A Christian ad about Jesus that aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl angered some conservatives who felt the ad justified certain sins.
The advert, funded by the organization “He Gets Us” showed images of several people, including a woman outside a Planned Parenthood clinic and a person participating in a protest, having their feet washed, a reference to the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. The ad ends with the phrase: “Jesus did not teach hatred. He washed the feet. »
The images are meant to symbolize “how we should treat each other”, while the advert is meant to evoke themes of “love and unity” and “love thy neighbor” as it approaches Elections deeply divided, according to the organization in a press release. , which says its goal is to “remind everyone, including ourselves, that the teachings of Jesus are a warm embrace, not a cold shoulder.”
Yet the ad received a frosty reception from many conservatives and religious leaders on social media.
“The ‘He steps on us’ commercial about Jesus seems to imply that Jesus was cool with all kinds of sinful behavior. That was not the case. He didn’t date prostitutes or any other sinners because he accepted the choices they were making, he did it to inspire them to change,” Robby Starbuck, a music video director and former congressional candidate, said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Joel Berry, editor-in-chief of the conservative satirical publication The Babylon Bee, wrote on
“The ‘He Gets Us’ ad may seem harmless to some, but it is obviously part of a psychological operation to deceive Christians into believing that Jesus is OK with sin and apostasy. It is the opposite of what our world needs right now,” wrote Pastor Ryan Visconti. .
Pastor Darrell B. Harrison posted on At best, it is a moralistic therapeutic deism. At worst, it is a Gnostic heresy that posits Jesus as a divine social worker.
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“SUPER BOWL WARNING! The ‘He Gets Us’ ad is TOTALLY misleading. Jesus washed the feet of his DISCIPLES (disciples)! They were people who ALREADY BELIEVED in JESUS. He then told them to wash their feet first from each other (believers). Christianity should not be rewritten as a political advertisement! ” posted musician Vinnie James.
Andrew T. Walker, a theology professor at Southern Seminary, posted that the ad “framed evangelism with a left-wing tinge, communicating the respectability of certain sins over others in our culture.”
“The socially elevated sins of the left are those that Christians are asked to evangelize, not the lesser sins of the deplorable right, because, it seems, these are the ones that are truly beyond the reach of the redemption,” he wrote.
Author Travis M. Snow wrote, “Jesus washed the feet of people who repented of their sins and left everything to follow him. He Gets Us is the epitome of the misappropriation of New Testament gospel symbols in the service of the secular left.
“He understands us” responds to criticism
A spokesperson for “He Gets Us” responded to the criticism in a statement to News week Monday, writing that “our intention is to share the authentic love that Jesus showed with everyone.”
“Our ads this year kick off a year focused on loving our neighbors, which will be brought to life through service events, art, advertising and engaging content, as well as experiences that bring people together. While we may use different words or methods than others, we hope this inspires people to be curious and explore the story of Jesus,” the spokesperson wrote.
Others, meanwhile, also defended the ad.
“Am I the only conservative Christian who doesn’t totally hate the “He Gets Us” commercial? Yes, she speaks “woke-ese”. “It’s not for us, it’s for secular liberals. There is a risk that it will lead to heretical complacency. But if it loses freedoms even considering Our Lord, I am not totally opposed” , posted commenter Michael Knowles.
“Some Christians hated the @HeGetsUs ad because they think it’s an insult to show us humiliating ourselves to serve people we disagree with. Or they think serving = affirming sin. Reread the Sermon on the Mount. The culture war taught you to focus on the fighters, not Jesus,” posted Justin Giboney, a lawyer who co-hosts Church politics Podcast.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
