One of the most talked about Super Bowl commercials appears to be the one from the He Gets Us campaign. The company ran two ads last year and decided to upgrade from stock images in black and white to AI images.
Yet the messaging went from vapid to one far more subversive and hostile to actual Christians. He Gets Us has undergone a leadership change, and a new nonprofit organization is now responsible for funding.
There has always been big money for He Gets Us, as the Green family behind Hobby Lobby are among the biggest supporters.
Pro-Lifers The Baddies?
It’s clear from a visual perspective that washing the feet of a prospective woman who murdered her child at a Planned Parenthood parody is juxtaposed with the protestors who are in the background and portrayed as unconcerned. The message of this AI art is that the foreground is the example to follow and the background is not.
Jesus Washing Feet
Jesus washed the feet of friends and enemies. No ego or hate. He humbly loved his neighbors. How can we do the same? pic.twitter.com/kXift42ZG9
— HeGetsUs (@HeGetsUs) February 11, 2024
The softheaded approach to Jesus washing feet led to the commercial that misunderstands the point. Footwashing in 2024 is not as meaningful a gesture as it was 2000 years ago. So while it might resonate with people who have a certain fetish, it falls flat because it misses the point about mutual loyalty and servant leadership.Â
Jesus washed the feet of Judas and all the other disciples during the Last Supper, as recorded in John 13:1-17. This act of humility and service took place in the context of the Passover meal, where Jesus demonstrated to his disciples the importance of servant leadership and selfless love.
In this passage, Jesus is seen as the one who takes on the servant role, even though He is the Son of God. This act challenges the traditional understanding of power and hierarchy, emphasizing that true leadership is characterized by humility and service. The foot washing also foreshadows Jesus’s ultimate act of service, which is his sacrificial death on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. None of that resonates in the commercial. Nor are the contexts comparable.
He Gets Us showcases washing the feet of a woman outside of an abortion clinic juxtaposed with angry Christian protestors. Moreover, a Christian man is depicted as washing the feet of a homosexual in an awkward AI image.
None of these contexts involve servant leadership. But that’s not the point. The point was to scold Christians into supporting the homosexual movement, much like the people behind the scenes at He Gets Us do.
Did Jesus Teach Hate?
He Gets Us states that Jesus washed feet and did not teach hate. Ironically, Revelation 2:6 explicitly debunks the idea that the teachings of Jesus do not include proper hatred. Jesus teaches on several occasions that hatred is not to be reserved for personal grudges but rather that which is evil. Paul teaches in Romans 12:9 “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.” So, to love without hypocrisy, proper hatred is needed as well. This is more advanced than a commercial can dive into, but it still marks a glaring inaccuracy in the character of Jesus.
He Gets Gay
The He Gets Us Foundation officially states:
These are probably the most common questions we receive. And we understand why. Many of those who represent Jesus have made people in the LGBTQ+ community feel judged and excluded. And others in the Jesus community have simply ignored their stories and lived experiences.
So let us be clear in our opinion. Jesus loves gay people and Jesus loves trans people. The LGBTQ+ community, like all people, is invited to explore the story of Jesus and consider his example of unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness of others. No matter who you are, YOU are invited to explore the story of Jesus and consider what it means for your life.
Already the compromise seeps in, despite how much professing Christians have bent over backwards to this movement.
Moreover, the original management of He Gets Us was very much in favor of homosexuality. Ed Stetzer is the biggest media figure who has worked with He Gets Us. Stetzer produced a series of webinars, titled “Engaging Culture.” Ed Stetzer also affirms homosexuality. Ed Stetzer was Andy Stanley’s biggest defender in Christian media. His outlet, Church Leaders, has promoted men like Gregory Coles, Ed Shaw, Preston Sprinkle, Mark Yarhouse, and other Side B proponents on this issue. Stetzer’s career is the embodiment of failing upwards as he has proven to be a well-tolerated Jezebel wherever he goes. He Gets Us would also platform Andy Stanley, Sam Allberry, and Russell Moore.
Come Near
The He Gets Us movement is under new leadership from the new not-for-profit, Come Near. This occurred within the last four months, as Come Near is a recently registered trademark.
The Come Closer Foundation operates as Come Near, but very little is known about it. Nevertheless, what we do know raises red flags. According to their LinkedIn:
Come Near is a nonprofit organization committed to sharing the life and love of Jesus in thought-provoking new ways. Its expertise includes nonprofit management, donor relations, research and innovation, marketing and communications, and coalition development. Come Near leads all aspects of the He Gets Us movement in partnership with a dedicated network of collaborators.
CEO Ken Calwell
All of Come Near’s listed employees came from Compassion International. Ken Calwell is the Chief Executive Officer, but before this, he was a pizza mogul.
As clearly indicated by Calwell’s LinkedIn pronouns, he supports transgenderism, as pronouns in bio is a universally recognized virtue signal to that end. So the man in charge of mass marketing Jesus is a willful participant in the zeitgeist of transgenderism. It’s worth noting that pronouns are not mandated in LinkedIn profiles and that Come Near’s other employees do not have them.
So is it any surprise that He Gets Us chose to depict pro-lifers as villains and homosexuals as fabulous?
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