{"id":9697,"date":"2024-02-13T20:00:48","date_gmt":"2024-02-13T14:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/13\/he-gets-us-super-bowl-ad-ignites-controversy-jesus-didnt-teach-hate-jesus-washed-feet\/"},"modified":"2024-02-13T20:00:48","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T14:30:48","slug":"he-gets-us-super-bowl-ad-ignites-controversy-jesus-didnt-teach-hate-jesus-washed-feet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/13\/he-gets-us-super-bowl-ad-ignites-controversy-jesus-didnt-teach-hate-jesus-washed-feet\/","title":{"rendered":"He Gets Us Super Bowl Ad Ignites Controversy: \u2018Jesus Didn\u2019t Teach Hate. Jesus Washed Feet.\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.swncdn.com\/via\/images\/2024\/02\/12\/34560\/34560-screenshot-hegetsus-superbowlad-youtube_source_file.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One year after ads by the He Gets Us campaign ignited a social media debate, a new round of Jesus-centric Super Bowl commercials on Sunday night found believers divided once again.<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s He Gets Us ads led with a 60-second commercial that included 12 successive depictions of individuals washing the feet of others. In the ad\u2019s final moments, viewers saw words on the screen reading: \u201cJesus Didn\u2019t Teach Hate. Jesus Washed Feet. He Gets Us. All of Us.\u201d A solo voice singing the INXS tune Never Tear Us Apart played in the background.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The ad guided viewers to a website, <a href=\"https:\/\/hegetsus.com\/en\/articles\/what-is-foot-washing-and-what-does-it-symbolize\">HeGetsUs.com\/LoveYourNeighbor<\/a>, where they can learn about Jesus\u2019 ministry. The website calls foot washing the \u201cperfect example of how we should treat one another, even those people with whom we don\u2019t see eye to eye.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was one of the most-viewed Super Bowl ads on YouTube, with 225,000 views some 12 hours after it aired.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Foot Washing\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/94BqlDQ-Ppo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>\u201cJesus had washed Peter\u2019s feet, a loyal friend who would publicly deny that he knew Jesus later that very night,\u201d its website says. \u201cAnd even more astoundingly, Jesus washed Judas Iscariot\u2019s feet, the one who would betray him for 30 pieces of silver,\u201d the website says, before it explains the significance of feet washing in ancient times.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianheadlines.com\/columnists\/guest-commentary\/he-gets-us-i-get-ad-why.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">He Gets Us, and I Get Their Ad: Here&#8217;s Why<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow would our contentious world change if we washed one another\u2019s feet, not literally, but figuratively?\u201d it asks. \u201cFigurative foot washing can be as simple as giving a compliment to a co-worker or paying for a stranger\u2019s lunch. It can also be as difficult as not responding to someone who\u2019s criticizing you or reaching out to an estranged family member. Acts of kindness done out of humility and respect for another person could be considered the equivalent of foot washing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/hegetsus.com\/en\/articles\/foot-washing-image-gallery\">website<\/a> didn\u2019t provide details of the 12 pictures but said they were intended to show foot washing interactions between people of \u201copposing ideologies.\u201d The images include pictures of a police officer washing the feet of a black man, a woman washing the feet of what appears to be an immigrant, and a woman washing the feet of another woman outside a family planning clinic (an abortion clinic).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The He Gets Us website includes three Bible passages: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblestudytools.com\/john\/passage\/?q=john+13:1-17\">John 13:1-17<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblestudytools.com\/nlt\/matthew\/passage\/?q=matthew+23:11-12\">Matthew 23:11-12<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblestudytools.com\/nlt\/luke\/passage\/?q=luke+7:37-50\">Luke 7:37-50<\/a>. Visitors can then learn more about Jesus through YouVersion Bible reading plans that are linked from the website. There, in the reading plans, the gospel is presented. (\u201cThe Bible tells us that our sins separate us from God, both now and in eternity,\u201d one of the reading plans says. \u201cGratefully, Jesus makes a way for us to live through his death. He says boldly that he is the only way to be rescued from sin\u2019s consequence (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblestudytools.com\/john\/14-6.html\">John 14:6<\/a>).\u201d Supporters have described the ads as a funnel to the gospel. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He Gets Us is an initiative of Come Near Inc., which the website describes as a nonprofit organization \u201ccommitted to sharing the life and love of Jesus, that believes Jesus was human and divine, he rose from the dead, and more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later in the Super Bowl, a 15-second He Gets Us <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=z5fcvlWdfdA\">ad<\/a> included a message about loving your neighbor. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On X (formerly Twitter), the ads received criticism from the Left and Right. The ads also split Christians.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet&#8217;s go @HeGetsUs. Powerful commercial,\u201d wrote Derwin L. Gray, pastor of Transformation Church.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m going to be a glass half full guy,\u201d wrote radio host Mark Davis. \u201cI hear the criticism that the #HeGetsUs #SuperBowlAds #Jesus is all buddy and no rules. But in this Increasingly unchurched age, if people pick up Bibles or start going to church, they\u2019ll be exposed to the real Christ. I\u2019ll take it.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I\u2019m going to be a glass half full guy. I hear the criticism that the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HeGetsUs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HeGetsUs<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SuperBowlAds?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SuperBowlAds<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Jesus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Jesus<\/a> is all buddy and no rules. But in this Increasingly unchurched age, if people pick up Bibles or start going to church, they\u2019ll be exposed to the real Christ. I\u2019ll take it.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mark Davis (@MarkDavis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarkDavis\/status\/1756853571625144692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 12, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThat&#8217;s the strongest play I&#8217;ve ever seen!!! JESUS DIDN&#8217;T TEACH US TO HATE!!! I&#8217;m here for this commercial!!! That was so good!!!\u201d sports commentator Ron Slay wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast year I got lambasted by some for criticizing He Gets Us, but my concerns stand,\u201d podcast host Allie Beth Stuckey said. \u201c\u2018Shouldn\u2019t we just be happy Jesus\u2019s name is getting to millions of people?\u2019 If it\u2019s not the Biblical Jesus, then no. If you\u2019ve got the money and opportunity to buy a Super Bowl ad slot, share the gospel. Don\u2019t waste it on some ambiguous mumbo jumbo that makes Jesus into our image rather than depicting Him as the King and Savior He is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe He Gets Us ads message isn\u2019t that you should worship Jesus. Their message is that Jesus worships you,\u201d blogger Samuel Sey wrote.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The He Gets Us ads message isn\u2019t that you should worship Jesus.<\/p>\n<p>Their message is that Jesus worships you.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Samuel Sey (@SlowToWrite) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SlowToWrite\/status\/1756864647796289664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 12, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Justin Giboney, president of the And Campaign, defended the ads.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome Christians hated the @HeGetsUs ad because they think it\u2019s an insult to show us humbling ourselves to serve people with whom we disagree. Or they think serving = affirming sin. Reread the Sermon on the Mount. The culture war taught you to focus on fighting them, not Jesus. The point of @HeGetsUs is to spark the interest of non-believers, not to present a treatise on Christology in a matter of seconds,\u201d Giboney wrote. \u201cNo sin was affirmed in that commercial, but the human dignity of all people was affirmed. Jesus came to seek and save the lost.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The point of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HeGetsUs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@HeGetsUs<\/a> is to spark the interest of non-believers, not to present a treatise on Christology in a matter of seconds.<\/p>\n<p>No sin was affirmed in that commercial, but the human dignity of all people was affirmed.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus came to seek and save the lost.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Justin Giboney (@JustinEGiboney) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JustinEGiboney\/status\/1757029939453550851?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 12, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Some pro-lifers criticized the ad for depicting feet washing outside an abortion clinic. In the background of the image, pro-life protesters can be seen, holding signs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>March for Life\u2019s official social media accounts said the ad promoted the forgiveness of Christ.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s forgiveness and healing after abortion, and @hegetsus\u2019 Super Bowl ad showed that,\u201d March for Life said on X (formerly Twitter). \u201cThe ad went through multiple images of followers of Jesus washing the feet of our neighbors: the criminal, elderly, classmate, parent, and yes &#8212; the abortion worker, post-abortive, and\/or abortion-minded woman. It\u2019s unclear as to why the woman is sitting outside an abortion facility, but it serves as a reminder to us all that there\u2019s forgiveness, healing, and support after an abortion, for those considering an abortion, and for those who work at an abortion facility. Abortion hurts everyone. It\u2019s okay to ask for help. There\u2019s hope, healing, and support for those who need it, and that\u2019s why the pro-life movement exists, to walk through life with ALL people and through all its vulnerabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The He Gets Us campaign also aired two commercials during last year\u2019s Super Bowl. One, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HeGetsUs\/status\/1624928950022508545\">Be Childlike<\/a>,\u201d included photographs of children displaying acts of kindness and ended with the tagline, \u201cJesus didn\u2019t want us to act like adults. He gets us. All of us.\u201d The second ad, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HeGetsUs\/status\/1624951527772246017\">Love your Enemies<\/a>,\u201d showed pictures of adults arguing and fighting. It ended with the words, \u201cJesus loved the people we hate. He gets us. All of us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Photo credit:\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/hegetsus.com\/en\"><em>He Gets Us<\/em><\/a><em>\u00a0\/\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=94BqlDQ-Ppo\"><em>YouTube.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press,\u00a0<\/em><em>Christianity Today<\/em><em>, <\/em><em>The Christian Po<\/em>st<em>, <\/em>the<em>\u00a0<\/em><em>Leaf-Chronicle<\/em><em>,\u00a0<\/em>the <em>Toronto Star<\/em> and<em>\u00a0<\/em>the <em>Knoxville News-Sentinel<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script>\n        setTimeout(function () {\n            !function (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) {\n                if (f.fbq) return; n = f.fbq = function () {\n                    n.callMethod ?\n                        n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments)\n                }; if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n;\n                n.push = n; n.loaded = !0; n.version = '2.0'; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement(e); t.async = !0;\n                t.src = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s)\n            }(window,\n                document, 'script', '\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n            fbq('dataProcessingOptions', ['LDU'], 0, 0);\n            fbq('init', '228399734010278');\n            fbq('track', \"PageView\");\n            fbq('track', 'ViewContent');\n        }, 3000);\n    <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianheadlines.com\/contributors\/michael-foust\/he-gets-us-super-bowl-ad-ignites-controversy.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One year after ads by the He Gets Us campaign ignited a social media debate, a new round of Jesus-centric Super Bowl commercials on Sunday night found believers divided once again. This year\u2019s He Gets Us ads led with a 60-second commercial that included 12 successive depictions of individuals washing the feet of others. In [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9698,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[]},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9697"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}