The False Christianity of “He Gets Us” – Crisis Magazine

The “He Gets Us” advertisements do not display true Christianity but, instead, a regime-approved Christianity.
On Sunday night, millions of Americans turned on their televisions to participate in the quasi-religious celebration of the 58th Super Bowl. As all viewers had their eyes turned toward another Chiefs vs. 49ers game or Taylor Swift’s box-suite antics, the National Football League subjected everyone to the infamous, liberal “He Gets Us” advertisements. 
The “He Gets Us” ads created a massive uproar on Christian Twitter. Many rebuked the advertisement as a watered-down version of Christianity, while others defended the campaign’s focus on mercy and charity. While the latter view is accurate in many areas, the “He Gets Us” advertisements do not resemble the spirit of Christianity but the spirit of the Antichrist. It is a false Christianity that perverts the Faith by replacing mercy and conformity with tolerance. 
I would be wrong not to first address what the advertisement got right. The ad correctly highlighted our duty to imitate Christ by reaching out to vulnerable members of society. The montage of washing the feet is precisely how we should treat our fellow man. Our goal should be to imitate the love that Christ showed His disciples. The charity we show to others should align with the Second Greatest Commandment: to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Christ did not come to call the righteous, as He famously stated, but to bring sinners to repentance. But the campaign seems to misconstrue the second half of the sentence and leaves out the call to repentance. 

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This perversion is where the problems of the campaign arise. Christianity is not a religion where our only obligation is to be nice to each other. Far from it. Christianity is a religion that calls for a total annihilation of the self and complete conformity to Christ. It is not a religion of just good morals; it involves a radical change of the individual. Christ told His disciples in Matthew 16: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” 
The “He Gets Us” advertisements do not display true Christianity but, instead, a regime-approved Christianity. Sure, Christianity can exist as long as it only stresses tolerance and niceness. It’s a Christianity that is like your leftist aunt saying, “Jesus just wanted us to be vaguely nice to each other.” Jesus wanted us to love each other as He did, and we should. But to love someone does not involve a vague kindness or toleration. St. Pius X wrote in this manner that 
Catholic doctrine teaches us that charity’s first duty is not in the tolerance of erroneous opinions, sincere as they may be, nor in a theoretical or practical indifference toward the error or vice into which our brothers or sisters have fallen, but in zeal for their intellectual and moral improvement, no less than in zeal for their material well-being.
The “He Gets Us” advertisement shows the problem with American Christianity. Instead of promoting the real message of the Gospel, the liberal evangelical groups would somewhat distort Jesus into an “affirmation Christ.” There’s no call for repentance or conformity but only acceptance. When the advertisement shows the washing of the feet, it neglects that Christ washed His disciples’ feet so they could follow Him to His passion. The washing of the feet is an act that prepares us to imitate Christ and take up our cross. But, according to the folks at “He Gets Us,” they would much rather use the act to promote a distorted message of Christ’s mercy. 
One could argue that this message is a great way to get left-wing atheists interested in Christianity. By showing all the leftist castes of oppressed individuals getting their feet washed, it may serve as a way to evangelize. I am not one to doubt how God works through brokenness, and if this message worked to bring people to the Faith, then I will be the first to celebrate. However, the vision of Christianity is different from what Christianity is supposed to be. 
Not to mention, “He Gets Us” develops its messaging with input from atheists. It reads on their website:

Our work represents the input from Christians who believe that Jesus is the son of God as well as many others who, though not Christians, share a deep admiration for the man that Jesus was, and we are deeply inspired and curious to explore his story. 

Our work represents the input from Christians who believe that Jesus is the son of God as well as many others who, though not Christians, share a deep admiration for the man that Jesus was, and we are deeply inspired and curious to explore his story. 
One could give the organization the benefit of the doubt if the organization created these advertisements in good faith. 
The “He Gets Us” agenda is not about bringing people to Christianity. It is about promoting a Christianity that is in line with the spirit of the Antichrist. Christianity becomes weak, maimed, and subservient to the liberal regime in power. It is a Christianity that calls for tolerance not repentance. It is precisely the type of Christianity many popes feared the Faith would become. 

The “He Gets Us” agenda is not about bringing people to Christianity. It is about promoting a Christianity that is in line with the spirit of the Antichrist.Tweet This
Any faithful Christian must reject the “He Gets Us” advertisements. There are a million ways to create effective Christian advertising that speaks to people; just look at the Hallow app Super Bowl advertisement. We must adequately promote the Gospel of Christ to rebuild our Christian society. 
Christianity is a religion about dying to the self and serving God. It is not just a religion of vague niceness and kindness. It is time to reject the perverted message and spread the proper Gospel of Jesus.

Michael Ippolito is the co-founder and president of The American Postliberal. Michael graduated from the Catholic University of America with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and minors in History and Theology. He is published in the Daily Signal, The American Spectator, and MRCTV. You can follow him on X (Twitter) @mikeipps.

Published on
February 15, 2024
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