p.1 "He Gets us"

The “He gets us” campaign, introducing liberal Christianity

You’ve seen their ads, even at the superbowl. They continually play video clips showing people's feet being washed as if this is the mission of Christians to show their love.

...So what is this ad campaign really about?

“He Gets Us” is a TV/ internet/ social media campaign presenting whom they think is the Jesus of Scripture. Its purpose is to change public opinion, hoping to attract the culture that has become very amoral and disinterested in religion/Christianity.

‘He get us’ means everyone. Yes, God knows everything about us, our inner thoughts who we are, and things we do not even know of ourselves. Heb. 4:13 “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Not only does he know us but he holds us accountable“ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body...” (2 Cor. 5:10-11.)

‘He Gets Us’ goal is to remove the common cultural obstacles to remind people of Jesus’ character and of His ‘unconditional love’ for them.

According to ‘He Gets Us,’ they explain their mission is to “to move beyond the mess of our current cultural moment to a place where all of us are invited to rediscover the love story of Jesus. Christians, non-Christians, and everybody in between. All of us.”’ He Gets Us, https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/he-gets-us-has-an-agenda .

Jesus showed us God’s love, demonstrating it, by giving His life for our sins. However, Love does not negate his commands, keeping them shows love. Unconditional love does not mean there is no judgment, God says he chastens everyone he loves, to bring them back on the right path.

Let’s address the unconditional love which is the underlying theme of their outreach. Because their presentation of this is lacking truth, even distorting it.

They do not address peoples sin, to say God loves you no matter what actually leaves people in their sin, not understanding the harm it brings. Throughout his ministry Jesus confronted people, even his own disciples, and sometimes harshly.

And he says All are sinners (sin is specifically mentioned in the gospels at least 25 times)

In fact the angel told Mary, “you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matt 1:21). To do this, sins must be identified and abandoned so we can walk in new life

There are things God tells us that he hates, he tells us this out of love. He can’t love those because of who participate in these, for they are considered enemies of God

Ps 5:5-6 “You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.”

Prov. 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.”

Prov. 6:16-19 “These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.”

So the answer to God offering unconditional love to those who do what is against him or evil, is that they have need to repent. Change their lives to be attuned to what God asks of them, to be obedient.

Jesus’ first words in his ministry after returning from the desert were repent just as John’s were. Matt 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matt 11:20 “he rebuked the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. ” Luke 13:3 he warned, “unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

Repent from what? Whatever is not pleasing to God; which is sin. He constantly addressed sin and forgave sin when he saw people had faith, and were willing to change, not just because they were present with him.

But their “He gets us” campaign lacks this initiative!

The campaign’s website explains: “He Gets Us is a movement to reintroduce people to the Jesus of the Bible and his confounding love and forgiveness. We believe his words, example, and life have relevance in our lives today and offer hope for a better future.”

This would be acceptable if they did not eliminate or avoid certain doctrines, such as what is required for forgiveness, which they seem to ignore on purpose.

They ask, “Is this a campaign to get me to go to church?” Their answer is, “No. He Gets Us simply invites all to consider the story of a man who created a radical love movement that continues to impact the world thousands of years later. Many churches focus on Jesus’ experiences, but you don’t have to go to church or even believe in Christianity to find value in them. Whether you consider yourself a Christian, a believer in another faith, a spiritual explorer, or not religious or spiritual in any way, we invite you to hear about Jesus and be inspired by his example.”

By their own words they have damaged their campaign. This now begins to sound like something we would find in the liberal interfaith Emergent church movement. They want people to know Jesus and receive his benefits without being born again, using his life as an example, mostly on love, ignoring all the other attributes of God. They appeal to people to have him as their example without him being Lord. Does God love everything we do? Of course not

Is it a radical truth movement out of his love for humanity? Exactly where does one find the truth about Jesus? From the Word, not from those who give only portions that results in accepting a different Jesus.

This campaign is not evangelism, nor discipleship, at least not biblically based. It promotes having a conversation on Jesus. What they are doing is accepting the cultural change within the church, adjusting the word of God to the culture, instead of the opposite, to adjust the culture to the Word of God, which is eternal and unchangeable.

When one becomes interested in learning more about this Jesus, they’re directed to a “Connect” page. Hundreds of churches have signed up to respond to people who fill out that connect form. Not having the churches be involved they also say “We hope that all churches that are aligned with the He Gets Us campaign will participate…This includes multiple denominational and nondenominational church affiliations, Catholic and Protestant, churches of various sizes, ethnicities, languages, and geography.”

He Gets Us is an initiative of Servant Foundation , a 501(c)(3) organization that operates under the another nonprofit organization named “The Signatry.” Which is a donor-advised-fund sponsor started in 2020 for the purpose of connecting “God’s wealth with God’s workers.” To date, the fund has facilitated more than $4 billion in grants to more than 12,000 nonprofits and ministries. According to the tax filing, “The Signatry exists to inspire and facilitate revolutionary, biblical generosity.” The vision of the fund is “to write the last check to the last missionary to be sent out to the last unreached people group so the last person can hear the gospel.”

Biblically one will have to be in the Tribulation to have this happen, as the time of the Gentiles continues until the end of the Tribulation when Jesus returns.

‘He Gets Us’ does not include a statement of beliefs for the organization. Instead, they note, “Each participating church/ministry will typically have its own language. Meanwhile, we generally recognize the Lausanne Covenant as reflective of the spirit and intent of this movement and churches that partner with explorers from He Gets Us affirm the Lausanne Covenant.” (The Lausanne Covenant affirms the basic evangelical doctrine and promotes worldwide Christian evangelism.)

Here they state, “It wouldn’t be hard to guess that many of those backing the campaign believe that Jesus is who the Bible says he is. He Gets Us is an initiative of Come Near Inc., a nonprofit organization committed to sharing the life and love of Jesus, that believes Jesus was human and divine, he rose from the dead, and more. No matter who you are and what you believe, we’re glad you’re here.”

We will look at this detail further on in the article. They intend to reach those who are apathetic toward Christianity; to reconcile the disenchanted masses who left the church and heal the cultural boundaries. But these cultural restrictions have a lot to do with sin that is normalized in society.

Jesus invited everyone, they talk about how Jesus “invited everyone to sit at his table.” The text talks about how “inclusive” Jesus was, how the “religious do-gooders began to whisper behind his back,” and how “the name of Jesus has been used to harm and divide, but if you look at how he lived, you see how backward that really is. Jesus was not exclusive. He was radically inclusive.”

Look at all the fun they are having, it’s a party. They have so many things wrong. First, he was only inclusive to people to hear his message, he did not accept all as come as you are and stay as you are. Jesus is known as a friend of sinners but this did not mean he did not tell them what was wrong.

Jesus is God in the flesh, His path to salvation is exclusive, not inclusive (John 14:6), it is narrow, not wide. Their campaign directs people to places that they say can deepen and clarify their understanding of Jesus. He Gets Us presents not just an incomplete Jesus, but a wrong one.

Second, it was Jesus who was invited to the table, “Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.” (John 2:2)

Certainly, the Pharisees, Sadducees were not friends to him or his message. There are just a few stories of him dining with people in the gospels, including them.

Luke 7:37 “And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house”

“one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. ..a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, …weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil…. the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner." Jesus answered Simon, of the story of a creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?" Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged ." Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much” ( Luke 7:36-47) notice he corrected Simon and yet by the woman's actions he saw her repentance.

Matt 9:9-11 After Jesus called Matthew to "Follow Me." Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

Mark 2:16-17 “And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Repentance is the point to be a friend with Jesus.

Even to the 11 disciples those who sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe from others He had risen (Mark 16:14).

Lets bring a biblical balance to understand what “He gets us” message lacks. Luke 13:23-27 He said to them, Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets .' But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'

Eating at one’s house was meaningless unless they understood what he taught at the table and left there different than when they came.

On their website: [He Gets Us is] certainly affiliated with Christianity, but our point is that the story of Jesus doesn’t belong to anyone. It has something to offer to everyone — inviting Christians, non-Christians, and those who aren’t sure what they believe to consider Jesus. The example of his life can inspire all of us to pursue unconditional love for ourselves and for others, and that can encourage us to learn more about Jesus and his mission.” (“Is He Gets Us Affiliated with a Certain Religion?” About Us, He Gets Us https://hegetsus.com/en/about-us

Huh? Is Inviting Christians the same as inviting unbelievers? What kind of Christians need to be invited to consider THIS JESUS?

Jesus spoke the truth in love and with grace and let the chips fall where they may. He often spoke hard truths. When a large group of His followers turned away “and would no longer walk with Him” (John 6:66 ), He did not chase after them or compromise His words to have them come back. Instead, He turned to His closest disciples and asked them if they wanted to hit the road too.

Under the title Jesus was fed up with politics, too. “Jesus loves gay people and Jesus loves trans people. The LGBTQ+ community, like all people, is invited to explore the story of Jesus and consider his example of unconditional love, grace, and forgiveness of others. No matter who you are, YOU are invited to explore the story of Jesus and consider what it means for your life.” (What Is He Gets Us’ Stance on the LGBTQ+ Community?” About Us, He Gets Us) https://hegetsus.com/en/about-us .

First, how do they know this is true? Its not! Second, This is not politics this is about morality.

Jesus addressed this in his ministry in numerous ways. One was by saying that we are male and female from the beginning. Jesus was not addressing Roman culture but Jewish culture. Paul an apostle was appointed by Jesus to go to the Gentiles, and he addressed this, more than once

Rom. 1:26-28 “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise, also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.”

Nothing had changed from the Old Testament, those who try to have the culture’s ways ameliorate Gods Word are not God’ friends, nor the people.

1 Cor. 6:9-11 “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”

The He gets us liberal’s view of Jesus, is not accurate portrayal of the Jesus from the Bible. As they are promoting the exact things the Bible addresses to change. Again, love speaks the truth to help people become corrected in their life. It can be direct and harsh, but necessary. Jesus said so. If someone asked Jesus a question he answered them directly even If it hurt their feelings because He is the truth. Jesus was not about making friends, Jesus ‘commanded (not suggested) the people to do what is right before God, he didn’t expect perfection but wanted us to turn and go in the right direction.