St. Andrew’s Presbyterian church provides ‘Inclusive Bible’ to new members

Undercover video footage has revealed that St. Andrew’s Presbyterian, a progressive church in Austin, Texas, provides new members with an ‘Inclusive Bible.’ The translation, first published in 2007 by Priests for Equality, is designed to remove gendered language traditionally used to describe God.

According to the footage, the translation replaces terms like ‘the Lord’ with alternatives such as ‘Most High’ or ‘Sovereign One.’ It also modifies titles for Jesus, replacing ‘Son of God’ and ‘Son of Man’ with terms like ‘Only Begotten’ or ‘God’s Own.’ Rev. Jim Rigby, the head pastor of St. Andrew’s for over 35 years, confirmed to an undercover journalist that the church typically distributes this version to new members.

The church is closely linked to Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, who was baptized at the congregation and has long-standing ties to Rev. Rigby. The church describes its identity as ‘Presbyterian & Progressive,’ arguing that gendered language for God is problematic.