A picture of Christ on the cross. Two thieves, one on His left, one on His right. A moment of cosmic significance—God Himself atoning for the sins of the world. And yet, according to Rick Warren, this is also…a metaphor for political moderation?
That post, now deleted, tried to argue that Jesus died “in the middle” as a sign that Christians should reject both the Left and the Right in modern politics. But that’s not theology—it’s a desperate attempt to baptize political fence-sitting. And it’s part of a broader trend known as Evangelical Third-Wayism—a concept pushed by figures like Tim Keller and, more recently, Gavin Ortlund. The idea is simple: Christians should neither align with the Right nor the Left, but instead carve out a “distinctly biblical” third way. It sounds noble, even wise. But in practice, it functions as a convenient excuse for coddling progressives while selectively condemning the Right.
Stephen Wolfe has called this out as nothing more than “sharpshooting”—strategically engaging with culture to present a morally palatable image to coastal elites while never actually challenging the underlying liberalism that dominates our institutions. He’s right. If politics is war by other means, then Third-Wayism is an attempt to negotiate a ceasefire while one side keeps advancing.
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At the end of the day, Third-Wayism is not simply a bad take. It is bad strategy, and it is unchristian. Tune in now as we explain.
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