How to Detect Heresy: The Gospel of James Talarico with Ryan Crews

I Don't Have Enough FAITH to Be an ATHEIST

Dr. Frank Turek

Religion & Spirituality, Education, Christianity

4.9 • 5.5K Ratings

🗓️ 26 June 2026

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What are the consequences when a charming, seminary-trained politician misquotes Scripture and how can we discern biblical truth from error? Frank welcomes Ryan Crews, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and CrossExamined Board Member, to examine the twisted theology of Texas State Representative James Talarico, who's currently running for the U.S. Senate.

Using Talarico's own words and video clips (not secondhand claims), Frank and Ryan compare his teachings with Scripture and explain why many of his views cross the line from theological error into outright heresy. In this episode, they'll answer questions like:

Should Christians call out false teachers?
Which seminary is James Talarico attending and what are their beliefs?
What does James Talarico get right and what does he get wrong?
Why are atheists easier to understand compared to someone who claims to be a Christian but pours different meaning into what's written in the Bible?
Did Jesus ever ask to be worshipped or claim to be God?
What is one of Jesus' biggest "mic-drop" moments in the Gospels?
Do humans have a divine nature because we're made in the image of God?
Is the Resurrection of Jesus just an allegorical story?
Is the Bible silent on abortion?

Before Christians allow any public figure to influence their understanding of Jesus, Scripture, or politics, they should first investigate whether that person's teaching aligns with the Word of God. Tune in to hear the receipts as Frank and Ryan examine Talarico's own words in light of Scripture.

If you enjoyed this podcast episode PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING OUR MINISTRY USING THE LINK BELOW. 100% of your donation goes to ministry, 0% to buildings!

Resources mentioned during the episode:

Donate to CrossExamined - https://donor.crossexamined.org/

Who Do You Say That I Am, James Talarico? Part 1 by Ryan Crews - https://bit.ly/4uUpRel

The Incarnate Christ and His Critics - https://a.co/d/0bgsf35u

‘The War on Reality’ PREORDER NOW to receive your bonuses! - https://thewaronreality.com/

Pastors Brief - https://crossexamined.org/pastors-brief/

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Ladies and gentlemen, suppose there was a seminarian who was trying to get a job as the pastor of your church.
0:11.9	He applied, and you went on to vet him.
0:14.6	You went on, looked at his social media accounts, looked at maybe some of the sermons he's done before, some of his public statements,
0:21.8	and you found him saying things like this. He gave an invocation once, and he called God the holy mystery.
0:30.7	And then he didn't just reference the Bible. He also referenced the Torah, which is, of course,
0:36.3	part of the Bible, but then he mentioned
0:38.1	the Quran, the Gita, the Dharma, and then he ended the prayer by praying in your many names,
0:45.3	not in Jesus' name, but in many names.
0:47.9	On another occasion, he said there are six genders and God is non-binary.
0:52.8	On another instance, this candidate, to be a pastor at your church
0:57.0	said Jesus never asked for worship. He also said that the trans population needs abortion,
1:03.9	and he said that if we put any abortion restrictions on anybody that, quote,
1:08.7	every one of our neighbors with a uterus would become property
1:12.8	of the state, unquote. And he said that would be unchristian. He also said, you discovered,
1:19.3	that the Bible's silent on abortion. And he argued that abortion policy is not, quote,
1:24.9	a place for the state. What if this candidate also said, I'm a Christian
1:30.1	and I hate Christianity? And then he went on to claim that Jesus was a socialist and an anarchist.
1:37.9	And he also thought, at least politically, we could get rid of prisons. We could make them obsolete
1:44.1	as long as we spent enough money on social programs.
1:47.2	And what if this guy also thought he actually said this,
1:51.2	that Christianity is more violent than Islam and has done more damage than Islam?
1:57.6	Would you think this guy was a Bible-believing Christian who could be the pastor of your church?
	...

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