NYC Episcopal priest Flourish Klink sparks outrage for claiming Jesus is trans and God is nonbinary in outlandish sermon

Nypost · Sep 25, 2026 · 765 words · By Nicholas McEntyre

Religious Controversy Gender Identity in Theology Political Association

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What to know about Religious Controversy

NYC Episcopal priest Flourish Klink sparks outrage for claiming Jesus is trans and God is nonbinary in outlandish sermon See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

NYC Episcopal priest Flourish Klink sparks outrage for claiming Jesus is trans and God is nonbinary in outlandish sermon See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

A New York City Episcopal priest sparked outrage by claiming that Jesus Christ was transgender and that God is nonbinary — a belief once shared by seminarian and Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico.

Common ground

Father Flourish Klink, who is nonbinary and transgender, made the outlandish assertions during a recent sermon at Christ & St.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Doubt: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Religious Controversy story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that James Talarico... Texas Democratic Senate candidate?
How does this story connect Religious Controversy with Gender Identity in Theology over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/09/25/us-news/nyc-episcopal-priest-flourish-klink-claims…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 85% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Doubt 80% confidence

Questioning the credibility of a source or claim without providing evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing doubt helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

verified Verified By Reference 2

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Claim 1: “James Talarico... Texas Democratic Senate candidate”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly identifies James Talarico as the Democratic nominee in the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Texas. This is further corroborated by multiple cross-references.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — James Dell Talarico ( TAL-ə-REE-koh, born May 17, 1989) is an American politician, Presbyterian seminarian, and educator serving since 2018 as a member of the Texas House of Representatives. He is the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Talarico

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2020 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member to the United States Senate to represent the State of Texas, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidentia…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_Senate_elec…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 United States Senate election in Texas will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Texas. Republican state attorney general Ken P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_Senate_elec…

+ 5 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Klink, who has a spouse and daughter”

CORROBORATED

Confirmed by both a news report and Klink's own personal website/bio, which mentions spouse Nick Montfort and daughter Trinity.

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web search NEUTRAL — Instagram/fatherflourish. Klink, who has a spouse and daughter, paused for a second before claiming, "God isn't a boy, we have established this.
https://nypost.com/2026/09/25/us-news/nyc-episcopal-priest-f…

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web search NEUTRAL — I live in New York with my spouse Nick Montfort and our daughter Trinity. I am non-binary trans. I like to use they/them pronouns.My formal written title is “The Reverend Flourish Klink.” Get in touch…
https://www.flourishklink.com/about/

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web search NEUTRAL — The Cathedral's event listing identifies Klink as the preacher for the 21 March service. Klink's published text describes the interpretation as an individual theological view, using first-person phras…
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/episcopal-priest-jesus-transitione…

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Claim 3: “Klink, who prefers “they/elle/hen” pronouns”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly mention Klink's preference for 'they/elle/hen' pronouns, although some sources simplify this to 'they/them'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Klink, who prefers “they/elle/hen” pronouns, described how transgender people are given a gender by “folks based on what they see” when they are born, as basis for the claim “God is trans.” Instagram/…
https://nypost.com/2026/09/25/us-news/nyc-episcopal-priest-f…

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web search NEUTRAL — New York Episcopal priest Flourish Klink sparked controversy after declaring God “nonbinary” and “trans” and arguing that Jesus Christ was transgender.The church’s own website confirms Klink serves as…
https://hannity.com/media-room/talarico-2-0-nyc-episcopal-pr…

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web search NEUTRAL — Flourish Klink', while Klink's biography describes them as a non-binary trans priest in the Episcopal Diocese of New York.
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/episcopal-priest-jesus-transitione…

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Claim 4: “Father Flourish Klink, who is nonbinary and transgender, made the outlandish assertions during a recent sermon at Christ & St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on the Upper West Side.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm Flourish Klink is a nonbinary and transgender priest at Christ & St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is an antisemitic hoax and forgery purporting to detail a Jewish plot for global domination. Largely plagiarized from several earlier sources, it was first publishe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protocols_of_the_Elders_of…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The swastika ( SWOS-tih-kə, Sanskrit: [ˈsʋɐstikɐ], Sanskrit Devanagari: स्वस्तिक ; 卐 or 卍) is an ancient cross-cultural geometrical symbol that has been used in many cultures and religions of Eurasia,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

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web search NEUTRAL — Father Flourish Klink, a nonbinary and transgender priest with the Episcopal Church, Diocese of New York, claimed Jesus is transgender and God is nonbinary during a recent sermon on the Upper West Sid…
https://nypost.com/2026/09/25/us-news/nyc-episcopal-priest-f…

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “the closely watched Senate race against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple news sources confirm Ken Paxton is the Texas Attorney General and is the Republican nominee running for Senate against James Talarico in 2026.

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web search NEUTRAL — Talarico is running for Senate in Texas, and he has a chance to be the first Democrat to win a Senate election in the state since Lloyd Bentsen defeated a Republican congressman named Beau Boulter in …
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/opinion/talarico-paxton-t…

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web search NEUTRAL — Paxton is running for U.S. Senate against James Talarico.It was a flex by the attorney general, who had faced a significant fundraising disadvantage against Democrat James Talarico since Paxton won th…
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/article/ken-paxton-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Ken Paxton is a fearless conservative, a battle-tested Attorney General, and a relentless defender of Texas values. He’s taken on Biden’s overreach, fought for election integrity, and never bent a kne…
https://www.kenpaxton.com/

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 6: ““God is nonbinary,” Klink startlingly exclaimed, according to a livestream clip shared on X Wednesday. “But I’m going to go further than that, and I’m going to say God is actually also trans.””

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that Klink claimed God is nonbinary and transgender during a sermon.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The German National People's Party (German: Deutschnationale Volkspartei, DNVP) was a national-conservative and monarchist political party in Germany during the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_National_People's_Party

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Matthew Foster Heyd is an American prelate who has served as the 17th Episcopal bishop of New York since 2024. He was consecrated as bishop co-adjutor in 2023, having previously served for 10 years as…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Heyd

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “The viral X post was given a community note to include several Bible verses contradicting Klink’s belief.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report that a viral X post of the sermon received a Community Note containing Bible verses (specifically Luke 1:30-31) to contradict the claims.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Germany and Austria have spawned many movements and practices in Western esotericism, including Rosicrucianism, Theosophy, Anthroposophy and Ariosophy, among others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esotericism_in_Germany_and_Aus…

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web search NEUTRAL — The viral X post was given a community note to include several Bible verses contradicting Klink’s belief. “Before his birth, during his life, & after Jesus rose, he was always referred to as a male.” …
https://nypost.com/2026/09/25/us-news/nyc-episcopal-priest-f…

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: ““God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is nonbinary,” Talarico said on the State House Floor back in 2021 when he was a state Rep.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web sources confirm that Talarico stated God is nonbinary during a Texas House debate/floor session in 2021.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Texas House of Representatives 50th district represents a northeast portion of Austin and a small part of southern Pflugerville, both in Travis County. The current representative is James Talarico…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas's_50th_House_of_Represen…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.