Jesus Super Bowl Commercials Funded by Group With Anti-LGBTQ+ Ties

Some watch the Super Bowl for the football; others watch the half-time concert, and many watch just for the commercials. If you watched the commercial breaks during Sunday night’s game, you might have noticed viral ads, such as the Breaking Bad spot for Pop Corners and the Bud Light ad featuring Miles Teller and wife Keleigh Sperry and their French bulldog, Bugsy, experiencing iconic hold music.

However, hidden among the multi-million dollar advertisements were also two from the “He Gets Us” campaign, which is linked to anti-LGBTQ+ causes and anti-abortion activists.

The campaign’s holding company and some donors support conservative political ideologies and conservative political aims, CNN reports.

In the first 30-second spot, He Gets Us encouraged viewers to be childlike by showing kids getting together after quarantine and bathroom etiquette. Later, a 60-second ad emphasized the message of inclusion through images of anger and perceived divisions.

Even though it may appear that the campaign is recasting Jesus in a contemporary light, it is actually aimed at rehabilitating the reputations of wealthy evangelical families after Trump, MSNBC reports.

A 30-second spot during this year’s Super Bowl was estimated to cost about $7 million. In addition, the campaign spent at least $20 million on advertising space.

The $100 million campaign aims to rehabilitate and put a positive spin on Jesus after studies showed that Christian behavior is often a deterrent for people joining the faith, according to the Washington Post.

While its donors can remain anonymous, Hobby Lobby co-founder David Green claims to have contributed heavily to the campaign’s multimillion-dollar fundraising. Hobby Lobby has been involved in several legal controversies, including supporting anti-LGBTQ legislation and waging a lengthy legal battle that ultimately led to the Supreme Court allowing companies to refuse contraception coverage for religious reasons.

Servant Foundation, also known as Signatry, is behind He Gets Us.

According to CNN, the Servant Foundation has donated millions to Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian organization that supports the restriction of the rights of LGBTQ+ people.

A Kansas-based non-profit, Servant Foundation, reported a total revenue of $405 million in 2020. Between 2018 and 2020, Servant Foundation donated more than $50 million to the Alliance Defending Freedom, which fights nondiscrimination and abortion rights, according to Lever News.

“We’re not ‘left’ or ‘right’ or a political organization of any kind,” the “He Gets Us” site reads. “We’re also not affiliated with any particular church or denomination.”

CNN reports that theologically and financially, He Gets Us is affiliated with evangelicalism, despite its claim that Christian ideology does not influence it.