An advertising campaign promoting Christianity and Jesus is coming to our screens this year for the Super Bowl: several experts are sounding the alarm.
• Read also: Super Bowl LVII: 10 commercials to see before everyone else
• Read also: Super Bowl LVII: local artists predict Eagles win
• Read also: Super Bowl LVII: Rihanna’s comeback
The “He Gets Us” promotional campaign, which received an investment of $100 million, will air two ads on Sunday during the Super Bowl.
On the side of their website, the content offered revolves around current topics, such as artificial intelligence and social justice. The protagonist of the campaign also wears many faces: an immigrant, a refugee, an activist for women’s rights and against racial injustice.
“No matter what you face, Jesus did it too,” the campaign says.
Even if this campaign is in line with the NFL, where religious symbols are numerous, experts are worried for several reasons.
“He Gets Us” is an affiliate of The Servant Foundation, which has given tens of millions of dollars to the Alliance Defending Freedom. This is a conservative Christian legal group that has become involved in restricting the rights of the LGBQ+ community.
Additionally, one of the biggest donors is Hobby Lobby co-founder David Green. Hobby Lobby is credited with supporting anti-LGBTQ legislation and successfully pushing the Supreme Court to give companies the green light to deny birth control medical coverage based on their religious beliefs.
The ad campaign is also associated with evangelical churches, even though “He Gets Us” claims otherwise. Christian evangelicalism is tied to conservatism and greatly influences American politics.
Also, according to many, the objective of “He Gets Us” would be to woo young people who see Christianity as toxic. But for other Christians, the message conveyed by the campaign is not authentic.
“Young people are digital natives who understand the difference between slick marketing and authenticity. Megachurches, megaevents and megaspending on marketing are seen as money that could have been used to fund community programs and advocate for oppressed and marginalized people,” said Kevin M. Young, pastor and scholar.