As we observe the war in Iran, one of the clearest things we see is the absolute total commitment of the radical Iranian regime. In spite of the fact that they have been decimated militarily, they talk and act as if they are winning. And they really believe they are. They are convinced that the Madhi – their version of a messiah – will come and deliver them to victory, no matter how hopeless things seem at the moment. And they express their total, absolute confidence in their belief by continuing to demand that America surrender to them in spite of everything.
But the radical Iranians are not the only ones who are so convinced of their false beliefs that they will not only go to the mat defending them, but will accuse those who hold true beliefs of being wrong without being able to back it up. We also see this in Christianity.
In previous articles, we have chronicled many of the false beliefs that Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico espouses. He claims that churches should be active: promoting LGBTQ rights; in allowing Atheists to be a part of the church; helping house illegal immigrants; promoting abortion; and advocating for transgender rights (even for children to do sex-change surgery). He characterizes this by saying that “Christianity is just another word for causing trouble.”
In the past, we have highlighted him not because of political disagreements, but because of his erroneous religious beliefs. To be sure, his political policies are quite onerous, but the reason for that is because they are a direct expression of his wrong religious beliefs. What makes it even more of a critical issue is that he claims his beliefs are Christian and reflect the teachings of the Bible. They do not!
But now he has gone a step further to assert that those who hold traditional Christian beliefs are “Christo-fascists.” (You can read about this at https://www.foxnews.com/politics/exclusive-talarico-caught-tape-giggling-church-housing-illegal-immigrants-set-deportation?fbclid=IwY2xjawToWb5wZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMXZ5dXVFT2lMZW5lOVVmU0ZzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeaFL6p8hhzXC2iTU3PwzxlhHD1sCDtqxyoVL8iG-EHTMiqVTx49jjEHyl7UY_aem_zqAl4mmLYymXJGHqqtlfaw)
During a recent interview, Talarico decried what he referred to as "Christo-fascism." This was his way of referring to Christians who hold to traditional biblical beliefs. He says that people in that category are seeking to subvert democracy by forcing a "certain type of Christianity." By “a certain type of Christianity,” he means traditional biblical beliefs. (He doesn’t seem to realize that he also is trying to force “a certain type of Christianity.)
When asked to define Christo-fascism, he pointed to:
- a law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments (even though it does not promote religion, but simply displays the foundational beliefs that form the basis of America’s legal and value system)
- a law allowing schools to replace guidance counselors with chaplains
- the state’s school voucher program (he believes public education should be the only possibility)
- laws banning sex-change surgeries and treatments for children
- Texas’ abortion ban
So just who is James Talarico? For one, he is a seminarian (a seminary student) who claims to represent Christianity. The seminary he attends, however, teaches non-biblical liberal theology and is associated with a denomination that follows that theology. His defenders assert that he has dedicated his life to the teachings of Jesus Christ. They defend that view by saying he 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.” Well, we’ve already seen how he defines “Christ-like,” and it is anything but!
I actually find it interesting that he attacks Christians the way he does. I certainly disagree with his non-Christian theology. And I find it a bit despicable that he tries to redefine Christianity based on Marxist philosophy. At the same time, I have not stooped to calling him names. If I copied his pattern, I might refer to him as a “Christo-commie.” I have found that is it mostly people who are not able to legitimately defend their position who end up resorting to that kind of name-calling.
Every belief system is built upon some authority source. An authority source is the justification that is used to back up one’s beliefs.
The Christian authority source is the Bible. People who legitimately use the Bible as the source of their beliefs know what it says and how to properly interpret it. People like Talarico don’t use it that way. For them the Bible is a book they use as a resource to proof-text their beliefs. The beliefs themselves come from another source.
Talarico, in one way, is not unlike the radical Muslims in that he has glommed onto false beliefs that he is willing to hold onto no matter what. He also is not willing to explore the truth regarding his own authority source. He does, though, act as an evangelist for his beliefs and claims they represent Christian beliefs. Actual Christians need to be aware of this deception.
Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.
You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.
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