Christianity Today’s Article Draws Stark Criticism
Silliman’s article drew stark criticism from church leaders and Christian influencers on social media and even received a community note on X—which read:
The Bible says explicitly that Jesus had wounds in His hands and side following His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. John 20:27: “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.“
One person who reacted was Christian YouTuber Mike Winger, who posted, “Big oopsie for CT. John 20:25 So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.'”
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Another was Mollie Hemingway, who is the editor-in-chief for The Federalist. She wrote, “Very very sad decline for Russell Moore and ‘Christianity Today’ magazine. It got community noted for its Easter weekend claim that the Bible doesn’t mention whether Jesus was nailed to the cross.” Hemingway continued, “As any 1st grade Sunday School student could tell them, it does.”
“The @CTMagazine article ‘Was Jesus Crucified with Nails?’ was disappointing in many ways,” said Ed Stetzer, who is the dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University and the editor-in-chief of Outreach Magazine. “Including the fact that it casts doubt on the historicity of John’s gospel. @TalbotTheology’s Gary Manning (@eutychusnerd) explains it also misses the historical context of nails & crucifixion. ‘Yes, Jesus Was Crucified with Nails,’ via @ChurchLead.”
Daniel Silliman Issues an Apology
Following the criticism, Silliman later added a disclaimer before his article that reads:
Correction: This article has been revised to clarify that Scripture, including the Gospel of John, indicates that Jesus was crucified with nails and that Christianity Today, along with Christian scholars and theologians throughout church history, affirms that account. CT’s theological positions can be found in our statement of faith. The author of this article has issued an apology.
Silliman then published an apology explaining his reasoning behind why he wrote his article. He shared that as many Christians do during the time of Easter, he had been thinking a lot about Jesus’ crucifixion, which led him to discover García’s belief.
“An article in Biblical Archaeology Review piqued my reporting curiosity,” Silliman said. “A Bible professor suggested it was possible that crucifixions at the time of Christ’s death used ropes rather than nails.”
“That’s obviously an idiosyncratic view—and almost certainly wrong, it seemed to me,” he shared. “But I thought it was interesting.”
 Senior News Editor Daniel Silliman issued an apology earlier this week (April 22) for an article he wrote and published the Monday before Easter titled: “Was Jesus Crucified with Nails?“){kind=link}