What you are about to say will be broadcast to millions of people, mostly non-Christians. Public perception of religious people like you is at an all-time low. So make sure your comments are kind. But make sure they are also full of truth. Don’t give in to the secular mentality that permeates this TV show. Don’t hide your light. Say something worthwhile. What you say should be relevant to the conversation you have been invited to participate in. Respect that. But also bring in the message of the Gospel! Be a good ambassador for Christ. Your opportunity will last no more than 15 seconds.
These were some of the thoughts that ran through my anxious mind in the hours (and days) leading up to a brief television appearance.
Obviously, I was putting too much pressure on myself and I needed to relax. Even so, if you’ve had similar opportunities to talk about your faith on a mainstream media channel, you might be able to understand my inner monologue.
Speaking for Jesus is not easy.
But imagine a slightly different scenario. What if you had not 15 seconds, but 60 seconds. What if you had months to pray, plan and prepare. And while there were no restrictions on what you were allowed to say, you had an entire creative team and a massive billion-dollar budget to implement your vision.
How would you communicate the Gospel to the masses?
Here is what The American group He Gets Us recently proposed. Their ad aired during the Superbowl, meaning up to 100 million people could have seen it:
As you would expect from the powerful combination of American religious culture combined with social mediaopinions were strongly divided.
Those on the right have detected a bias in the type of marginalized people Jesus is speaking to. Why was he not depicted washing the feet of a Trump supporter, For example. Meanwhile, pointing out the astronomical cost of airing an ad during the Superbowl, those on the left said the money should have been spent on feeding the poor, not advertising a religion.
Other objections were less reasonable. A pro-life group said that depicting Jesus washing a woman’s feet in front of a family planning clinic “justified abortion.” But when Jesus washed someone’s feet, it was never an endorsement of that individual’s decisions. It was an act of humility and service. After all, no one would dispute that by spending time with prostitutes, Jesus was “justifying prostitution.”
What is the purpose of this advertisement?
I think the creators of this ad had a very distinct audience in mind. They sought to reach people who believe Christians are judgmental, unloving and full of hate.
Now, I know it’s very tempting for those of us with faith to roll our eyes at this point. “But we Christians are not like that! we mean.
The problem is that this perception already exists. And our fervent protests on the issue are unlikely to change attitudes (although our ongoing actions might). Barna’s research showed that a substantial majority of Millennials who don’t attend church think Christians make judgments (87 percent), hypocrite (85 percent) and insensitive to others (70 percent).
Some people who watched this ad were led to believe, through the actions of Christians, that God hates them.
But rather than seeking to improve the public’s perception of Christians, advertising makes the problem worse. This effectively endorses negative stereotypes. His message is: Yes, there are those critical Christians who protest outside abortion clinics, but don’t worry, Jesus would never do that! He loves you! He understands you!
I can understand why these Christians who feel called to such pro-life demonstrations finds this message deeply offensive. They would point out that Jesus preached the truth and was not afraid to confront people or denounce sin (and they would be right).
However, the fundamental point this ad is making is true: Christians will disappoint you. But Jesus will never let you down. Some followers of Christ may be hateful, but Jesus loves you.
I find this to be an interesting evangelism strategy because it involves throwing other Christians under the bus. He Gets Us has given up trying to convince the audience that Christians are good and loving people. Instead, he offers salvation through a different route. Christians are not the hope of the world. The Church is not the hope of the world. Jesus is. Put your trust in him. You can trust him.
That’s the message of this ad, and it’s a good message.
Grace and truth
Another major criticism of this ad from some Christians is that it ignores Christ’s call to repentance. He has been accused of promoting a therapeutic message that Jesus is “there for you,” without suggesting that this same Jesus might also want to change you and challenge you to live differently.
The question, critics say, is not whether “he will get us,” but whether “we will get him.” Some would have preferred a stronger message, one that would emphasize our need for God and our decision to accept or reject Him. I think that’s a good point. But I can also understand why the creators of this ad took a different approach.
We know that Jesus came “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). In recent times, the Evangelical Church in America has done an exceptional job of disseminating its “truth position” on abortion, sexual ethics, the Bible, judgment, and hell. If you stopped a random stranger on the streets of New York and asked them what an evangelical Christian thought about same-sex marriage, I bet they would be able to tell you.
But while the American evangelical church has been successful in communicating its views on controversial social issues, it has been much less successful in spreading the equally important and equally true message of God’s extravagant grace.
A significant majority of Millennials who don’t attend church think Christians are judgmental
Seen in this light, advertising provides a useful counterbalance to the pervasive evangelical culture in the United States.
Should we tell non-Christians that Christians represent truth? Well no. I think they already know that. But they probably need to be reminded that Christians represent love. And that’s why, overall, I think the He Gets Us commercial works. It emphasizes God’s unconditional love for every person, regardless of their background or beliefs. It’s a message that the Church has not always been successful in communicating, but it’s a message that the world desperately needs to hear.
I want people to know that Christians represent grace. I want them to know that God loves them unconditionally. I want them to know how good the good news is. And I want them to find a real and authentic welcome in our religious buildings. This ad brings the public one tiny step closer to that understanding.
Some of the people who watched this ad have been led to believe, sometimes because of the actions of us Christians, that God hates them. It’s a parody. If this campaign can help dispel such misconceptions, it will have done its job.
Communicating the good news is not easy. Any 60-second gospel presentation risks missing something. But I can’t help but think about how, when Jesus walked the earth, his message – just like this ad – seemed popular with sinners and unpopular with religious people. Isn’t that interesting?
