Megachurch pastor and bestselling author Rick Warren faced fire when he posted a controversial statement on X that implied that Jesus would have embraced centrist politics, leading conservative Christians to call him out and argue that Christ would never compromise on “the issues that matter most.”
For background, on February 20, 2025, Rick Warren, celebrity pastor and author of the bestselling book The Purpose-Driven Life, posted a now-deleted statement on X that attracted thousands of critical comments from Christians. Warren shared a picture of Jesus on the cross between the two thieves, using the image as what the Standing for Freedom Center called “facile political commentary.”
In his post, which received millions of views before it was deleted, Pastor Warren wrote, “They crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus in the middle. 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.”
As the comments poured in in response to Warren’s post, several prominent voices stood out. Seth Dillon, CEO of the satirical Christian news site the Babylon Bee, wrote, “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.”
Moreover, conservative Christian commentator Allie Beth Stuckey wrote, “This is possibly the worst Biblical interpretation I’ve ever seen, and that’s really saying something,” adding, “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.”
In addition, William Wolfe of the Standing for Freedom Center weighed in, saying, “What this celebrity pastor likely intended as a clever rebuke of political ‘extremism’ instead reveals a shocking misunderstanding of the crucifixion’s meaning, reducing a divine act of atonement to a trite political metaphor.”
Continuing, Wolfe slammed Warren for hammering “a nail of facile political commentary onto one of the most significant and profound moments in all of history,” going on to say that Warren’s statement “reveals a shocking misunderstanding of the crucifixion’s meaning, reducing a divine act of atonement to a trite political metaphor.”
Clarifying his point, Wolfe conceded that “not everything that Republicans defend or advance can be supported by Scripture.” However, he wrote, “On the biggest political issues of the day, basic Christian political ethics is in a head-on battle against progressive dogma while still largely aligning with conservative commitments to life, family, and creation order.”
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