Pastor Rick Warren has been criticised after apparently suggesting that Jesus Christ was a political centrist.
On 11 February, and writing on X, cited John 19:18, which describes the crucifixion of Jesus between two 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," he said.
Various conservative pundits took issue with the post, which was later deleted. Michael Knowles, of the Daily Wire, said, "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."
Other critics, such as Babylon Bee's Joel Berry and Seth Dillon, noted that the story of the two thieves was focused on the repentance of one of the thieves and was not an analogy for political centrism.
Warren apologised for his post, writing on 16 February, "I apologise. I wrote poorly. I don't believe Jesus was a centrist. He stands far above it all ... Jesus demands our total allegiance as the center of our lives."
Warren, 71, has long been a prominent figure in American, and arguably world Christianity. His book, The Purpose Driven Life, released in 2002, has sold well over 50 million copies in over 80 countries, making it one of the most influential Christian books of the 21<sup>st century.
He founded the California based Saddleback Church in 1980, which boasts weekly attendance of 30,000 people. In 2008 Warren was chosen to give the invocation at President Barack Obama's first inauguration ceremony.
Married for nearly 50 years, Warren and his family were hit by tragedy in 2013 when his youngest son Matthew committed suicide following years of difficulty with mental illness. Following his son's death, Warren established a church ministry devoted to helping those within the church struggling with mental illness.
