Hidden Camera Captures Pastor Admired by Talarico Criticizing Evangelical Christians

A Texas reverend whom state Rep. James Talarico said had an impact on him as a Christian has been caught on camera saying that evangelical Christians are not smart. 

Talarico, a Democrat who is in a highly contested race against Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton for the Texas U.S. Senate seat, has said that the Rev. Jim Rigby, the pastor of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, was one of “the biggest influences on [him] as a Christian, as a human being.” 

Talarico is a part-time Presbyterian seminarian who has had a tainted career in the Texas Legislature for being against religious initiatives, including keeping the Bible out of schools. He has also used Scripture to justify abortion and voted against legislation to prohibit minors from accessing gender transitioning procedures and treatments using public funds.

However, Blaze News exclusively obtained hidden-camera footage that reveals what Talarico’s spiritual mentor, Rigby, thinks of evangelical Christians. 

A video from Aug. 30 shows a person off-camera asking Rigby, “What’s wrong with evangelical Christians?” Rigby responded to the question, allegedly saying that evangelical Christians are “just not that smart.” 

“My guess is that they’re people who are just not that smart, in like, abstract thinking, which is where a lot of the liberal stuff and the principles of human rights and all that stuff comes up—it’s like they just, it doesn’t show up on their radar.” 

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But Rigby didn’t stop there. He further complained about evangelicals’ beliefs in hell, angels, and demons, telling the individual that those beliefs are irrational. 

“The church is a huge part of the problem—teaching people from the cradle that things are true because you believe them,” Rigby said in the video. “A belief in hell shuts everything down, because when you think that you could be tortured for all eternity, and you believe in demons and angels and stuff like this, you can’t stay rational for long.” 

Rigby added that if “supernatural beings are affecting things, good logic wouldn’t make any sense.” 

The undercover video is not the only instance in which Rigby has made controversial statements. Talarico’s mentor has also made headlines for calling for a “true jihad” at a pro-Palestine rally and has stated that he rejects the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

“You see, God loves us very much, but mindless obedience is VERY important to God, so God decided to barbecue us eternally for the mistakes of our ancestors,” Rigby wrote on Facebook. “But God has a son named Jesus who asked God to abuse him instead. And so God killed Jesus in our place. And we call this story, the ‘good news.’ All that matters is that we admit that we are worthless trash, but that Jesus likes us anyway. Oh, and we have to LITERALLY believe Jesus’ corpse got up.”  

In an Easter post, Rigby also wrote that he doesn’t “believe Christianity is the only way, or even the best way for many people.” 

“If we Christians are ‘chosen,’ it is to be of service to everyone else. I don’t believe in magic. I don’t believe the miracle stories of scripture were intended to describe the magical powers of supernatural beings. I believe miracle stories were originally a whimsical teaching device used by wise rabbis to reveal and illumine the miraculous nature of our everyday experiences,” he wrote. 

Although Rigby has been supportive of Talarico and his campaign messaging, he has posted that he does not speak for Talarico and that “he owes no one an explanation” for his comments.

Current polling shows that Talarico has a one-point advantage over Paxton as voters prepare to vote in the upcoming midterm election.