Pastor Rick Warren has deleted a viral X post that received more than 3 million views after several Christian leaders and influencers criticized him, with some accusing him of misinterpreting the Bible.
Warren founded Saddleback Church in 1980 and served as the church’s senior pastor for more than 40 years before passing the baton to Andy and Stacey Wood in August 2022.
In 2002, Warren authored “The Purpose Driven Life,” a book that many pastors and Christians, including 23-time gold medal Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, “American Idol” winner Carrie Underwood, and NFL Hall of Famer Ray Lewis, have cited as being influential in their lives.
On Feb. 11, Warren posted an image of Jesus hanging on the cross in between the two thieves with the caption: “John 19:18 ‘They crucified Jesus with two others—one on each side & 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.”
‘Warren Needs To Repent for This’—Christian Leaders and Influencers Criticize Rick Warren’s Social Media Post
Although Warren removed his post some time between Thursday (Jan. 13) night and early Friday morning, hundreds of replies scolding Warren are still visible.
Referencing Saddleback’s removal from the Southern Baptist Convention in 2023, William Wolfe, executive director of the Center for Baptist Leadership, wrote, “With every post, Rick Warren proves the wisdom of Southern Baptists in kicking him out.”
Evangelist Justin Peters described Warren’s post as “embarrassing” and “inexcusable,” saying that “this is, sadly, typical of Rick Warren’s approach to scripture. This would have been laughed out of biblical hermeneutics on day one.” Peters continued, “Basic hermeneutics dictates that you strive for authorial intent, and this is definitively NOT the point the author was making. This is not only embarrassing, it is inexcusable.”
Podcaster and author Allie Beth Stuckey called Warren’s post “possibly the worst Biblical interpretation I’ve ever seen, and that’s really saying something.” She said, “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.”
“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,” conservative Christian political commentator Michael Knowles wrote.
Babylon Bee managing editor Joel Berry told 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.”
Seth Dillon, Babylon Bee’s CEO, replied to Warren’s post, saying, “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.”
Reporter and author Megan Basham said, “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.”
