#327

Why I Don't Get He Gets Us

Super Ad?

If you watched the Super Bowl, and a lot of people did, you probably saw an ad that is part of a campaign called “He Gets Us.” It’s not the first time they’ve run one during what is hailed as the most watched television event of any given year. Advertisers salivate over getting their company noticed during the football game and for better or worse, they will pay a pretty penny to do it. This organization, Come Near is now in charge of these ads and their web site lays out their vision this way:

The movement is not funded by or affiliated with any single individual, political position, church, or faith denomination. We have a coalition of supporters who represent a variety of lived experiences that have led them to wildly different perspectives on many things. Some are on opposite sides of different political and social issues in our day. But they share this one thing in common: They’ve been inspired and transformed by the story of Jesus and want to invite you to explore it, too. They are troubled by how many people feel excluded from considering the personal relevance of Jesus’ example, life, and mission for their own lives. And so, they’re supporting a movement dedicated to helping foster more and better conversations about Jesus.

There are other frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the site, but words you won’t find are “repentance” or “sin” and “salvation.” They want you to know who Jesus is, but apparently not how to become a Christian, at least in a Biblical sense.

About The Ad

The ad shows us pictures of people from different walks of life having their feet washed by others. Then it ends with some sentences, like “Jesus Didn’t Teach Hate,” “He Washed Feet,” “He gets us. All of us,” and then gives people the URL for their campaign which is based on loving your neighbor. It’s well done and the music is moving. The pictures are carefully crafted and taking a closer look at them reveals an agenda that is also well crafted if you break them down. There is the teen washing the feet of a father in a home. Then there is a policeman washing a young man’s feet in an alley. Next we see a young woman washing another female student’s feet in a school hallway. Next is a man, perhaps a cowboy washing a native American’s feet. That is followed up with a woman washing a young woman’s feet in front of an abortion mill with pro-life protestors off to the right. Then we see a young woman in a disheveled kitchen with an equally disheveled older woman who is at least an alcoholic. They then who us a picture of older woman washing the feet of what appears to an illegal immigrant bussed to Chicago. We then are shown a picture of a rural lawn where a woman washes a Muslim woman’s feet. Our next picture is a young black woman washing the feet of a Hispanic woman with yelling crowds on either side of them. Next to last is a country scene with an older white man and an older black man with other of their feet in a wash bin. Lastly, we see a man who looks like a priest washing the feet of what appears to be a transgender man. I could dissect them further, but the overall point is Jesus wants us to love our neighbors, no matter who they are. And of course the foot washing theme.

A Wasted Opportunity

Generally speaking I believe that with all the money they spent on this ad and the previous ones, the messages are thought provoking, but really aren’t forwarding the message of accepting Jesus as Lord and savior. Are people talking about Jesus? Yes, and the web site does make a point of giving one information about Him but calling Him God and the only way to Heaven is no where to be found. That is likely because not everyone involved in this endeavor is a Christian as they actually tell us:

He Gets Us is a diverse group of Jesus followers with a wide variety of faith journeys and lived experiences. Our work represents the input from Christians who believe that Jesus is the son of God as well as many others who, though not Christians, share a deep admiration for the man that Jesus was, and we are deeply inspired and curious to explore his story. We look at the biography of Jesus through a modern lens to find new relevance in often overlooked moments and themes from his life.

They make a concerted effort to avoid the real message of Jesus who clearly wasn’t as inclusive as they make Him out to be. Yes, He ate with sinners, yes He invited all people to come to Him, but when it comes to His main mission of salvation from those sins this organization just wants diversity in interest, not specificity in action, particularly following Jesus as the only way to Heaven. After spending millions on the ads and some $100 million overall, those who are really Christians could do more, much more to change lives for eternity. Unfortunately, they are content to only change views in this life, not the one to come.

We Are The World On Steroids

That’s really what this is. I remember all the hype surrounding the song with the popular secular artists from the time coming together to sing a song of hope and help for those struggling in the world, specifically Africa. It was a rousing success even if the song got its one Biblical reference wrong (God never turned the stones into bread) and we may never really know how money actually helped people in Africa, but the point is that this current drive to make Jesus relevant and even popular isn’t much better than that songs goal of getting help people in need. I cringe when people say that being controversial is exactly what Jesus should be. And while getting Jesus in the conversations of people in and out of Christianity is a good goal, these people have been at this since 2022 and the buzz seems to be only temporary. As I perused their web site I was impressed with how good it is and how professional the media is, but I was underwhelmed by the messages and under-impressed with the politically correctness of their approach. Ironically by trying to avoid making Jesus controversial, they did just the opposite. And their message on topics like the LGBTQ+ agenda actually insinuates that Christians aren’t loving and caring, but they are. Here is a snippet of their thoughts on this:

So let us be clear in our opinion. Jesus loves gay people and Jesus loves trans people. The LGBTQ+ community, like all people, is invited to explore the story of Jesus and consider his example of unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness of others. No matter who you are, YOU are invited to explore the story of Jesus and consider what it means for your life.

Did you see what they missed? Unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness…not of sins, but others. The whole messaging is just like that.

But Jesus Did Teach To Hate

Missed in this is that Jesus did teach us to hate. He told us to hate sin which is nowhere to be seen in the ads or web content. And when talking about how loving Jesus is they miss the most important thing He wants to us to see and that is that unless we hate being sinners enough to change, we’ll die in those sins and spend an eternity without Him. The most important message for a Super Bowl ad would be proclaiming that people need to come to a Jesus who can and will forgive their sins. The other “isms” that divide us culturally will only be truly dealt with by changed hearts, not being told how wrong all sides are and a superficial message of love. They adamantly state they aren’t affiliated with any church or denomination but want you to instead look into Jesus. I do admit they cite Bible references in their articles which is commendable and they do promote a Bible reading plan on the YouVersion web site. And they are good about making sure we aren’t pushing Christianity overtly by saying they are representing all faiths who think Jesus as a person is pretty cool. However, you have to really, really dig into their site to get to who the real Jesus is and for me, I doubt the 30-60 second attention span culture will stick around to get to it. They will like the liberal, progressive Christian approach of loving and accepting people for who they are, but the hope they will take the bait and come into the fold of true Christianity in the end is well, a stretch. Mind you, I do think there will be some who get that far, but why spend millions upon millions to get people’s interest by disguising it until the very end?

A Better Way

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. (Matt 7:13-14, NLV)

As for me, this tactic is no better than the Morman’s generic feel-good love approach. Or even “the more you now” ads on NBC. It is a superficial way to hope people will look into becoming like a Jesus who is all love and no judgment. I think just practice truth in advertising and say Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one gets to the Father through Him. Skip the theatrics and feel-good media and get right to the point. Jesus didn’t try to please everyone and even said that the road to heaven is a narrow gate. Life is uncertain and a more efficient approach is to not make it seem that loving your neighbor all by itself is going to not only fix all of societies divisions but forgive your sins. Yes, people may tune out with such a direct approach, but I’d rather get the right directions upfront rather than meander around and get to the destination after years of wrong turns.