A rumor that Democratic state Rep. James Talarico of Texas once said he hated Christianity spread online in late June 2026. Users on social media posted the alleged quote, some even sharing audio of Talarico purportedly saying, "I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity."
The claim spread online as Republicans criticized Talarico in the media following his victory in the Texas Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, cementing his place on the ticket in the general election against Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The quote was correctly attributed to Talarico; however, many users sharing it omitted important information about the conversation it was part of.
Conservative website The Federalist first resurfaced the quote on June 23, 2026, but stripped it of relevant context. The clip shared by the outlet was six seconds taken from an hourlong podcast, and it was that isolated soundbite that made the rounds online.
Some posts sharing the audio included the phrase Talarico said directly after, which was "And I always get drawn back into it." That version of the clip was 11 seconds.
Talarico made the statement on a March 4, 2021, episode of the "Activist Theology" podcast, which described itself as "a conversation fueled by analysis and activism, all in pursuit of getting our hands dirty to achieve social liberation." The segment in question begins around the 45-minute mark.
The full context of the question and Talarico's answer revealed the statement was made in response to a lengthy discussion about progressive politics and how to fight systemic issues within an established system.
Talarico made the statement followed by a point that he's always drawn back to Christianity because of the teachings of Jesus Christ, calling back to an earlier discussion in the episode about self-proclaimed Christians who promote bigotry rather than Scripture or who promote a narrower view of Christianity.
The full context of the exhange with the podcast's co-host Dr. Roberto Che Espinoza was as follows:
ESPINOZA: How do we opt out of these systems that we're conscripted into in such a way that we can live a generative, imaginative life? That's what I'm curious about.
TALARICO: Yeah, and you know, I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity. And I always get drawn back into it because nowhere else, in no other political philosophy, in no other economic theory, do I find anything as truly radical or revolutionary as the teachings of that barefoot rabbi, right?
Talarico's press secretary told Snopes via email:
The Christian seminarian who's dedicated his life to the teachings of Jesus Christ obviously doesn't hate Christianity. James is a devout Christian who fights religious and political corruption when he sees it — because there's nothing Christ-like about powerful people twisting the teachings of Jesus to justify hate, violence, and greed. While billionaire-bought politicians like Ken Paxton attack James for his faith — he will continue encouraging Texans across the political spectrum to come together by loving their neighbors as themselves.
For further reading, check out Snopes' previous reporting on claims that President Donald Trump called Talarico an "insult to Jesus" and that Talarico once said that "God is nonbinary."