Rev. Jim Rigby, a pastor at the church where Democrat Texas Senate candidate James Talarico has been actively involved, told his congregation Sunday that the MAGA movement wants to return to “the Confederate States of America,” following the attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner the night before.

Rev. Jim Rigby, who leads St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin and has been described by James Talarico as a “mentor” who taught him “courage from the pulpit,”

During the sermon, Rigby stated:

You may know, if you check the news at all, there was an assassination attempt. And I know a lot of people have mixed feelings, but it’s really, really important, if you’re going to be the healing agents of the world, to realize that violence is not going to get rid of the problem that we have.

I said last week, if violence could have gotten rid of racism, the Civil War would have worked. But if you look at the Bible Belt and the heart of the MAGA movement, it is the Confederacy. The America they want to get back to is the Confederate States of America, not the United States of America. It’s very important that, even as we fight for justice, even as we protect each other from this fascistic movement, that we not do to them what they’re doing to the rest.”

Zach Kraft, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said in a statement:

Absolutely disgusting stuff from James Talarico’s self-proclaimed mentor, but it is nothing new. Democrats have fanned the flames of radical left-wing violence for years and gleefully put targets on the back of President Trump, Charlie Kirk, and conservatives across America. To Talarico and Democrats, murder is simply the cost of doing business in their conquest for power.

The comments came one day after a shooting at the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, D.C., where the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was being held. According to reporting, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen allegedly charged through security and fired a weapon, striking a Secret Service agent in the chest. The agent was protected by a bulletproof vest and was reported to be in good condition afterward.

Officials said Allen authored a manifesto, and Donald Trump said the suspect “hates Christians” and was a “very troubled guy.” Reports also indicated Allen had previously donated to ActBlue (a fundraising platfor for Democrats) and attended a leftist anti-Trump No Kings protest. 

In 2023, Jim Rigby led opposition to a Texas state law banning sex-change procedures for minors. At St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, the congregation has a nonbinary minister and displays an LGBTQ flag over the cross. The church has received a “Reproductive Freedom Designation” from the Texas Freedom Network, which recognizes congregations that “proudly proclaim abortion is a moral and social good.”

 St. Andrew’s also promotes “inclusive language,” teaching that God is nonbinary—a position Talarico has adopted and publicly embraced—and explicitly avoids referring to God or Jesus as “King” or “Lord,” arguing such terms impose gender through “feudal” language. The church explains its rejection of gendered language by stating, “Cultures that link masculinity with control over women will produce more rape. If we wanted to design a rape culture, sexist theology would be a good blueprint.” 

It further states:

To say that our divine source is male is perhaps the most sexist comment a person can make. To equate the Almighty with masculinity might or might not hurt a particular victim of abuse, but it will definitely teach a view of life where our little girls will be more likely to be abused in the future,” and adds that “a time honored tradition of the Church is sexism” and that “most churches use sexist terms.”

Nearly a decade ago on Christmas Day, he posted on Facebook, “In fact we don’t have to do a single thing Jesus commanded us to do” and mocked the Resurrection with, “Oh, and we have to LITERALLY believe Jesus’ corpse got up.” In 2009, he also spoke at a pro-Palestinian rally where he referenced “true Jihad.”

James Talarico, who is set to face either Ken Paxton or John Cornyn in the November general election depending on the outcome of May’s Republican runoff, has described himself as a Presbyterian seminarian and has heavily advocated for abortion access and opposed displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools, calling the policy “deeply unChristian” and arguing it “does violence to both Christianity and Judaism.” He added, “I don’t want anyone forcing their religion down my throat. I certainly don’t want the government forcing a religion down my throat.”