A pastor in Northern Ireland is going viral for his video reaction to the He Gets Us Super Bowl commercial, delivering a powerful collection of Christian testimonies that has garnered two million views.
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Jamie Bambrick, associate pastor of Hope Church Craigavon and a YouTube video creator, told CBN News he created an alternative commercial featuring an ex-porn star, former gang leader, an ex-drug addict and others after seeing the viral He Gets Us ad about feet-washing that has sparked debate.
“I felt like the original advert was a missed opportunity of sorts,” Bambrick said of the NFL spot. “I felt like it may have been well-intentioned … there’s a degree of truth there that Jesus loves and serves everybody.”
But he said he doesn’t believe the message presented in the original video is the best and most effective message that could have been conveyed.
“I think it missed some of the key points that we would want to get across,” Bambrick said. “Essentially, what it came across as doing was putting a sort of Jesus-shaped stamp of approval on the ideas, the values, and the actions of our generation and that are common today, which, in many cases are not things of which Jesus is approving.”
Watch him explain:
Bambrick mentioned homosexuality and abortion as being just two of the issues dealt with in the original ad that he said Jesus would oppose.
“The Gospel message does not just leave sinners in despair,” he said. “The Gospel message is a great message, and it’s the message of salvation from our sin.”
Here is the original He Gets Us ad that sparked controversy:
Bambrick found himself praying and considering responding on his YouTube channel. In the end, he said the spot took just an hour to put together. He was surprised to see it go viral so quickly.
The preacher shared his video to YouTube and X Tuesday, explaining he believed his alternative is the “Christian Super Bowl ad they should have made.” He added that the ad “failed to convey anything of the Gospel to the hundreds of millions who saw it.”
The Christian Super Bowl Ad They SHOULD Have Made
— Jamie Bambrick (@j_bambrick) February 13, 2024
A group known as 'He Gets Us' released an advert during the Super Bowl which, whilst perhaps well intentioned, failed to convey anything of the gospel to the hundreds of millions who saw it.
Here's my take on what they should… pic.twitter.com/isJgzfzaI6
Bambrick said the reaction to his video has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly considering the testimonies of people who have embraced Jesus and turned from darkness to light.
“A lot of people sharing their stories in the comments,” he said. “A lot of people saying how they were a former this, that, or the other which is, obviously, one of the big themes of the video.”
Bambrick continued, “This is a message not … that the Gospel condemns us for our sins, but the Gospel saves us from our sins.”
The pastor said he never expected the video to get millions of views, and has high hopes for Christians and non-Christians alike who might stumble upon it.
“If you’re watching this as a believer, hopefully you remember that you were once in sin, and lost in your sin, and it just stirs up thankfulness to God for saving you,” Bambrick said. “If people are watching it that are not believers [I hope] they see that… the message of the Gospel is not a hateful one, but it is a convicting one, and it is one that calls us out from our sin.”
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