Millions watched the Super Bowl recently. It was a good game that was hard fought and ended in overtime in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs. I am certain, too, it did not hurt ratings that one of the most popular singers in America, Taylor Swift, attended and cheered for her Chief’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce.
In addition to the game on the field, another sort of game was being played, as well. To be sure, many people like to watch Super Bowl advertising as often the best ideas and humor are offered for our collective enjoyment. We want to be wowed and the game is afoot for advertisers who want us to watch for those clever 30-60 second spots.
As a person of faith and one who wishes to present the best possible example of Christian values, I watch closely when others, presumably Christian groups, spend a pile of money trying to convince the masses that Jesus is one of us and that the real hate present in society has more to do with the church and its members.
Maybe you remember the ads I am thinking of. There were two that totaled 75 seconds in all at $7 million dollars per 30 seconds. Now, if I were asked if spending $17.5 million dollars was a good investment in getting out the message of Christ, my answer would be, yes, as over 100 million people watched the game. Would I have messaged Jesus in the way they did, no.
Here’s why.
The basic premise of the “Jesus Gets Us,” advertising campaign, as I see it, is that Jesus wasn’t into judging others. In fact, his purpose was to simply be sympathetic to our problems.
The tragedy of these ads is that no solution is offered for our troubles, only understanding and inclusion. Foot washing is a symbolic act of love as offered in one advertisement, but atonement for sin and crucifixion takes it to a whole new level and that is absent from any Jesus Gets Us branding.
And that is just it. Setting aside the obvious digs at the Christian church in scenes outside an abortion clinic, the Jesus Gets Us campaign is nothing more than a warmed-over version of the Jesus Movement of the early 70’s. There, churches, and church people were the ones disparaged. And in an odd juxtaposition, the church was portrayed as the problem and not the behavior of the human condition.
Look, I get the perception that religious people are hypocrites. I also understand that a firm stance regarding sinful behavior is unpopular. But a watered-down version of who and what Jesus represented is a dangerous path to follow.
We have one chance to get it right before we die. One chance to truly understand the nature and sorrow of sin. One chance to believe that God has mitigated this problem in Jesus. If we get nothing else right, we must get this right.
Yes, Jesus gets us. The question is, “Do we get him?”
Kent Simmons is the pastor of Canyon Community Church in Kingman, AZ.
