The Founder and Former senior pastor of Saddleback Church, Rick Warren, deleted a tweet that suggested the Crucifixion story implies Jesus Christ would be a political centrist after it sparked controversy.
In the now-deleted tweet, Warren quoted John 19:18, saying, “‘They crucified Jesus with two others — one on each side & Jesus in the middle,’” and included an image of the Crucifixion.
He went on to explain, “The guys on both sides were thieves. If you’re looking for the #realJesus, not a caricature disfigured by partisan motivations, you’ll find him in the middle, not on either side.” However, the tweet was removed on Friday morning without any explanation, having garnered 3.5 million views.
Warren faced backlash from various conservative commentators, including Daily Wire host Michael Knowles, who remarked, “Except that the thief to Our Lord's right is in Heaven, and the thief to His left is in Hell.
Not the best analogy for the point you wish to make.” Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon added, “Yeah, because if there’s one thing Jesus was known for, it was his desire to meet in the middle and compromise on the issues that matter most.”
Joel Berry, managing editor of Babylon Bee, also criticized Warren, stating, “If you’re going to misuse the story this bad, you should also point out that the thief on the Right is the one that went to heaven lol.”
David Engelhardt, a pastor and attorney on the board of Turning Point USA, weighed in on the conversation on Twitter. “Two sides of humanity came to Jesus on the cross: one hurled insults, demanding proof; the other, in broken humility, said, ‘Remember me.’ All will face Him at death—some in pride, some in surrender. Look to Jesus as the Good Thief did, for you, like me, are one,” he stated.
Additionally, some critics accused Warren of contributing to the theological weakness within the Evangelical church in the United States. Megan Basham, a reporter for Daily Wire and author, commented, “The fact that this is the pastor from whom millions of Americans found spiritual guidance for years explains a lot about the state of our theology.”
Pastor Rick Warren is best known for his bestseller, "The Purpose Driven Life," which has sold over 30 million copies, and he has trained 1.2 million pastors in 171 nations.
