A 60-second ad aired during the Super Bowl depicting various people washing the feet of alleged ideological, social, and professional opponents.
of apparent thesis The central feature of the controversial “He Gets Us” campaign (which is clearly a proselytizing campaign in itself) is that today’s Christianity is “associated with hatred and oppression,” but instead is “unconditional.” It should be associated with “love, peace, and kindness.”
The ad provoked the usual outrage from reflexively anti-Christian people, but it also stirred controversy among many Christians. Some took issue with the theology behind the ad. Others were concerned that the campaign might unintentionally confuse love for sinners with forgiveness of sins. Many critics also believe that with tens of millions of dollars at stake and a global audience, campaigners could have made a more impactful pitch.
A Christian pastor in Northern Ireland cut through the noise this week with an alternative video he believes will better spread the good news.
Since then, the video has gone viral, overwhelming viewers with a clip show of an impressive story of salvation and an unmistakable message: “He saved us.”
super bowl ad
During the first quarter of Super Bowl LVIII,foot washing” plays, depicting various people having their feet washed by a figure who is contextually implied to be not a scrubber. The 60-second ad is set to Jen Mandia’s cover of the INXS song “Never Tear Us Apart.”
A police officer is seen wiping the feet of a man who appears to be homeless. A conservatively dressed schoolgirl washes the feet of a red-haired punk. A pro-life protester washes the feet of a young woman on the way to and from ostensibly killing her unborn child. Oil workers pour water on environmentalists’ feet. A suburban woman washes the feet of illegal aliens being dropped off in Chicago. Then a pastor washes the feet of a man who appears to be gay on roller skates.
The ad ends with the following text: “Jesus I didn’t teach you hatred.. He washed his feet. He gets us. all of us. ”
according to The “He Gets Us” campaign was originally launched in 2022 by the Kansas-based nonprofit Servant Foundation, but this year it will be led by CEO Ken Calwell’s Cam Near team, according to Adweek. It was run by a newly established charity.
“He Gets Us” campaign site Claim “Whether it’s hypocrisy and discrimination within the church, real or perceived scandals among religious leaders, or polarization in politics, many people are turning Jesus away from the world’s greatest love story. It has been reduced to a mere tactic used to reinforce our deep cultural divisions.”
“That’s our agenda with ‘He Gets Us’: to move beyond the turmoil of our current cultural moment to a place where we are all invited to rediscover the love story of Jesus.” ” the campaign added.
ad age I got it. The “Foot Washing” advertisement was created by Dallas-based agency Lerma/.
John Lee, principal of brand leadership at the advertising agency, told Ad Age: [this campaign] This is an invitation to all people, regardless of what they believe, to own and explore the story of Jesus. To do so, some of our images are designed to destroy our preconceptions about who Jesus is. ”
powerful alternative
Associate Pastor Jamie Bambrick Hope Church, CraigavonNorthern Ireland has apparently decided that the ‘He Gets Us’ campaign is beside the point. Rather than just complain, he created his own alternative.
In a Feb. 13 post on They were unable to convey any gospel to the people.” . ”
The pastor then gave his “view of what they should have done,” later saying: shown It took him “about an hour to make.”
Alternative videos feature an impressive list of notable people who have converted to Christianity, some of whom have previously worked for purposes that intersect with the faith, some of whom we consider unlikely. Some people have been beaten. The video emphasizes that their “former” identifiers, ostensibly associated with sin, no longer exist.
Some of the people featured in the video are:
- Tattoo artist Kat Von D, known for being an “ex-witch”, revealed last year that she was baptized and accepted Christ after renounced witchcraft and the occult.
- “Dawkins’ former right-hand man,” Josh Timonen, a former colleague of celebrity god denier Richard Dawkins, discovered that “[a]”Theism is a worldview that really helps weak humans,” he said, returning to his faith during the pandemic.
- “Former Jihadist” Mohammad Faridi, former member of Iran’s Islamic Moral Police. Bravely overcame death threats To become a Christian.
- “Former drag queen and prostitute” Kevin Witt Said Crowds at the 2019 Freedom March in Orlando, Florida, said turning to Christ helped them overcome gender dysphoria and walk away from a life of selling their bodies to strangers.and
- Dr. John Burkalski, a former abortionist, came here. to understand “The mercy of Jesus is the most wonderful medicine.”
Bambrick also highlighted the conversion stories of former transgender people, former porn stars, former New Age gurus, former lesbian activists, former KKK members, and former gang leaders.
After running through the example, the video blasts the following message: “Jesus doesn’t just save us. He saves us. He cleanses us. He restores us. He forgives us. He heals us. He will save us.”
Bambrick’s video ends with a quote from 1 Corinthians 6:11. “There were some of you like that. But you are being washed, you are being sanctified, you are being justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and in the Spirit.” Our God It belongs to. ”
The video has already received an overwhelmingly positive response online.
Conservative radio host Eric Metaxas responded on X: write“If this ad had aired during yesterday’s Super Bowl, my life would have been different.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) Said“This is…beautiful and a must-have ad. It shares the good news of God’s love. It tells the truth, not modern politics.”
Joel Berry, Babylon Bee Editor-in-Chief; I have written“@j_bambrick’s ‘He Gets Us’ ad, which he put together at home in a few hours, received more likes in just a few hours than the multi-million dollar Super Bowl ad put together by the ‘He Gets Us’ marketing team. !” and gained a lot of shares. The true gospel resonates. ”
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