A House Republican is facing a fierce backlash over something he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, about a message related to Christianity.
On Tuesday night, Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) shared a post from Lizzie Marbach, a former employee of the Ohio Republican Party, that stated, “There’s no hope for any of us outside of having faith in Jesus Christ alone.”
He responded, “This is one of the most bigoted tweets I have ever seen. Delete it, Lizzie..”
“Religious freedom in the United States applies to every religion. You have gone too far,” Miller added.
This is one of the most bigoted tweets I have ever seen.
— Max Miller (@MaxMillerOH) August 15, 2023
Delete it, Lizzie.
Religious freedom in the United States applies to every religion.
You have gone too far. https://t.co/QCx8oAT1Kr
The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh responded, “Do your constituents know that you consider basic Christian teaching to be ‘bigoted’? They do now I guess. Good luck in the next election!”
Do your constituents know that you consider basic Christian teaching to be “bigoted”? They do now I guess. Good luck in the next election!
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) August 16, 2023
“Well, your career is over. Christ is King Max,” wrote conservative commentator Alex Clark.
Well, your career is over. Christ is King Max.
— Alex Clark (@yoalexrapz) August 16, 2023
Journalist Kassy Dillon asked, “Why did you feel the need to tweet this? Do you not see the contradiction? It is religious freedom to tweet about your faith.”
Why did you feel the need to tweet this? Do you not see the contradiction? It is religious freedom to tweet about your faith.
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) August 16, 2023
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) chimed in, “No! Stating the core beliefs or principles of your faith isn’t bigoted as Lizzie did, its religious freedom and no one should be scolded for that. It’s also wrong to speak about religious freedom while simultaneously harassing people who freely express their beliefs.”
No! Stating the core beliefs or principles of your faith isn’t bigoted as Lizzie did, its religious freedom and no one should be scolded for that.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) August 16, 2023
It’s also wrong to speak about religious freedom while simultaneously harassing people who freely express their beliefs. https://t.co/NbgKr1MvIi
“This is the central tenet of Christianity, it is Christ’s own command to his flock. It is not meant as malice or bigotry, much the opposite, because it is there for everyone who seeks it,” wrote conservative commentator David Marcus.
This is the central tenet of Christianity, it is Christ’s own command to his flock. It is not meant as malice or bigotry, much the opposite, because it is there for everyone who seeks it. https://t.co/bGifJBxRHn
— David Marcus (@BlueBoxDave) August 16, 2023
Conservative Kingsley Cortes wrote, “This ‘conservative’ congressman is maligning Christian doctrine [and] labeling Christians as bigoted.”
“Did Max Miller join the Squad?” she asked.
This “conservative” congressman is maligning Christian doctrine & labeling Christians as bigoted.
— Kingsley Wilson (@KingsleyCortes) August 15, 2023
Did Max Miller join the Squad? https://t.co/ahJMZ2c2Qm
Miller later responded to the backlash as he wrote, “I posted something earlier that conveyed a message I did not intend. I will not try to hide my mistake or run from it.”
“I sincerely apologize to Lizzie and to everyone who read my post,” he added.
I posted something earlier that conveyed a message I did not intend.
— Max Miller (@MaxMillerOH) August 16, 2023
I will not try to hide my mistake or run from it.
I sincerely apologize to Lizzie and to everyone who read my post. https://t.co/PNd8iSdNCS
However, Miller did not explain what the original intention of his tweet was.
Sean Davis, a co-found of The Federalist, wrote in response, “Please be specific: what ‘message’ did you ‘intend’ to deliver when you 1) called her a bigot for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and then 2) threatened her to delete what she wrote?”
Please be specific: what “message” did you “intend” to deliver when you 1) called her a bigot for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and then 2) threatened her to delete what she wrote? https://t.co/IZDETBFyCF
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) August 16, 2023
Still, others appeared to accept his apology.
Marbach wrote, “Max, I accept your apology 100%. However the truth is that it is not me from whom you need forgiveness, but God himself. I genuinely pray you seek Him and find salvation!”
A generous view of the incident was that it was simply an attempt at humor gone awry. Perhaps Miller was trying to poke fun at liberals labeling certain views bigoted. However, the lack of any kind of indication of a joke in the original tweet — such as a laughing emoji — seems to suggest it was not a joke.
His response also would make the suggestion it was a joke suspicious. If it was meant as a joke, why not just say so?
Either it was an attempt at a joke that went bad, or it was a serious comment that is incredibly stupid and should not have been tweeted. But the response so far is not making the situation look any better.