By now, if you watched Super Bowl, or even if you didn’t, you’ve probably heard about the “He Gets Us” campaign. I’m often asked my opinion. Let me preface by saying, I’ll present what I’ve learned and discerned and then you can prayerfully form your own opinion of whether this campaign accurately glorifies Jesus. I welcome your thoughts and comments.
As I researched and prayed asking Jesus to give me wisdom, here’s the first three things I learned.
1. The originators’ motivation is to give Jesus what they refer to as a better “image” or “brand” than they think the church and Christians are portraying. They want to reach the younger generation with a “Jesus of love and understanding.”
2. Their website, offers choices like reading about Jesus in the Bible using You Version reading plans, which I’ve used too. I do much of my scriptural research on Biblegateway.com and they endorse He Gets Us.
3. There’s also a link on the He Gets Us website to join a chat group, but it doesn’t say who you chat with or who’s leading those groups. You can connect to a church, but what’s the criteria for belief statements of the churches? Can any church with any beliefs be on that list? You can also text for “prayer and positivity.”
I wasn’t impressed with the two commercials on Super Bowl. They seemed directed to a social justice Jesus who loves everyone, which is true He does, but Jesus does not love everyone’s sinful actions. Jesus hates sin that destroys the people He loves. That’s why He went to the cross to offer us redemption, forgiveness, and salvation from our sins. Sin separates us from God; reconciliation brings us back into a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
The caption on the black and white Super Bowl commercial. “Jesus loves who you hate,” made it sound like we all hate someone. But disagreeing with someone’s actions isn’t hate. Jesus’s message was hate the sin, love the sinner enough to free them from their sins.
22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 8:22-23
As a believer in Jesus Christ of the Gospel, I found the commercials confusing and not true representations of Christ, although the first one was endearing. We should come to Him as children.
There is an argument in favor of the campaign because it was Revealed: Hobby Lobby founder behind $3 billion effort to ‘rebrand Jesus’ (msn.com) and how could he be part of something that isn’t spiritually authentic? Here’s what he had to say about it . . . .
Green discussed his involvement in the campaign, and the Super Bowl ad spots, during a November 2022 interview with conservative talk show host Glenn Beck. “We are wanting to say — ‘we’ being a lot of different people — that he gets us,” Green said. “[Jesus] understands us. He loves who we hate. I think we have to let the public know and create a movement.”
Again, who is David Green talking about that we “hate?”
What’s Missing with the ‘He Gets Us’ Campaign?
The “About Us” page on the He Gets Us website opens with: “He Gets Us is a movement to reintroduce people to the Jesus of the Bible and his confounding love and forgiveness. We believe his words, example and life have relevance in our lives today and offer hope for a better future.”
The word missing in that introduction prior to forgiveness is “repentance.” I also question the use of “reintroduce people to the Jesus of the Bible” because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and always, He doesn’t need a choreographed reintroduction.
The campaign founders describe themselves as “a diverse group of people passionate about the authentic Jesus of the Bible.” Who are these “diverse” people? Since “diverse” is a buzz word for CRT and DEI, what kind of diversity? They don’t explain.
They say, “We [who is we?] simply want everyone to understand the authentic Jesus as he’s depicted in the Bible—the Jesus of radical forgiveness, compassion, and love.” Which is true, but again confession and repentance of our sins comes before forgiveness.
They gloss over the actual Gospel with “Jesus is the son of God, who came to Earth, died, and was resurrected, then returned to heaven and is alive today.” What’s missing is the heart of the Gospel: how and why Jesus died a brutal horrific death on a cross to offer forgiveness of our sins by His blood shed for us. I don’t see sin, repentance, or the Cross mentioned anywhere on the website, which appears to be more a depiction of a feel-good Jesus.
Then again, the “diversity” element: “We also have included many voices in our work here—welcoming diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences to help us address the many concerns and issues we all face.”
What I’ve concluded, along with others, is they’re describing a Universalism “religion” where Jesus loves everyone so no matter what kind of life you’re living, it’s okay with Him. All people will be saved because there is no hell! Heretical. NOT biblical.
Jesus was human so yes, He does get us, but He was not one of us. He was God. That’s the Deity of Jesus I see missing in He Gets Us Campaign.
“The Father and I are one.” John 10:30
Natasha Crain wrote an insightful article I encourage you to read 7 Problems With the He Gets Us Campaign. In her article she writes, “Jon Lee, one of the chief architects of the campaign, says the team wanted to start a movement of people who want to tell a better story about Jesus and act like him. Lee states, “Our goal is to give voice to the pent-up energy of like-minded Jesus followers, those who are in the pews and the ones that aren’t, who are ready to reclaim the name of Jesus from those who abuse it to judge, harm and divide people.”
“But in today’s culture, there’s a popular notion that Jesus was the embodiment of love and all things warm and fuzzy, whereas His followers who talk about judgment, sin, objective morality, the authority of Scripture, and so on, are hopelessly at odds with what He taught. The He Gets Us campaign plays straight into that misconceived dichotomy.”
Crain continues, “Christians who adhere to clear biblical teachings on hot topics like the sanctity of life, gender identity, and sexuality, for example, are consistently accused of “harming” others by even holding those beliefs. Those who speak the truth about what God has already judged to be right and wrong are accused of being “judgmental” themselves. Those who understand Jesus to be the Son of God—the embodiment of truth, not warm fuzzies—are accused of being divisive when rightly seeking to divide truth from error as the Bible teaches (1 John 4:6).”
She then asks, “So my question is, when Lee says that he wants to rescue the name of Jesus from those who “abuse it to judge, harm and divide people,” does he mean that he wants to give people a more biblical understanding of Jesus, or does he want to rescue an unbiblical, culturally palatable version of Jesus from followers who proclaim truth that people don’t want to hear?”
When I [Janet] researched Jon Lee, I found an article that describes his goal and premise: “Jon Lee has some words for evangelical leaders who argue that Christian ethics like kindness, honesty, and loving your neighbor don’t apply to culture-war politics. “Good luck,” said Lee, a principal at Lerma, a cross-cultural advertising agency based in Dallas. Lee is one of the chief architects of the “He Gets Us” campaign, a $100 million effort to redeem Jesus’ brand from the damage done by his followers, especially those who say one thing and then do another.”
I personally don’t know of any evangelical leaders who don’t believe in “kindness, honesty, and loving your neighbor.” This only reinforces to me, as Natasha Crain determined, that this campaign led by Lee is trying to paint Bible-believing Christians as not portraying Jesus. We are the “oppressors” against killing babies, gender manipulation, mutilating children, and same-sex sexual relationships.
But wait a minute . . .
Jesus loves the little children!
But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. Matt. 18:6
Jesus loves the two genders He created and affirms that marriage is strictly between a man and a woman!
4 “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’[a]” 5 And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’[b] 6 Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” Matt. 19:4-6 NLT
Lee and those with him are confusing and confounding Jesus’ perspective on sin and the sinner. When Jesus met the woman at the well, He gently called her out for having five husbands and the man she was currently living with was not her husband. He didn’t say I love you so much and understand how hard it is to be a single woman so it’s ok that you’re living in sin. No, He told her she had found the living water in Him, so go and sin no more. (John 4:1-30)
Jesus loved her to salvation when He told her every sin she had ever done but offered her repentance, forgiveness, and freedom from her sins!
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power[a] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you[b] from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.[c] So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. Romans 8:1-8
In Mark 9:40, Jesus said, “Anyone who is not against us is for us.” I encourage you to read some of the links I’ve presented and make up your own mind, but it seems like the He Gets Us campaign is falling in line with the liberal government’s attempt to criminalize biblical Christianity, although many liberals were really upset about the Super Bowl commercials.
The good news is He Gets Us is getting people talking about Jesus. Not often do you see the name of Jesus during a football game! You usually hear His name said in vain! We can hope and pray that people will seek out the true Jesus of the Bible and not just someone’s interpretation of who He is.
Satan tried to tempt Jesus in his humanness, but Jesus NEVER sinned in His holiness. Not one of “us” can say that.
Jesus was perfect as a human. Not one of us is perfect.
So, trying to make Jesus our buddy who gets us is blasphemy because it removes His Deity. He does understand us, but He loves us so much He wants us to live holy lives. He doesn’t want us living harmful sin-filled lives.
15 For we do not have a high priest [Jesus] who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15
The Younger Generation Is Not Seeking a “He Gets Us” Jesus
The He Gets Us movement claims their goal is to reach the younger generation but when we watch the grassroots revival that started at Asbury University almost two weeks ago, there was no “rebranding campaign.” It was unscripted. The Holy Spirit prevailed and these young people see and feel the presence of Jesus. Thousands have been drawn to Asbury to be a part of a real Jesus movement as I wrote about last week, Revival is Necessary for Survival of the Church.
Even Tucker Carlson took notice and interviewed the student body president on his show last week. But when the Carlson producers wanted to send a film crew to capture what was happening at Asbury, they requested them not to come. They didn’t want media publicity or any commercialization of what was happening in the Spirit. They didn’t want marketing. They want to stay humbly and purely seeking Jesus. Tucker Carlson was surprised, but also in awe at the authenticity of what is taking place at the revival.
On June 18, 2018, I wrote a blog on my website Why Is the Church Going Dark? I also write for Crosswalk.com and they read my blog and asked if they could post it, so I gave permission. They’ve run that article almost quarterly ever since and posted on Facebook. It continues to receive thousands of views and comments. An oft repeated claim is that dark churches better reach the next generation. Yet we’re watching an amazing revival in a well-lit chapel with stained glass windows in a university filled with young people. No loud bands or famous speakers. The Holy Spirit leads and as of this writing, it’s spreading to other college campuses.
This revival started with a young man suddenly standing up in chapel confessing his sins, repenting, and asking for forgiveness. Only Jesus! No “branding.” No marketing. No pyrotechnics. No tolerance of sin. Only organic repentance and recognition of the need for forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with our Great God. As one professor at Asbury University described it, “A chorus of forgiven sinners crying out in thanksgiving to an almighty God!”
That’s what I feel is missing with the He Gets Us Campaign.
Jesus so gets us that He seeks after each one of us so that none will be left behind. He loves us but He doesn’t want us to stay where He found us wallowing in our sinful life. He offers us a new beginning and new life in Christ. The old shall pass away and the new life abound. That my friends is the Jesus of the Bible so easily found by simply opening our Bibles.
I want to close with a firsthand account from a friend who visited the Asbury Revival. She couldn’t even get in the chapel or auditorium the line outside was so long so she sat on the grass under a tree and could hear the music and the testimonies over the sound system. Here is an excerpt of what she heard about our Jesus.
I heard this during a brief period of testimony. “We are not only the object of Jesus’ affection. We are the agent of it.”
That’s the message. Go. Show. Love.
In a world that screams hatred, we crave what’s holy.
We found it, finally, and it’s spreading. Thank goodness.
Hope and relief. That’s the best way to describe it, and the hills were singing their song.
Definitely worth the trip.
Go. Show. Love. That’s the message. May it spread across the world.
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 NLT
I would love to hear your comments and opinions, even if you disagree with me! If you received this blog by email, please leave a comment here.
