The Real Story Behind the 'He Gets Us' Jesus Ads That Aired During the Super Bowl

He Gets Us

Jesus-oriented commercials with the tagline "He Gets Us," which aired during Sunday night's Super Bowl, are raising questions after new reporting reveals that the organization behind the ads has poured millions of dollars into anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ legislation.

The series of "He Gets Us" ads — three of which aired during the NFL playoffs, two during the Super Bowl — depict a modern view of Jesus in an apparent attempt to market his teachings to Millennials and Gen Zers.

One, which tells the story of an immigrant family who fled their homes to escape persecution, compares refugees to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Another, which shows several images of modern protests and political division and appears to preach a message of nonpartisan unity, reads, "Jesus loves the people we hate."

RELATED: Christian Group Seeks to Promote Jesus Christ in a New Light with $100 Million Ad Campaign: 'He Gets Us'

But while the pro-Christ campaign's website suggests that Jesus "was fed up with politics," the group backing the ads appears quite political.

CNN reports that the $100 million "He Gets Us" advertising campaign — meant to promote Jesus and Christianity — is the work of a group called The Servant Foundation, a nonprofit backed by a Kansas-based, Christian donor-advised fund called The Signatry.

Speaking to CNN, the group's spokesperson said it is funded by "a diverse group of individuals and entities with a common goal of sharing Jesus' story authentically."

While most of the group's donors are private, at least one of them is David Green, co-founder of mega–craft chain Hobby Lobby, which has been a central figure in several political and legal battles due to its support of anti-LGBTQ legislation and its role in the Supreme Court ruling that allows companies to deny insurance coverage of contraception on the basis of religious beliefs.

Green's involvement in the "He Gets Us" campaign is illustrative that the group has aims beyond a slick marketing campaign. As CNN reports, the group behind the multi-million-dollar ads helps fund another conservative group: Alliance Defending Freedom.

According to the outlet Jacobin, "between 2018 and 2020, the Servant Foundation donated more than $50 million to the Alliance Defending Freedom," which it notes has been designated an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. (An ADF spokesperson disputes the hate group characterization, decrying the SPLC as a "partisan progressive hit organization" and describing the ADF as "one of the nation's most respected and successful U.S. Supreme Court advocates.")

He Gets Us

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The Alliance Defending Freedom is currently involved in two controversial cases: one that aims to overturn an anti-discrimination law in Colorado (which is being argued before the Supreme Court) and another in Texas, which aims to end federal approval of abortion drug mifepristone. If the group were to succeed in its Texas effort, the country could see a nationwide ban on medical abortion.

The ADF filed the Texas suit in November on behalf of four antiabortion medical organizations and four doctors who say they have treated patients with the drug, the Texas Tribune reports.

As Liz Wagner, senior federal policy counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, told Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra during a recent meeting, "It's hard to really comprehend the full and terrible impact if what the plaintiffs have asked for in that case is actually granted. It would be catastrophic."

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Responding to the "He Gets Us" campaign — and, seemingly, its portrayal of protesting being out of line with Jesus' behavior — Catholic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, "Something tells me Jesus would *not* spend millions of dollars on Super Bowl ads to make fascism look benign."

As of now, though, the campaign shows no signs of slowing down, with Fox News reporting that it plans to spend $2 billion on advertising over the next several years. Visitors to the "Het Gets Us" site will find video advertisements, Bible readings and opportunities to connect with others who are eager to answer questions about the Christian faith.