Did you watch the Superbowl? If you did, you most likely saw 90 seconds of commercials pushing a message about Jesus called “He gets us.” Even if you missed the commercials, you most likely have heard the feedback or fallout, depending on where you get your news.

The goal of the ‘He Gets Us’ marketing campaign is to re-brand Jesus and appeal to groups that feel excluded and repelled by the religious community.

The atheist left is rejecting the ads, and Christians have mixed feedback across the board, ranging from a complete embrace, concerns, and those that are warning of the dangerous implications of these ads. If you watched the ads and want to hear another perspective that this episode is for you.

I reached out to Austin Kruetz, theologian, and President of the Bonhoeffer Institute, to discuss this campaign. In this conversation, we tackle these questions, plus many more.

Do Christians misrepresent Jesus?

Is this a different Jesus?

How should Christians view these ads?

Was Jesus ‘seeker sensitive’?

How would the Apostle Paul respond?

He Gets Us, BUT Do we get HIM?