On Sunday, Feb. 16, Rick Warren issued an apology for a viral social media post. Following criticism, Warren deleted the viral post late last week.
Warren, a well-regarded pastor and author, founded Saddleback Church in 1980 and recently retired as the church’s senior pastor after more than 40 years.
Warren published the the now-deleted X post on Feb. 11. The post showed an image of Jesus hanging on the cross in between the two thieves.
Above the image, Warren wrote: “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.”
The post soon became the subject of widespread criticism, with a number of Christian leaders and influencers accusing Warren of interpreting Scripture poorly.
In his follow-up post, Warren wrote, “I apologize. I wrote poorly. I don’t believe Jesus was a centrist. He stands far above it all. ‘My kingdom is not of this world…’ Jn.18:36.”
Warren concluded his post by saying, “Jesus demands our total allegiance as the center of our lives.”
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Many of Warren’s social media followers expressed their appreciation for the follow-up the post, including Ruslan, who told Warren, “Well said.”
Sean McDowell also replied, expressing his appreciation for Warren’s response. “Love you brother,” McDowell wrote. “Thanks for taking the criticism seriously and responding graciously.”
