focused edition of The 47 Morning Update, host Ben Ferguson takes a critical look at Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, presenting him as the emerging “face” of the Democratic Party’s new orbit—one characterized by a dramatic reconfiguration of religion, gender, and progressive values. Ferguson argues that Talarico deploys Christianity not as personal faith but as a political vehicle for left-wing ideology, posing what he frames as a significant challenge for Texas and national voters to scrutinize the authenticity and implications of this religious and political synthesis.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. James Talarico: Moderate Face or Radical Core?

• Ferguson introduces James Talarico as a “faith based Christian pastor, Texas moderate”—but swiftly reframes him as, in his words, “a hardcore radical progressive activist who actually uses Christianity as a vehicle for his left-wing politics.”
  • "He is so extreme, he's not even a moderate in California, much less Texas." (05:18)

2. Controversial Religious and Social Statements

• Talarico’s campaign emphasizes his identity as a “Presbyterian seminarian” whose “faith leads him to reject Christian nationalism while supporting a democracy that protects people regardless of religion, race, gender, [or] sexual orientation.” (05:30)

• Notable Quote:

  • "God is non-binary." – James Talarico (recounted by Ferguson, 06:10)
  • Said during debates over a Texas bill requiring student athletes to compete by biological sex. Ferguson presents this as “one of the most controversial statements of his career” (citing New York Post coverage).

• Biological Sex & Gender Spectrum:

  • Talarico is quoted as saying “modern science recognizes... there are many more than two biological sexes, in fact, there are six,” attributing this to chromosomal variations and describing sex as “a spectrum.” (06:45)
  • Later, Talarico clarifies on CBS: “I know there are two sexes,” admitting that some of his prior comments “missed the mark.” (07:30)

• Transgender Support & Pronouns in Office:

  • Talarico’s Texas House office added pronouns to staff business cards, described as “a small way to tell trans Texans, you are welcome here.” (07:52)
  • This is given as evidence of Talarico’s close alignment with the “transgendered LGBTQI++ community.”

3. Progressive Use of Religious Language for Abortion and Justice

• Ferguson criticizes Talarico’s “blasphemy,” noting his repeated claims that:
  • "The Bible affirms abortion access." (08:16)
  • Talarico uses what Ferguson calls “progressive abortion politics” and religious language to justify reproductive rights.
• Talarico’s “radical theology” is said to influence his views on:
  • Poverty (“poverty is violence”)
  • Pollution and prisons (“pollution is violence,” “prison is violence,” 11:25)
  • Prison reform: Ferguson says Talarico does not believe in incarceration for heinous crimes and is anti-police, bail reform, and “soft on crime”.

4. Radical Theological Influences and Personal Identity

• Praises trans queer Latinx theologian Roberto Henderson Espinosa, stating Espinosa’s work challenged Talarico’s worldview as a “cis white male.” (12:22)

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5. Memorable Quotes & Key Audio—Direct from Talarico

a. “Christian Who Hates Christianity” (09:44, 10:24, 14:16)

"I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity. Right? And, like, I always get drawn back into it."
– James Talarico (First played at 09:44, repeated at 10:24 and 14:16)

• Ferguson highlights this quote repeatedly, arguing it reveals Talarico’s true stance:
  • “A man that went to seminary...says the Bible says it’s okay for you to have an abortion...the Bible is non-binary...and all of that comes down to, again, what he says about his own Christianity.” (09:54-10:36)

b. On Social and Racial Identity (15:03)

“I told you I was boring straight CIS white man. And then I had a Presbyterian to spice it up. My imagination is also just limited by my own background and identity, right? My own, my whiteness, my masculinity, all those things limit my imagination about what's possible. And that's where, you know, Dr. Robin, your book helps me do that.”
– James Talarico (15:03)

c. On Interfaith and Christian Behavior (16:37)

“I have met so many Hindus, Buddhists, Sikh, Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics who are more Christlike than some of the Christians I serve with in the Texas legislature.”
– James Talarico (16:37)

• Ferguson says this demonstrates “how much stain this dude has for Christians.” (16:50)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Summary | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:04 | Ferguson introduces James Talarico and begins deep dive | | 06:10 | Recaps Talarico’s statement: “God is non-binary” | | 06:45 | “There are six biological sexes”—Ferguson’s critique of Talarico’s view | | 07:52 | Discussion of pronouns on business cards and Talarico’s inclusion rhetoric | | 08:16 | “The Bible affirms abortion access”—Ferguson’s condemnation | | 09:44 | Key audio: Talarico says “I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity” | | 10:24 | Ferguson replays the clip and expands criticism | | 11:25 | Ferguson details Talarico’s stances on prisons, poverty, violence, and social justice | | 12:22 | Cites Talarico’s praise for a trans queer Latinx theologian | | 14:16 | Repetition of “Christian who hates Christianity” statement; Ferguson's analysis | | 15:03 | Talarico on whiteness and imagination; identity as limitation | | 16:37 | Talarico contrasts “Christlike” behavior across faiths versus Christians in Texas Legislature |

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Democratic Party’s direction:
  • “This is packaging an AOC, packaging a Mandani, packaging a Newsom to try to turn a conservative state into one of the most radical states in America by doing what I just said about James Talarico.” (13:40)
• On Talarico’s approach:
  • “This is a progressive seminary individual who then was put on a direct pipeline to power as a wolf in sheep’s clothes directly to the Senate pipeline for the radical left.” (13:28)
• On national implications:
  • “Why is it that the media isn’t covering this?...This is so extreme, it’s not mainstream at all.” (14:01)

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

• Tone: Aggressive, confrontational, and partisan. Ferguson’s language is highly charged, sticking to his “unfiltered” and “behind-the-scenes” approach, with recurring pejoratives aimed at Democratic policy and Talarico's progressive positions.
• Framing: Ferguson characterizes Talarico as not simply a policy radical but as someone repurposing Christianity itself to push a far-left, identity-driven agenda—arguing that voters should beware the “rebranding” of both religion and the Democratic Party.

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Conclusion

This episode of The 47 Morning Update serves as a warning call from Ben Ferguson to listeners about James Talarico’s candidacy and the broader Democratic “religion rewrite.” With frequent direct quotes, Ferguson builds his case that Talarico’s statements and record represent a deep ideological departure from traditional Christian and Texan values, emphasizing the need for increased scrutiny and public awareness ahead of the midterms. The episode is essential listening for those tracking the intersection of faith, progressive politics, and the emerging leadership battlelines in 2026.

Transcript

[Ben Ferguson]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

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[Ben Ferguson (Political Commentary)]

under the last administration, Sleepy Joe Biden in the radical left Democrats. I changed the name. It's dumb. I use it. I will probably always until they become reasonable. I'll use a U instead of an A. It's very simple. It's a very simple change. I take out the E and I put in the U and the. They're Democrats because their policies are so dumb.

[Ben Ferguson (Podcast Host)]

You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.

[Ben Ferguson]

Good Friday morning. Nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update. We've got one big story and it's a deep dive into a guy by the name of James Talarico. He is becoming the face of the Democratic Party in the midterm elections, running for office for Senate in Texas. So how dangerous is James Talarico and what are the Democrats pushing? We've got all the details for you. Now before we get into that, I want to talk to you about Compassion International.

[Compassion International Narrator]

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[Ben Ferguson]

it's the 47 Morning Update and it starts right now.

[Ben Ferguson (Podcast Host)]

Story number one, I want to introduce

[Ben Ferguson]

you to James Talarico. Now James Talarico is a guy that wants you to believe that he is a faith based Christian pastor, Texas moderate. All right. This is not who he actually is. And you need to know exactly what his record shows. And it's something very Different. In fact, he is a hardcore radical progressive activist who actually uses Christianity as a vehicle for his left wing politics. And he's so extreme, he's not even a moderate in California, much less Texas. Now, his campaign site says he's a, quote, Presbyterian seminarian and that his faith leads him to, quote, reject Christian nationalism while supporting a democracy that protects people regardless of religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, and other offenses. Now, I got that from Talarico for Texas. So if you don't like what I just read for you, go read it there. You don't believe me? Go read there yourself. Now, let me just introduce you to some of the crazy things that he's actually said. And we're gonna start at the top of the list for me. And that is, well, this one really is number one. The guy who claims he's like this pastor said, and I'm quoting, God is non binary. Yeah. Tallarico, the Democratic candidate in Texas for the Senate, said, in my faith, God is non binary. He said it during debates over a Texas bill that required student athletes to compete according to biological sex. That is now one of the most controversial statements of his career, as it's being reported by the New York Post. God is non binary because he wants to trans your kids. Number two, he actually argued that there are more than two biological sexes. Tal Rico said, quote, modern science obviously recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes, adding, in fact, there are six. He tied that argument to rare chromosomal variations and said sex can be, quote, unquote, a spectrum. So this dude does not believe in XY chromos chromosomes at all. Like, he believes that, like, you can just make it up and be whatever you want to be. Uh, then later, he tried to clean it up. When he was confronted on cbs, Talarico said, I know there are two sexes, and admitted some of his past comments, quote, unquote, missed the mark. Now, why is he saying that now? Well, because they're trying to make him a moderate to appeal to more voters in Texas. He also pushed very hard on transgender politics, and that's where many of his campaign contributions are coming from, that transgendered LGBTQI plus plus plus community. And you can highlight this from a 2021 post saying that his Texas House office added pronouns to the staff business cards as what he said was a, quote, small way to tell trans Texans, you are welcome here. Now, this is not a joke. So if you work for Tal Rico and you had a business card and you're in the state legislature, they put your pronouns on There because he wanted to again say that trans Texans, you're welcome here. He also does something which I refer to as blasphemy. Talarico loves to remind you that he's a guy that went seminary. He loves to remind you that he is a elitist in his faith above you and what you would actually know. And he uses the Bible to defend progressive abortion politics is just one example. Reporting on his past comments, Tao Rico has suggested the Bible in fact affirms abortion access. Let me say that again. He says the Bible supports and affirms abortion access and has argued for reproductive rights using religious language. Yeah. So he believes the Bible now says that abortion is appropriate and that you should use it and that it's okay and that it's protected in the Bible. Now you may say, okay, this guy sounds pretty extreme. Well, he is. But let me also explain to you what he thinks about his own religion. This just broke a few hours ago. An audio recording of James Talrico talking about his Christian faith. And listen to what he says in his own words.

[James Talarico]

Yeah, and that's, you know, I'm, I always think of myself as a Christian who, who hates Christianity. Right. And like I always get, always get drawn back into it.

[Ben Ferguson]

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Let's, let's, let's, let's just rewind that. And I want to make sure you understand there was no editing done there. This is raw. This is a man that went to seminary that once you believe he's a pastor that preaches in churches that says that the Bible says it's okay for you to have an abortion and it's advocating for it and it's okay to trans your kid and the Bible is non binary and that there's, there's six genders and that God is non binary. And all of that comes down to again, what he says about his own Christianity.

[James Talarico]

Yeah. And that's, you know, I'm, I always think of myself as a Christian who, who hates Christianity. Right. And like I always get, always get drawn back into it.

[Ben Ferguson]

Okay.

[James Talarico]

Yeah.

[Ben Ferguson]

So he gets re. Drawn back into it because I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity. By the way, if you look at what he said, I think we already knew this. But it is convenient to hear him actually say it out loud and actually admit it. By the way, that audio I'm going to repost right now on X. You can follow me at Ben Ferguson show and you can share that everywhere in the world. So please do that. Now let's move on. From there, he also then says, reporting on his past comments, Tal Rico suggested the Bible not only affirms abortion access and has argued for reproductive rights using religious language, as I mentioned a moment ago. But then he goes on to say that, quote, unquote, poverty is violence. Yes, pollution is violence, and yes, prison is violence. He also said people don't belong in cages, a line critics say sounds a lot like, you know, being soft on crime. Right, because he believes that you don't put someone in jail. This the guy that is anti police bail reform, prison reform. He doesn't believe that if you commit heinous crimes, you should be behind bars. Now, all of this is inspired by his radical theology. Um, Talarico has actually praised an individual described as a trans queer Latinx theologian, saying that the, the Henderson Espinosa were his work challenged his worldview as a CIS white male. Just going to let that marinate for a second. So he praises Roberto Henderson Espinosa. He describes his, his spiritual, I guess, mentor, leader, whatever you want to call it, as a trans queer Latinx theologian. And he says the man's work challenges worldview as a CIS white male. Now, James Calarico, he wants Texas voters to see a, quote, moderate Christian Democrat, but the record shows him saying God is non binary, that there are six biological sexes, that there are pronouns. That must be on your business card in politics, especially that abortion theology is in the Bible, that we shouldn't put human beings behind bars in cages. So let out all the prisoners and all the rapists and murderers and drug sellers, the fentanyl dealers that kill your kids. No, no, like we don't put them in jail. And on top of that, you got to have radical social justice language in everything. There is nothing moderate about James Talrico. This is a progressive seminary individual who then was put on a direct pipeline to power as a wolf and sheep's clothes directly to the Senate pipeline. For the radical left, this is packaging an aoc, packaging a mandani, packaging a Newsom to try to turn a conservative state into one of the most radical states in America by doing what I just said about James Tall Rico. Now, you got to ask yourself this question. Why is it that a lot of what I just said, especially if you're not really diving into the stuff on social media, why, why is it that the media isn't covering this? Like the number of people that are not covering what he said about his faith Christianity, like, this is so extreme, it's not mainstream at all? Okay, I want to play it one More time because it's a really important point. If you are claiming you're a Christian, this is what you believe about your Christianity, how is this not a leading headline news story in America today?

[James Talarico]

You know, I always think of myself as a Christian who, who hates Christianity, right? And like I always get, always get drawn back into it.

[Ben Ferguson]

By the way, why would you be a Christian that hates Christianity? Is it because you actually hate what Christianity teaches?

[Compassion International Narrator]

Right.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean you're, you're self describing yourself. In an interview with a self described trans queer activist theologian, Talarico says he hates Christianity. That is not mainstream, that is not normal. I also think it's interesting and if you go back to the war on whiteness, I think that's a good way of putting it. James Talarico claims his identity as a white man, limits what's possible and then blames it on his CIS ID identity. Listen carefully. This is again James in his own

[James Talarico]

words started following me on Twitter. I couldn't contain my, my inner fanbo because I read your book last year and, and it continues to inspire me and Yalls work continues to inspire me. I told you I was boring straight CIS white man. And then I had a Presbyterian to spice it up. My imagination is also just limited by my own, my own background and identity, right? My own, my whiteness, my masculinity, all those things limit my imagination about what's possible. And that's where, you know, Dr. Robin, your book helps me do that. I always think of myself wow.

[Ben Ferguson]

Wow. Like all I can say on this is wow. He goes on to then say after that, the part about I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity. I always get drawn back into it. This clearly to me seems like this is an individual that truly hates not only Christianity, but hates his country, right? I mean this is the guy who, who says he hates Christians, he hates Christianity, right? And, and, and I, and, and apparently he reads a very different, very different Bible. Let me also remind you what the Senate Democrats had to say about this guy. They put this out, he was sitting there with James Carville and some other whack job. And, and, and I want you to what James Talarico says in this interview and that applies to Muslims and Hindus.

[James Talarico]

Listen, I have, this is, you know,

[Ben Ferguson]

they can learn a lot. I have Jesus.

[James Talarico]

I have met, I have met so many Hindus, Buddhists, Sikh, Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics who are more Christ like than some of the Christians I serve with in the Texas legislature. Wow.

[Ben Ferguson]

That is how much sustain this dude has for Christians.

[Ben Ferguson (Podcast Host)]

Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. And for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here tomorrow.

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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