This ‘He Saves Us’ Ad Redeems Everything Wrong with the ‘He Gets Us’ Super Bowl Spot
Bambrick is an associate pastor of Hope Church Craigavon in Northern Ireland. His ad draws a strong contrast to the “He Gets Us” Super Bowl ad campaign. It featured art of various people washing other people’s feet, a reference to what Jesus did for his disciples in John 13. I criticized the “He Gets Us” debut Super Bowl campaign last year for twisting the gospel to fit our culture’s standards and trashing faithful Christians who hold Biblical views about marriage, sex, family, and life. The same can be said about this year’s “Foot Washing,” which was clearly designed to evoke an emotional response instead of communicating the truth about every human’s sin and need for God to forgive us.
Pastor Jamie Bambrick released a new ad that seeks to redeem the “He Gets Us” campaign’s theologically ambiguous take on Jesus with a more biblically accurate depiction of what it means to follow Christ.
The controversial “He Gets Us” Super Bowl LVIII spot, Bambrick said, was “perhaps well intentioned” but “failed to convey anything of the gospel to the hundreds of millions who saw it.” Cue Bambrick’s take.
The slideshow posted to the pastor’s YouTube page begins with Kat Von D, a celebrity tattoo artist who left witchcraft to become a baptized Christian. It then cycles through several photos of people including John Bruchalski, an abortionist turned OB/GYN.
The titles atheist, jihadist, Ku Klux Klan member, drug addict, gang leader, drag queen, onscreen prostitute, LGBT activist, and more appear to convey hopeless sinners who should have no heavenly future. Yet the still black-and-white images show smiling, joy-filled people. The “former” text in classic “He Gets Us” yellow confirms the pictured people abandoned their old, evil ways of thinking and living to follow Christ and it’s completely changed them forever.
“Jesus doesn’t just get us,” the closing text reads. “He saves us. He transforms us. He cleanses us. He restores us. He forgives us. He heals us. He delivers us. He redeems us. He loves us.”
The video concludes with a reference to 1 Corinthians 6:11. That section of the Bible says, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
Related Posts:
You Might also like
-
Knowing Whom We Have Believed
Paul encourages Timothy, primarily, in two ways. First, he reminds Timothy that God has not given His ministers a spirit of timidity or cowardice (v. 7), but rather has furnished them with the potent and effective tools of power, love, and self-discipline. Timothy, therefore, should be unashamed of the “witness about our Lord,” or of being associated with those suffering for that witness, and join Paul in suffering for the gospel by the power of God (v. 8). Shunning cowardice and embracing hardship are key elements of faithful gospel ministry. Second, Paul points Timothy to the majesty and authority of King Jesus.
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and self-discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of either the witness about our Lord or me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God… (2 Timothy 1:7–8, LSB)
The theme of Paul’s exhortation to Timothy in this passage is courage. As the apostle looks to the future and sees that “the time of my departure has come” (4:6), he recognizes the responsibility of faithful gospel ministry is passing from his shoulders to the next generation. He will soon be gone, but Timothy will remain. Consequently, Paul, now an older man, seeks to stir Timothy up in the faith and strengthen his resolve to stand firm in the face of sure and certain opposition — “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (3:12).
Paul encourages Timothy, primarily, in two ways. First, he reminds Timothy that God has not given His ministers a spirit of timidity or cowardice (v. 7), but rather has furnished them with the potent and effective tools of power, love, and self-discipline. Timothy, therefore, should be unashamed of the “witness about our Lord,” or of being associated with those suffering for that witness, and join Paul in suffering for the gospel by the power of God (v. 8). Shunning cowardice and embracing hardship are key elements of faithful gospel ministry.
Second, Paul points Timothy to the majesty and authority of King Jesus.
Read More
Related Posts: -
The Comfort of a Greater Sight of God (Job pt14)
We don’t need our why answered we need God. We don’t need to know what God is doing in our suffering, what good he will bring about, we need God. We don’t just need him when the suffering ends but as we sit in the dust and ashes. And we’ve seen in Job that suffering doesn’t separate us from God, God has always been protecting Job and with Job even when it hasn’t felt like it to him. If we have God then every other loss is worth nothing. If we can’t say that yet, we ought to pray for God to open our eyes to who he is like he did for Job.
What do you long for when you suffer? It’s an end to the pain. It’s what we tell people when they face operations – it’ll hurt for a while but then be better, it’s what we hope for when we take someone to get treatment for an injury – something that will take the pain away and bring healing. It’s what we tell people when they grieve or suffer a relationship loss – that the pain fades over time. It’s one of the reasons why I think we find it hard to know how to help those with mental health struggles – because we know that this may be a long term need, with many dark nights of the soul.
And all too often relationship with God is postponed until afterwards. We’ll think about God when we feel better, are in a better place, have more capacity. But Job shows us how wrong that is, that we’re missing something. Job is in a world of agony, he’s lost not one but all of his children, his wealth, he’s covered with sores and hovers near death, wracked with grief and all he has left is a wife who calls him to curse God and die and friends whose comfort only deepens his confusion, questions and isolation.
That’s where Job is as chapter 42 opens. He hasn’t been restored he‘s still stripped of everything. Still has nothing. That makes his words here all the more amazing. He’s comforted before he is restored – we must see that. This is comfort in suffering not comfort from or after suffering. This is the kind of comfort we need, our friends need, in the white hot heat, or pitch black oppressive darkness, of suffering.
God has just drawn Job’s attention to the two chaos monsters we looked at last week. Behemoth and Leviathan, savage, uncontrollable, forces of evil and chaos that man cannot tame. But who as created supernatural beings are on God’s leash, under his sovereignty, only permitted to do what God allows and who will ultimately be destroyed by him.
How does Job react? (1-3)Firstly, Job confesses God’s absolutely sovereignty and might. Back in ch38v2 God asked Job “Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?” Now Job confesses that he was wrong, he spoke from what he knew and could see but “I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”
It’s always tempting to think we know what’s going on. To look at the world and see what we can see and draw conclusions from it. And so to assume it tells us about God, his love, his actions, his sovereignty or lack of it. But Job confesses that as he did that he was hopelessly short sighted. He couldn’t see God’s care of creation, he couldn’t see eternity and God’s plans, and it wasn’t immediately obvious to him that God was sovereign but now he knows. “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”
This morning, are you ready to confess that? Ready to say to God; Lord I have been wrong. Lord you are the almighty sovereign ruler who is just and does what’s right, who governs creation wisely and rightly and does things I just cannot comprehend, I cannot see it all, but I know enough of you and your goodness and love and so I will trust in you not in what I see or what I think?
But Job isn’t finished because he’s learned something else(4-5), that he had a limited grasp of God.
Read More
Related Posts: -
Engaging the Day as an Alliance for Mission & Renewal
Written by David P. Cassidy |
Friday, June 16, 2023
While the Alliance is deeply committed to the original mission of the PCA, its members are equally convinced that a business-as-usual approach will not be an adequate response to the current crisis, and the time has come for us to fashion new structures that more adequately serve the established mission.“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” – John 12:32
The Alliance for Mission & Renewal (AMR or the Alliance) is dedicated to:assisting and encouraging churches, ministries, and leaders in the work of preserving and preaching the ancient, unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ in the current culture;
equipping God’s people for mission in daily life;
and seeking the good health and unity of the Church in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and our towns, communities, and cities.At the intersection of truth, vision, and ethics, movements can be born that offer the opportunity for sustained and sacrificial commitments that create lasting institutions which embody and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ with compelling grace and truth. Given our current cultural moment, it is time for us to consider again how we do this for the sake of the Church and the Gospel.
Broadly considered, Western culture is significantly shifting from a society with many shared core beliefs to a more radicalized one marked by deep fragmentation and tribalization. This emerging cultural reality is characterized by continuous tremors in several areas resulting in one seismic shift. Consider the cultural changes in:anthropology, including sexuality, gender, personhood, family, and marriage;
epistemology, including the notion of whether transcendent knowledge and truth are possible at all;
geography, in which particular groups and individuals that align with one another move to either urban or rural environments to preserve their values and resist those who do not share them;
community, in which a more diverse people speak into the broader societal story, and we honor their unique contributions and receive their gifts instead of rejecting or demonizing them; and
communication, in which we access and disseminate information at unprecedentedly high speeds, but our trust in the veracity of the information is shallow, and the use of the information to promote harm rather than harmony is widespread. Information — or at times, disinformation — has often been weaponized and used as propaganda to intimidate, silence, and censure others.This emerging transformation impacts every level of and all sub-communities in our society. Those who serve in medicine, news media, educational institutions, religious bodies, government agencies, and commerce encounter a deep and divisive cynicism that has undermined public trust and continues to erode the foundations of public peace.
The Church will navigate the impacts, but there are obstacles. Some of those obstacles are generated from within the Church. For example, we believe that the Church of Jesus Christ should graciously step into this societal confusion with the hope of the Gospel and serve as an instrument of peace. Yet, with sadness, we note that the current Church is wracked with painful revelations of sexual misconduct and abuse that undermine the credibility of its claims. So internal obstacles (both individual and systemic) slow our progress. While it’s urgently needed, change may take years to embrace.
In recent years, numerous studies have noted the steep decline in public worship attendance, the shrinking number of young people who identify as Church members (even when they continue to describe themselves as Christians), and more and more people who are deconstructing their faith and commitments, some turning from the Christianity altogether.
The PCA Is Not Immune
The PCA exists within the context of this cultural shift and has struggled to navigate these unsettling times of realignment. Consider:We have frequently found ourselves divided more by the issues in our culture and what is regarded as a faithful and healthy response to these matters than by the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Our communication is sometimes marked by the same intemperance and callousness that we find in any censorious tweet or vlog from a secular standpoint.
We have struggled to agree on adequate and precise language to describe matters regarding human sexuality.
We struggle to understand how best to address and secure the further flourishing of women serving in Christ’s Church.
Promoting justice, healing, and truth is always deeply important, and yet we also have witnessed abuses of power and wrongdoing within churches and among pastors.
We all remain profoundly and prayerfully concerned about the possibility of theological declension as we minister in our culture and its changing nature, and we must continue to emphasize the challenging call to clarity and charity.
We eagerly seek ways to not only preserve the Faith for the rising generations in our churches but also to proclaim the Gospel boldly and lovingly in a society that views Christianity as not merely irrelevant but potentially dangerous and harmful.In the face of these realities, we still maintain hope. Christ has promised to build his Church and has sent the Holy Spirit to guide, preserve, and empower her for the mission she’s been given. The Gospel remains the power of God that saves, and this efficacy is not diminished by our weaknesses and struggles. Church history is filled with seasons of far greater sorrows and challenges, and at every step, our faithful Savior has led his Church to fruitful and faithful paths. We believe he will continue to do so as we humble ourselves, turn from sin, and seek his face.
Though we don’t have all the answers, the AMR is working on a way ahead for a peaceful and yet disruptive witness in our fragmenting society, ready to partner with and learn from other Christians who are also working on the needed paths for the Church to be faithfully present and effective in its mission. The Alliance believes that a crucial component in this work of renewal is a recovery of and fresh declaration of the original intent of the founders of the PCA.
The mission of the PCA has been described in these terms:Faithful to the Scriptures,
True to the Reformed faith, and
Obedient to the Great Commission.This remains the summary of our shared purpose. How do we fulfill this commitment in the aftermath of a cultural earthquake unsettling all around us and among us?
While the Alliance is deeply committed to the original mission of the PCA, its members are equally convinced that a business-as-usual approach will not be an adequate response to the current crisis, and the time has come for us to fashion new structures that more adequately serve the established mission.
To that end, The Alliance for Mission and Renewal works for the unity, faithfulness, and flourishing of the PCA. We want to see a denomination characterized by:Firmly standing on the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Scriptures;
Boldly proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to all people in all places;
Faithfully holding in good faith to our confessional standards;
Humbly recognizing how our doxological diversity is critical to our mission and leadership;
Earnestly welcoming, valuing, and co-laboring with our sisters in Christ as they serve the Savior;
Joyfully embracing our universal connection with Jesus’ Church to maintain the unity of the Spirit with all who proclaim the Gospel;
Gratefully deploying the treasures of our Reformed theological tradition in the service of the Church; and
Purposefully focusing on making new disciples so we maintain and proclaim a visible and viable witness to the Gospel.Each of these characteristics keeps with the original vision of the PCA and is critical to its future fruitfulness. The Alliance rejoices in the treasures of our Reformed tradition, and it seeks to discover a path with more cooperation and a unified and effective Gospel witness in our society. Please pray for us and for God to be glorified through the growing fruitfulness of the Gospel in our work.
Source
Related Posts: