By The Daily Wire (World News) | Created at 2026-09-28 17:15:52 | Updated at 2026-09-28 21:01:24
8 hours ago
A prominent Texas megachurch pastor rebuked Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico’s church for peddling blasphemy after The Daily Wire revealed footage of its ministers doubting Jesus ever existed, slandering the Virgin Mary, and rejecting the purpose of the crucifixion.
Josh Howerton, senior pastor of Lakepointe Church, a multisite congregation with six campuses across the Dallas area, rebuked Rev. Babs Miller on his “Live Free” podcast.
“So first of all, I have righteous anger at the things that she said. Jesus Christ loves that woman. And He died for that woman,” Howerton said.
The lesbian minister at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin was caught questioning whether Jesus ever existed and disputing the core Christian belief that Christ died on the cross to atone for humanity’s sins, according to footage obtained by The Daily Wire.
“Get the hell out of a pulpit,” Howerton said in a reaction video released Monday morning. “And here’s why I say that. I know that sounds harsh. In Galatians 1:8, the Apostle Paul says, ‘Even if we or an angel from heaven preach to you another gospel, let them be damned.’ So I literally mean you’re seeing someone pull hell up onto earth and into a pulpit. Get out.”
“It’s evil. It’s like overt evil, and these guys are like a wolf in sheep’s clothing kind of deal,” he added.
Babs made the viral comments while speaking with an undercover journalist. Miller said she believes the story of the virgin birth was invented, comparing it to ancient pagan stories in which gods impregnated humans.
“We have no way of knowing if Jesus really existed any more than we have of knowing that the original Buddha ever existed,” Miller said. “And whether or not Jesus existed doesn’t really matter to me.” She also described her approach to religion as similar to a 12-step program: “Take what you want and leave the rest.”
Howerton cited New Testament Scripture describing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit as the one unforgivable sin. “He says you better watch out because if you die in that spot, you’re going to hell. Yeah, that’s what Jesus is saying. She’s literally looking at an act of the Holy Spirit and saying that came from demonic pagan religions,” he said of Babs.
Howerton then broadened his criticism, using The Daily Wire’s viral clip to argue that Democratic politicians nationwide are increasingly using progressive Christianity to redefine sin as social inequity — and replace salvation with social justice activism.
“I’ll just keep saying the same thing. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, or a demonic false teacher named Babs, preaches to you another gospel, let her be accursed. That is it,” Howerton said, going on to summarize Miller’s theological argument. “Your problem is not that you’re a sinner. Your problem is that the government is bad.”
The back-and-forth reflects the growing battle for Texas’ Christian electorate. Nearly 70% of Texans identify as Christian, with evangelicals representing the state’s largest religious group. On the campaign trail, Talarico has leaned into his faith to appeal to voters, despite previously declaring that God is non-binary, “not a Christian,” and that he hates the Christian faith.
On Sunday, Talarico said in a video posted to X that he fights for universal health care and takes on what he calls a “corrupt system” on “biblical grounds.”
Howerton argued that leftist politicians manipulate Christians with a “bait and switch,” applying their biblical hot takes to push progressive policies while accusing conservative Christians of violating the separation of church and state.
“When the Bible is used to advance progressive causes … that’s speaking truth to power … But then, when people use the Bible to advance what feels to them like a … conservative cause, that’s scary Christian nationalism,” Howerton said. “They’re running a bait-and-switch on you, and you keep falling for the same play every time.”
This viral video of James Talarico’s so-called “pastor” is 2 Timothy 4:3–4 in real-life.
Whatever you think you’re about to see… it’s worse. Beware of false teachers. pic.twitter.com/uW4NecR3rz
— Josh Howerton (@howertonjosh) September 28, 2026
