Southern Baptist Pastor Robert Jeffress framed the midterms as a religious battle at the Republican National Convention on Thursday, saying Christians have a duty to oppose the Democratic Party and its Texas Senate candidate James Talarico.
“God is never on the side of evil. And if we want God’s continued blessings on our United States of America, it is imperative that on Nov. 3, we vote for God’s side,” said Mr. Jeffress, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas.
“There’s a difference between falling into sin and being an advocate for sin,” he said. “The Democrat Party are advocates for evil. They are advocates for sin, and we need to call it that way.”
The 70-year-old pastor argued that the Democratic Party’s positions on sex, gender and abortion are incompatible with Christian morality, citing Mr. Talarico, a former divinity-school student who has said that God is nonbinary and that there are “in fact” six “biological sexes.”
“The beliefs of James Talarico are blasphemous; they are evil, and they are not beliefs that any true Christian could support, ever,” said Mr. Jeffress.
Mr. Talarico often references his own Christian faith and says Christianity is one of many religions that provide a path to the truth.
“I’m a Presbyterian seminarian studying to become a pastor. My faith in Jesus leads me to reject Christian Nationalism and commit myself to the project of democracy,” reads a statement on his website. “Because that’s the promise of America: a democracy where every person and every family — regardless of religion, race, gender, sexual orientation … can truly be free and live up to their full potential.”
Mr. Talarico’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Mr. Jeffress’ remarks.
Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win control of the Senate and Mr. Talarico faces state Attorney General Ken Paxton in November.
Political handicappers and recent polling suggest the race is a tossup though has not elected a Democratic senator since 1988, and the state favored Mr. Trump by almost 14 points in 2024.
Despite his harsh words for the Democratic Party, Mr. Jeffress quipped, “if the Democrats would like me to come speak to their convention, I’ll be happy to do so.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.