When “Jesus Never Said That” Becomes a License for Apostasy

By Eric M. Wallace, PhD

A recent article in The Christian Post highlights comments by Texas state representative James Talarico, the recent Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, who claims that abortion and same-sex marriage are not mentioned in the Bible and therefore should not be treated as defining moral issues for Christians. His argument rests on a familiar refrain: Jesus never talked about these things, and therefore the Church should focus instead on kindness, inclusion, and social concern.

This argument may sound compassionate. It may even sound biblical. But it is neither faithful to Scripture nor honest about how Christian doctrine has always been formed.

To say “the Bible never mentions abortion or gay marriage” is technically true in the most superficial sense—and deeply misleading in every meaningful sense. Scripture does not mention pornography, human trafficking, or racial chattel slavery by modern name, either. Yet no serious Christian would argue that the Bible has nothing to say about sexual immorality, the exploitation of human beings, or the sanctity of life.

This is not how the Church has ever read Scripture.

A Bible Reduced to Sound Bites
The deeper problem with Talarico’s claim is not political—it is theological. It reflects a modern reduction of biblical authority to explicit quotations rather than to the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). Scripture does not function as a topical index in which moral truth exists only if a 21st-century term appears verbatim on the page.

The Bible presents a comprehensive moral vision rooted in creation, covenant, and Christ. Human life is sacred because it bears the image of God (Genesis 1:27). God knows the unborn personally and purposefully (Psalm 139:13–16; Jeremiah 1:5). Marriage is not a social construct but a creational ordinance—one man and one woman joined by God Himself (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6). Sexual ethics are consistently framed within that covenantal boundary throughout both Testaments.

Jesus did not undo these truths. He affirmed them.

The Misuse of Jesus’ Silence
Appealing to Jesus’ silence on a topic, such as moral permission, is a dangerous hermeneutic. Jesus also never explicitly condemned bestiality, incest, or child sacrifice in recorded red-letter text—but only because those sins were already clearly addressed in the Law He came to fulfill, not abolish (Matthew 5:17).

When Jesus spoke about marriage, He did not broaden its definition—He narrowed it back to God’s original design. When He spoke of the law, He intensified its moral demands, exposing not just outward actions but the condition of the heart (Matthew 5–7). When He spoke of love, it was never detached from obedience: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, ESV).

Christian compassion divorced from biblical truth is not love—it is sentimentality.

A Familiar Drift
What we are witnessing in arguments like Talarico’s is not theological clarity but cultural accommodation. It is the same drift I describe in The Heart of Apostasy: the slow replacement of biblical authority with political ideology, therapeutic language, and selective proof-texting.

The Black Church, in particular, has been vulnerable to this error—confusing justice with justice-sounding rhetoric, and mercy with moral silence. When pastors and politicians tell believers that Scripture is “unclear” on matters God has plainly revealed, the result is not unity but confusion, not discipleship but division.

Jesus did care for the poor. He did welcome sinners. But He never affirmed sin, redefined God’s design, or treated moral truth as optional. He called people to repentance, and repentance always presupposes that something is wrong. It also requires a change of behavior.

The Question Before the Church
The real question is not whether the Bible contains modern political vocabulary. The question is whether the Church still believes Scripture has the authority to define right and wrong—even when that truth is unpopular, costly, or politically inconvenient.

If we only preach the parts of Jesus’ teaching that align with cultural expectations, we are no longer following Christ—we are reshaping Him.

And that is not Christianity. That is apostasy.

Dr. Eric M. Wallace, author of the new book, The Heart of Apostasy: How The Black Church Abandoned Biblical Authority for Political Ideology--And How to Reclaim It, is a trailblazing scholar, dynamic speaker, and passionate advocate for faith-based conservatism. With a distinguished academic background and an unwavering commitment to biblical truth, Wallace has become a leading voice challenging cultural and political narratives that conflict with a biblical worldview.

Wallace holds postgraduate degrees in biblical studies (M.A., ThM, Ph.D.), Wallace is the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in biblical studies from Union-PSCE (now Union Presbyterian Seminary). His scholarship and ministry experience equip him to address today’s most pressing sociopolitical issues through the lens of faith, reason, and historical accuracy.