James Talarico stated, 'I'm a Christian who hates Christianity.'
Posted by The Michael Berry Show, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 85%
The Michael Berry ShowSep 15, 2026
Talarico did say, in a 2021 Activist Theology Podcast interview, that he thinks of himself as a Christian who hates Christianity. Snopes and FactCheck.org both confirm the quote is accurate, though the claim drops the 'always think of myself as' wording and the context that he is always drawn back to Christianity.
The host relays this claim without endorsing it. It counts as passed on, not against the post.
What was said
… I am not exaggerating when I tell you I don't ever recall a candidate like Tallarico, where you could literally not say a word and simply play a spot of him talking. It's not altered. It's not taken out of context. I'm a Christian who hates Christian. I've often said, I'm a Christian who hates Christianity. Wow. God is non binary. There are not two genders. There are six. We're going to dismantle capitalism. Oil and gas is an outdated business. It's like cassette tapes. Our campaign has gone meatless. We are vegan. No meat around here. …
The Michael Berry Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Snopes rated the attribution 'Correct Attribution', stating the quote was made on a podcast in 2021 in response to a discussion about progressive politics and Christian bigotry.[1]
Supports. FactCheck.org reports that the AI-generated Paxton ad uses the statement 'I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity,' and that Paxton himself repeated it at the Republican convention, while noting that the ad omits context.[2]
Supports. Newsweek and the Washington Examiner both quote Talarico's 2021 podcast remark, saying he called himself a 'Christian who hates Christianity' on Activist Theology.[3][4]
Context. Snopes and Newsweek say the remark was followed by Talarico explaining he is always drawn back to Christianity because of the teachings of Jesus, so the full context softens the literal meaning of the claim.[1][3]
Context. The claim's wording ('I'm a Christian who hates Christianity') is a condensed form of the post's quote, which is faithful to the passage; the verdict grades the accuracy of what Talarico said, not the context around it.[1][2]
Sources
4 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 2 not rated
- 1Posts sharing James Talarico quote about hating Christianity omit contextsnopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2Paxton's AI-Heavy Ad Leaves Out Context of Talarico Remarks About Christianityfactcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 3MAGA attack ad targets James Talarico over Christianity remarksnewsweek.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 4James Talarico said he ‘hates Christianity.’ Here’s whywashingtonexaminer.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- James Talarico stated that God is 'nonbinary'.True
- James Talarico previously described being white as a virus.Mixed
- James Talarico stated, 'There are not two genders. There are six.'Mixed
- James Talarico previously stated that the American flag was a complicated symbol.True
- James Talarico is a Presbyterian seminarian and school teacher.True