‘He Gets Us’ Responds to Controversy over Super Bowl Commercials
A Jesus-focused commercial from the He Gets Us campaign ranked in the top half of America's favorite Super Bowl ads Sunday but once again sparked an online debate among Christians and non-Christians alike.
The ad, titled "What Is Greatness?," ranked No. 26 out of 57 total ads according to USA Today's Ad Meter, which includes a panel of viewers who judge the ads aired during the national broadcast.
The 60-second He Gets Us commercial includes pictures of individuals displaying acts of kindness followed by text on the screen reading, "Jesus showed us what greatness really is. He Gets Us. All Of Us." It then invites viewers to visit the website: HeGetsUs.com.
Crosswalk Headlines asked the CEO of the campaign's parent organization, Come Near, to respond to criticisms and to share his vision for the ads. Come Near acquired He Gets Us in 2024.
Crosswalk Headlines: The He Gets Us campaign has received lots of criticism from both the Right and the Left. Meanwhile, the campaign has a new owner, Come Near, which acquired He Gets Us last year. What is the goal of the He Gets Us Campaign? And, for those who aren't familiar with Come Near, what is Come Near?
Come Near CEO Ken Calwell: He Gets Us is an invitation for all people to consider or reconsider who Jesus is and why he matters. Those of us involved in leading the project at Come Near, and the network of collaborators and partners helping bring He Gets Us to broad audiences, believe in the value of raising the public conversation about Jesus.
We know the He Gets Us project is a unique approach with diverse perspectives and reactions. There are a lot of opinions on how to share Jesus' messages. We are focused on developing a growing portfolio of projects that bring to life disruptive and engaging stories and experiences that reveal the authentic Jesus.
Come Near, which is a little more than a year old, is an idea and innovation studio.
Whether projects are created and launched by Come Near or the product of collaboration and acceleration of partners' work, we offer a broad-reaching platform and world-class creative talent and execution. Most of the people working on Come Near projects come from brand, creative, and commercial backgrounds.
Over the last year we have been hard at work growing and diversifying our board of directors, our staff, and the portfolio of partners and advisors helping to develop our various projects.
Crosswalk: One of the biggest criticisms of He Gets Us from those within the Christian community is what it leaves out. In other words, the commercials say nothing about sin and salvation, nothing about the cross and the resurrection, nothing about Jesus being God. How do you respond to those criticisms?
Calwell: I'd encourage people to explore Comenear.org to get more of a sense about our organization and our mission. At Come Near, we believe Jesus is God, God is love, we're called to love as he loves, and we need the Holy Spirit to love. And these beliefs are brought to life when we observe the person of Jesus and discover his cadence, his emotional core, and his steps towards others.
The He Gets Us project is intended to reach specific audiences and open the door for people to explore or reconsider the person and teachings of Jesus. The campaign creates space for people to explore his story without immediately encountering potentially divisive theological concepts. It's an invitation to come near and consider Jesus in a new way.
Crosswalk: The He Gets Us website includes Bible reading plans and a gospel presentation. Is it fair to say that the TV commercials are a funnel to the gospel?
Calwell: We believe Jesus is good news, which is what the gospel means. The He Gets Us project seeks to invite people to explore more deeply who Jesus was, what he said, what he modeled.
Crosswalk: This year's Super Bowl commercial focused on one theme: What is Greatness? Could you explain the focus of the commercial and why you think it's important to spotlight it in contemporary America?
Calwell: "What is Greatness?" will invite us all to consider the definition of greatness Jesus spoke and modeled, the contrast to how culture often defines greatness today, and what that might mean for each of us. Greatness as defined by our culture -- through focusing on wealth, achievement, status, and power -- is a stark contrast to what Jesus defined as greatness. We want to create moments and invite reflection about the impact of surprising love, hope, compassion, and service toward one another, which we think are as relevant today as ever.
Our teams were inspired by how Jesus challenged culture's misconceptions about greatness in his own time in Luke 22:24-27 and the definition of true greatness Jesus spoke and demonstrated in Matthew 23:11 and Mark 10:42-45.
We are taking Jesus' words seriously about greatness: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Jesus says true greatness is found not in climbing to the top but in descending to serve others. Not in accumulating wealth and power for ourselves, but in giving ourselves away in love.
Embracing this countercultural view of greatness isn't easy. Our culture constantly reinforces messages of self-promotion and status-seeking. But we're convinced the payoff is immense if we look to the model of Jesus.
What is true greatness? Explore more and see the real stories behind these scenes at https://t.co/xvJPqIiwsd pic.twitter.com/SPBtykfwD7
— HeGetsUs (@HeGetsUs) February 10, 2025
Photo Credit: ©X/He Gets Us
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published February 10, 2025.
