In a recent Washington Post op-ed, Presbyterian theologian Carl Trueman—esteemed by conservative Protestants and Catholics alike for his brilliant cultural analysis—declared that Texas Democratic politician James Talarico “represents Christianity’s past, not its future.” Trueman argues that Talarico’s brand of Protestantism, which affirms transgenderism and radical feminism, is at odds with biblical, historic Christianity. It is, however, “perfectly in accord with the respectable therapeutic beliefs of a certain segment of the American elite.”
The political relevance of Talarico’s faith was reinforced earlier this month, when the New York Times offered a sympathetic portrayal of the Texas congressman and his relationship with the pastor of his Presbyterian congregation, Jim Rigby. In perhaps the most jarring part of the Times’ feature, Talarico argues that the Annunciation as described in Luke 1:26-38 is actually an affirmation of abortion rights, because Mary says “yes” to God’s request to have her bring the incarnate Son of God into the world. (To the credit of “The Gray Lady,” the article acknowledges that nowhere in this biblical episode does God actually ask Mary—the angel Gabriel tells her she will conceive a son named Jesus, and she assents.) …
