“He Gets Us” Doesn’t Get Jesus
If ever there was a campaign that could manage to take the King of Kings and drag Him down to the level of a personalized pocket guru, it’s He Gets Us. Their latest Super Bowl ad is proof positive that the entire operation is nothing more than theological snake oil, peddling a cheap knockoff Jesus—a deity so watered down that even a golden calf would be offended by the comparison.
And what better way to underscore their synthetic, Build-A-Jesus theology than to pair their latest commercial with Johnny Cash’s cover of Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus?
Watch:
Think about that for a second. The campaign that claims to be reintroducing Jesus to the modern world chose a song about a personalized, on-demand, vending machine Jesus—a song that, at its core, isn’t even about the real Christ but about a genie-like, transactional pseudo-savior, a “Jesus” who exists solely to whisper sweet nothings into your ear and validate your every desire.
“Your own personal Jesus,” the ad sings as the ad parades a montage of people engaged in vague acts of kindness. “Someone to hear your prayers. Someone who’s there.”
Sorry, but Jesus is not a customizable spiritual concierge. He is not a made-to-order deity, nor is He some celestial therapist whose only job is to listen and nod. And He is most certainly not an on-call operator waiting by the phone to grant wishes like a cosmic DJ taking requests.
“Lift up the receiver, I’ll make you a believer.” How convenient and how positively modern. Just dial up Jesus like you would customer service, and He’ll make it all better. No sin to repent of. No cross to bear. Just a personal, portable, pocket-sized Jesus who exists to make you feel good.
That’s the heart of the He Gets Us deception. It isn’t about the real, biblical, sovereign Christ—the One who demands repentance, commands obedience, and reigns over the universe. No, their Jesus is a therapeutic mascot, stripped of holiness and authority, a Hallmark-card Christ for people who want the aesthetic of religion without any of the substance.