Rick Warren Claims Jesus Was a Political Centrist Because He Was Crucified Between Two Thieves (smh)

Hello, and thank you for watching. So I was looking at the Dissenter website, and I noticed this article. Here's what the headline reads, Rick Warren claims that Jesus was a political centrist.

Why?

Because he was crucified between two thieves. Yeah, this is like a bad joke, and the reason why Rick Warren is doing this, twisting the story of the crucifixion, trying to make Jesus out to be a political moderate, it's because Rick Warren is very political.

He worked with Obama. He worked with the World Economic Forum. But Rick Warren claims that he's neither conservative nor liberal. He tries to position himself as a centrist. So therefore, Jesus is a centrist.

Rick Warren's Political Centrism and the Crucifixion Argument

Well, how do you prove that? Because if Jesus were alive today, he'd be seen as a radical, okay? But Rick Warren is twisting the scripture to make Jesus, oh, Jesus is just like me. That's basically what's happening here.

So this is a picture of the tweet, and it's ridiculous, not because we're trying to say that Jesus was a Republican. Jesus certainly wasn't a centrist. His teachings on moral issues would certainly be more in line with traditional conservative.

Values.

But yeah, Jesus would be seen as a radical. But Jesus really isn't political in the sense of being right-wing or left-wing or a moderate. Jesus is the King of Kings. So this paradigm, I'm not sure even applies, but either way, you can't try to fit Jesus into your political box.

But Rick Warren, you know, this is who he is, and this is what he tries to do, twist the scripture, twist the story of the Bible to fit his agenda. So let's read from the article, and I'm not sure which is worse, the claim itself or how he's trying to justify it with Jesus dying between two thieves.

It really is like a bad joke. So the article says, Rick Warren has never been known for theological depth, but every once in a while, he manages to produce something so astoundingly ridiculous that it demands a response.

His latest tweet is a shining example of this. In a bizarre attempt at political commentary, Rick Warren claims that Jesus is, quote, in.

The middle.

Why?

Because he was crucified between two thieves. His argument is that since Jesus was literally positioned between two criminals, he must also be some kind of cosmic centrist, hovering in the neutral ground between the left and.

The right.

And they say, if that sounds stupid, it's because it is. Okay, but this is where we are, where you have one of the leading, well, one of the top leaders of evangelicalism saying stuff like this. So let's take this to its logical conclusion.

Abortion, Homosexuality, and Religious Pluralism as "Centrist" Positions

That's what they say in the article. If Jesus really is a centrist, if he really is a moderate in our current context, that would mean, according to the article, that Jesus, when it comes to the issue of abortion, he's not looking to ban it.

He's not against it. He's not full-blown for it, shout your abortion kind of a thing. No, Jesus would be kind of in the middle. So he's sort of lukewarm on the issue of abortion. Well, is that correct?

Well, if Jesus is a moderate or a centrist, that would be true. Or they ask, well, if Jesus is in the middle, then what about his view of homosexuality? Well, Jesus would not want to be divisive. Maybe he would preach a sermon.

I'm reading from the article now. Jesus perhaps would preach a sermon about being welcoming and affirming while nodding sympathetically at Romans 1, carefully avoiding any direct statements about sin.

Or maybe he would officiate some same-sex covenant ceremony at Andy Stanley's church and do it all in the name of love. And of course, they're being sarcastic. We know what Jesus said on these issues, and it doesn't fit with the left, and it definitely doesn't fit with the progressive left, but it doesn't fit with the centrist either.

Or, if Jesus is in the middle concerning his position on issues such as the exclusivity of Christ, okay, where would Jesus fit on that? Religious pluralism. Maybe he wouldn't really insist that he's the only way to the Father.

Again, he doesn't want to be divisive. He'd be a centrist. He would say that there are many paths, many ways, giving a respectful nod to Allah, Buddha, and whatever pagan spirits people are worshiping this week.

And then the article goes on, but you see the point. If Jesus really were a centrist on the major issues of our day, what is that? That's compromise. We know what Jesus said on all of these issues, and these issues, and again, I'm not saying that Jesus would be a Republican.

No, the Republicans are too compromised for Jesus. That doesn't even apply to Jesus, but to make Jesus out to be a moderate when I think some of these views would be seen as extreme right-wing views or something, I mean, saying Jesus is the only way, it's considered a conservative position.

I don't know if that's the best term for it, but that's the term people use, or if somebody is just against homosexuality, they don't support it, period. They're against these things, the moral issues.

These are considered conservative values, but no, no, no, Rick Warren says, no, that's not true. Jesus would be in the center. You could apply this to pretty much anything, and you see the absurdity of it.

The Jesus of Scripture Is Not in the Political Middle

So the article goes on, but that is not the Jesus of Scripture, obviously. The real Jesus made exclusive claims. He drew clear distinctions between righteousness and wickedness, and he declared that he did not come to bring peace, but a sword, Matthew 10, 34.

The idea that he was part of some sort of ideological center is beyond laughable. Matter of fact, it's heretical, and this is who Rick Warren is at his core. And then the article concludes by saying he has spent, Rick Warren has, he has spent his entire ministry reshaping Christianity into a marketable, inoffensive brand of religious sentimentalism.

He peddles a Jesus who doesn't demand repentance, who doesn't draw a line in the sand, and who certainly does not rebuke the powerful. In Warren's world, Christianity is just another arm of the self-help industry, a motivational speech sprinkled with Bible verses designed to be palatable to the broadest possible audience, but the real Jesus is not in the middle.

So that's a great article. I couldn't agree more. Rick Warren is a dangerous teacher, and if you want more on the subject, I have an entire podcast titled The Problem with Rick Warren. I'll link that in the description, but thanks for watching, and until next time, may the Lord be with you.

Have a great day.