James Talarico suggests Mary gave her ‘consent’ before ‘creation’ of Jesus in her womb
A Texas state representative and aspiring Baptist preacher said he believes the true test of a Christian is not how much they love Jesus but whether they “love Judas” and suggested Mary gave her “consent” before the “creation” of the Son of God in her womb.
State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, made the comment during a July 18 episode of the “Joe Rogan Experience,” where he spoke about his opposition to the state’s new Ten Commandments law, how Democrats can win over white Evangelicals, and what it means to bear the “sacred image” of God while supporting abortion.
Talarico, 36, opposed state legislative efforts to infuse public school curriculum with lessons about Christianity and teachings from the Bible, calling such efforts tantamount to Christian nationalism.
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But the Democratic state rep — who might have his sights set on a longshot bid for the U.S. Senate in 2026 — said during the podcast at Rogan’s studio in Austin that he believes the key to overcoming America’s ever-widening ideological division is by aspiring to Jesus’ command to love one’s enemies.
He pointed to a quote from Catholic activist Dorothy Day — “You really only love God as much as you love the person you love the least” — to support his argument that Christianity demands love for those whom society deems least worthy, a love which, said Talarico, could ultimately bridge America’s political divisions.
Framing Day’s quote as a radical test of Christian faith, Talarico then suggested that loving Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, is the true measure of Christian love. “In other words, the test of Christianity is not ‘Do you love Jesus,’ because Jesus is pretty lovable,” he said. “The test is, do you love Judas? … Now that is radical.”
In the Bible, Judas is portrayed as one of Jesus’ 12 disciples and the “son of perdition” who betrays Him into the hands of the Roman guards, which would ultimately lead to His crucifixion, burial and resurrection.
On the topic of life, Talarico — who last year called Texas’ statewide ban on abortion “the most extreme” in the U.S. — weighed in on the abortion debate with an appeal to the account in the Gospel of Luke of the angel Gabriel informing Mary that she would give birth to Jesus. In an argument for supporting women’s bodily autonomy, Talarico drew on the story of Mary, who is “probably” his favorite figure in the Bible, and the annunciation to emphasize the importance of consent in creation.
Speaking “in context of abortion,” Talarico said, “Before God comes over Mary and we have the incarnation, God asks for Mary’s consent, which is remarkable. … I mean, the angel comes down and asks Mary if this is something she wants to do, and she says, if it is God’s will, let it be done. Let it be. Let it happen. So, to me, that is an affirmation in one of our most central stories that creation has to be done with consent. You cannot force someone to create. Creation is one of the most sacred acts that we engage in as human beings. But that has to be done with consent. It has to be done with freedom.”
It’s because of that biblical exchange, Talarico added, that he “comes down on that side” of the abortion debate. “I’m very open for my fellow Christians to disagree with that. And they may have scriptural passages they point to um to be anti-abortion. And I think that’s a debate that we should feel comfortable having.”
In another discussion with Rogan about the incarnation, Talarico appeared to suggest when Christ came in the flesh, it wasn’t just “limited to Jesus.”
“When God takes human form, incarnation, by the way, is not just limited to Jesus,” he said. “It’s everybody, right? Everybody bears the image of the sacred. Joe Rogan does, James Talarico does, every listener to this podcast bears the image of the sacred, made in the image of God. A radical view, right? So that’s incarnation.”
Despite Evangelicals’ historical opposition to abortion, Talarico said “it shouldn’t be assumed that just because you’re a Christian, you are anti-gay or anti-abortion because there are so many Christians out there who don’t subscribe to either of those policy positions.”
CP reached out for comment Monday from Talarico. This article will be updated if a response is received.
Last September, the 35-year-old former teacher voiced his opposition to the inclusion of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, calling it “deeply un-Christian,” and that defining the word “messiah” as a Heaven-sent Savior is likewise “dangerous” and “un-Christian.”
“Christians understand that it’s dangerous for the government to define our religious teachings for us and that it is un-Christian to exclude our neighbors with different religious beliefs,” he argued.
While he has been rumored to be weighing a Senate run next year, Talarico is pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He is expected to graduate this year.
