James Talarico’s pastor and self-described mentor is under intense backlash after appearing to downplay President Donald Trump’s third assassination attempt during a Sunday sermon — telling his Austin congregation that many people had “mixed feelings” about the attempt.
Rev. Jim Rigby of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Austin made the remarks the day after the shooting, as seen in a widely circulated video posted by ATX data. This has drawn swift condemnation from Republicans who linked the comments directly to Talarico, the Democratic state representative running for U.S. Senate in Texas.
“You may know if you check the news at all. There was an assassination attempt,” Rigby said from the pulpit. “And I know a lot of people have mixed feelings. But it’s really, really important if you’re going to be the healing agents of the world to realize that violence is not going to get rid of the problem that we have.”
The RNC moved quickly to tie the remarks to Talarico’s campaign.
“Absolutely disgusting stuff from James Talarico’s self-proclaimed mentor, but it is nothing new,” RNC spokesman Zach Kraft told The Dallas Express. “Democrats have fanned the flames of radical left-wing violence for years and gleefully put targets on the back of President Trump, Charlie Kirk, and conservatives across America. To Talarico and Democrats, murder is simply the cost of doing business in their conquest for power.”
Talarico, a state representative running in Texas’ Senate race, has spoken warmly of Rigby in public appearances, even crediting him with teaching him what it means to have “courage from the pulpit,” in a recent podcast appearance.
“Our pastor, Dr. Jim Rigby, who I’ve known since I was two years old. He married my parents, he baptized me, he is still my pastor today. And he showed me what it means to act with courage from the pulpit,” Talarico said.
“He, in the 1990s, made the decision to ordain gay and lesbian clergy, to bless same-sex marriages. He risked his own ordination. He was put on trial by the National Presbyterian Denomination for those actions. In the 2000s, Dr. Jim made the decision to allow an atheist to join our congregation, again setting off a firestorm within the church,” Talarico added.
Sen. John Coryn (R-TX) took to social media to call out Rigby and Talarico after the pastor’s comments went viral, writing, “James Talarico claims to be campaigning on love and kindness, but his Pastor made light of an assassination attempt on the President of the United States in Washington, DC this weekend where a Secret Service officer was seriously injured. All Texans should be outraged and Talarico must condemn it.”
In response to questions from Fox News about the statements on Sunday, Rigby said, “In my sermon yesterday, I made it perfectly clear that violence is not the answer…Senator Cornyn is editing my words to deceive voters in Texas. In no way do I speak for James Talarico nor his campaign.”
Talarico has a track record for condemning political violence, spotlighted by his own statement published April 26 following the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting: “I am thankful the President, the Vice President, and the rest of the White House Correspondents Dinner attendees are safe after last night’s shooting…Political violence is unacceptable in every form, and we must continue to call it out wherever it rears its ugly head.”
St. Andrews Presbyterian: History of Radical Progressive Theology
St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Austin promotes “gender-neutral” language in worship and refuses to use masculine titles for God or Jesus.
“To say that our divine source is male is perhaps the most sexist comment a person can make. To equate the Almighty with masculinity might or might not hurt a particular victim of abuse, but it will definitely teach a view of life where our little girls will be more likely to be abused in the future,” the church writes on its official website. “Cultures that link masculinity with control over women will produce more rape. If we wanted to design a rape culture, sexist theology would be a good blueprint.”
The congregation has reportedly received a “Reproductive Freedom Designation” from the Texas Freedom Network, given to churches that “proudly proclaim abortion is a moral and social good,” and are vocal in opposing state legislation restricting gender-related medical procedures for minors. St. Andrew’s has also been known to drape a LGBTQ rainbow flag around the cross.
And Rigby’s history of provocative statements predates this past weekend. In 2009, he spoke at a pro-Palestinian rally and preached about “true Jihad,” per the Washington Examiner.
In a Facebook rant on Christmas Day in 2015, he publicly questioned core Christian doctrines, writing, “In fact we don’t have to do a single thing Jesus commanded us to do,” and mocking the concept of resurrection by saying, “Oh, and we have to LITERALLY believe Jesus’ corpse got up.”
This latest controversy highlights Talarico’s longstanding theological alignment with Rev. Rigby’s progressive views. As The Dallas Express has documented, Talarico has claimed that atheists can be more “Christ-like” than Christian lawmakers, asserted that “God is nonbinary,” and argued that the Bible supports abortion and does not address homosexuality or gay marriage — positions that closely track with his mentor’s history of provocative statements.
For Texas voters, the central question is whether Talarico’s praise of Rigby as the model of “courage from the pulpit” reflects genuine faith or a shared pattern of skewed doctrine that places both men well outside Christian teaching.
