The 58th Super Bowl was this past weekend. Many people tune in for the game, others for the half-time show, and still others look forward to the commercials.
I can’t say this year the ads were any better or any worse than previous years, but one ad stood out to me, and apparently to many others, but for a completely different reason.
The “He Gets Us” commercials showed Christians imitating Christ by serving and even washing the feet of people who are often marginalized in our society. The whole point was to show that Jesus LOVES everyone no matter their homeland, their ethnicity, their sexual orientation, or their gender. So often Christians are labeled bigots or haters, and the actions of few have sadly enforced that perception. This ad campaign was to remind those watching that that is not who Jesus is, nor who true followers are.
The messages were beautiful and positive, so what could be the issue?
The issue is that many people feel the $14 million spent on these 2 commercials should have gone to feeding the poor, or housing the homeless, or other tangible means of serving the needy. And I get that, I really do. There are a lot of needy people who $14 million dollars could have a huge impact on.
However, after doing some digging, it looks like the group behind the Jesus Gets Us commercials is heavily funded. Like $100 million funded, so I wouldn’t say $14 million is an unreasonable amount to spend sharing the love of Christ with MILLIONS of people.
In the US the largest portion of charitable donations go to religious groups, much like the folks behind this ad campaign. According to NP Source: “Historically, Religious groups have received the largest share of charitable donations. This remained true in 2016. With the 2.9% increase in donations this year, 31% of all donations, or $127.37 billion, went to Religious organizations. Much of these contributions can be attributed to people giving to their local place of worship.
In 2017, the largest source of charitable giving came from individuals at $281.86 billion, or 72% of total giving; followed by foundations ($58.28 billion/15%), bequests ($30.36 billion/8%), and corporations ($18.55 billion/5%).” Of course this includes all religions, not just Christian, but note how it’s individuals and not foundations or corporation leading the way. Keep that in mind as you read on.
One of my biggest questions is why is it expected that Christian organizations should not spend any money on ads, or on sharing the gospel, utilizing today’s means including commercials? Every other organization and company seems to have a right to spend $7 million for a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl and no one is questioning why they should do that rather than “be charitable.” Isn’t it everyone’s responsibility to help those less fortunate?
Truly, $7 million dollars for any ad is outrageous. (Heck, I’d add that spending $8,000 for a ticket to the game, or $1.2 for a sky box is a whole other conversation about the best ways to spend money!) But when it’s Amazon, or State Farm, or Tesla no one bats an eye at that level of spending on self-promotion. The heads of those companies are billionaires. Billionaires. Yet the people who are angry about the Christians have nothing to say about how some of the richest people on the planet are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer, and yet there is no expectation for them to not place ads and instead spend their money on charity. Shouldn’t the richest people be giving the most? Does anyone NEED a billion dollars, let alone tens of billions? (Especially since these corporations aren’t making the level of charitable donations they should. Refer back to the earlier paragraph.)
But I think what has been most troubling is the fact that there are voices of disgust rallying against this Christian organization for simply sharing the love of Jesus, and yet where are the cries when Christians are persecuted or martyred?
Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world. https://www.cato.org/commentary/christianity-worlds-most-persecuted-religion-confirms-new-report
Right now there are 200-300 million Christians (the US population is just over 336 million, for perspective) being persecuted for their faith.
Christians are being attacked and murdered every day around the globe. https://www.christianpost.com/news/christians-faced-record-level-of-violent-attacks-in-2023-report.html
“Attacks on churches and Christian properties sky-rocketed in 2023, as more Christians than ever recorded faced violent attacks,” the report (from Open Doors) states.”
https://www.frc.org/updatearticle/20210114/facts-persecution This article explains how, in 2021, on average 12 churches were attacked PER DAY, and 12 Christians were killed PER DAY around the world. Nigeria is the country where it is most dangerous for Christians to live with an average rate of murder of over 5,000 per year. There are tens of thousands of imprisoned Christians right now globally.
Where are the voices protesting all of this? Where are the cries of injustice like you see and hear for other groups of people? Instead of being outraged by this organization spending part of their donations to share the Gospel perhaps we can all be outraged by those facts.
Christians around the world are in danger every single day just because they follow Christ. And yet, they follow Him anyway. They go about their lives trying to do good and share His light and love. They are people like you and me who simply want to go to church, raise their children, go to work, and live just like anyone else would, only doing these things as a Christian. And for that, many are ridiculed; they are threatened; their businesses destroyed; they are imprisoned or murdered. And the world is silent.
And where are the voices celebrating all the good that Christian organizations already do? Christians are incredibly charitable on a personal level, tithing to their churches and giving to the needy. Christian organizations have historically been the first to show up during crises and natural disasters.
Christians have been instrumental in the creation of hospitals and have been heavily involved in the advancement of medical care. https://biblemesh.com/blog/the-christian-origins-of-hospitals/
It seems to me, wonderful organizations like those behind the Jesus Gets Us campaigns are not supposed to advertise their message (which is one of love, hope, and generosity) like every other company or organization is expected to do. They are to do their work and keep quiet, as if no money is needed to get their message out.
In a world that is increasingly moving away from morality, goodness, and decency I found the ads to be refreshing and a beautiful reminder of the love of Christ. And it was a reminder to imitate Him by being a loving servant to all. I am thankful that I live in the US where I feel generally safe as a Christian. I keep my wits about me when I attend church, and I expect to see and hear my faith and my Christ being mocked by people, from celebrities to regular folks, but for the most part I don’t feel like I am at risk of physical harm simply for following Christ. For that I am grateful, but that doesn’t mean I don’t pray for, and my heart doesn’t break for my fellow brothers and sisters around the world who do not share my sense of safety.
And, on a personal note, when I watch the Super Bowl and my eyes and ears are assaulted (usually by the vulgarities of the half-time show) I wonder where we are headed as a society as not-family-friendly behavior is absolutely celebrated with vigor. But then I remember that the Bible has warned us that in the end days people would call good evil and evil good. When foul language, inappropriate lyrics/dancing/clothing get a silent nod, or worse yet, cheering from the audience, and a commercial reminding us all to serve and love our neighbors is what causes an uproar, I can see how that scripture has come true.
Close To The Garden 
Leave a comment