Metro Voice News Celebrating Faith, Family & Community
Although Sunday’s Super Bowl didn’t turn out the way Kansas City fans had hoped, it did provide an opportunity for millions of television viewers to view a gospel message. The “He Gets Us” campaign ran a commercial for the third straight year.
An organization called the Servant Foundation started the “He Gets Us” campaign in 2022, but this year’s ads were overseen by Come Near, which also oversaw last year’s campaign. According to the Come Near nonprofit’s website, it is a start-up organization with a six-member board of directors that includes Hobby Lobby founder David Green and his son Mart Green, founder of the Mardel chain of Christian stores.
“We are not affiliated with any specific church, denomination or political group,” the group wrote on the website. “We’re a nonprofit that is rooted in Christianity and inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus — wanting to share his transformative message with a broad audience and inviting those who believe and those who don’t to consider the authentic Jesus.”
David Green said spreading the message of Christ being touted by the commercials is most important, no matter who is funding them, including the ad that aired on Sunday.
“It’s not a Hobby Lobby thing, it’s not a Green family thing,” he said. “We’re showing that this is Jesus, and we should also embrace everybody because Jesus did. He didn’t die for you and me because we’re righteous and good. He died for us because of our sins. And, so in this commercial, we’re saying, ‘Hey guys, he gets you.’ It’s the same as ‘He loves you,’ but maybe better.”
Green pushed back on the assertion from critics that the He Gets Us commercial series promoting a loving Jesus are not consistent with the conservative policies backed by him and millions of other evangelicals, that helped return Donald Trump back to the White House for a second term. “We’re driven more by who is more in favor of what we feel like lines up more with God’s word,” he said.
Green said the commercials are a way of sharing that worldview rooted in Jesus Christ with those who need to hear it.
“Why would we do that?” he asked.. “Because we’re talking to people about their eternal life. Hopefully, by seeing that scripture (John 3:16), they know he gets you and he loves you. He died for you. Hopefully, we draw people closer to him.”
–Alan Goforth
