Author and former senior pastor of Saddleback Church Rick Warren deleted a tweet that prompted widespread backlash for suggesting the Crucifixion story implies that Jesus Christ would be a political centrist today.
“‘They crucified Jesus with two others — one on each side & Jesus in the middle,'” Warren tweeted Tuesday, quoting John 19:18 along with an image of the Crucifixion. “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.”
Warren, whose tweet had been deleted by Friday morning without explanation, made his apparent backtrack after his tweet received 3.5 million views and drew the scorn of several prominent conservative Christians. As of Saturday, he has yet to have tweeted anything since Feb. 8.
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“[Warren] has since deleted his embarrassingly theologically inaccurate post,” attorney and podcast host Jenna Ellis noted Friday.
It’s true ???? https://t.co/scqbTVmIrbpic.twitter.com/zAA3mk4Fon
— Jon Brown (@JonBrownDC) February 14, 2025
Ellis, who successfully represented Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church when he opened his church in defiance of California authorities during the COVID-19 lockdowns, was among the chorus of critics who called Warren out on X for what they claimed was a sloppy biblical interpretation.
Ellis tweeted Wednesday that Warren should “be embarrassed to call yourself a pastor.”
“Jesus is not a moderate or ‘in the middle’ when it comes to truth. To characterize him as such simply because of the placement of his cross is perverting an historical fact into a symbolic meaning to serve your own ideological agenda,” she wrote.
Others who rebuked Warren for his theological take included podcaster and author Allie Beth Stuckey, who called his post “possibly the worst Biblical interpretation I’ve ever seen, and that’s really saying something.”
“Jesus is not ‘in the middle’ on the murder of children, gender deception, the definition of marriage, or anything else, for that matter. In fact, I seem to remember Him having a particular disdain for the lukewarm.”
Daily Wire host Michael Knowles, Babylon Bee managing editor Joel Berry and Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon also went after Warren for seemingly failing to understand the point of the story of the two thieves on either side of Jesus, one whom mocked Him and the other who believed in Him.
“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,” wrote Knowles.
“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,” wrote Dillon.
Berry wrote to Warren, “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.”
“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,” tweeted David Engelhardt, a pastor and lawyer who serves on the board of Turning Point USA.
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.
— David Engelhardt (@Davidengelhardt) February 11, 2025
Warren, who states on his X bio that he has trained 1.2 million pastors in 171 nations, also drew accusations from some critics who claimed his influence has contributed to the theological weakness of the Evangelical church in the U.S.
“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,” wrote Daily Wire reporter and author Megan Basham.
“With every post, Rick Warren proves the wisdom of Southern Baptists in kicking him out,” wrote William Wolfe, who serves as executive director at the Center for Baptist Leadership.
In 2023, the Southern Baptist Convention upheld the removal of Saddleback Church from the denomination for permitting a woman to serve in the office of teaching pastor, despite an impassioned plea from Warren.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
