At least five commercials that played during the Super Bowl featured messages of faith.
Millions tuned in to see the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday. Boisterous touchdowns and Usher’s halftime show took center stage—but off the field, advertisers competed for viewers’ attention too, including a handful of religious proponents.
At least five commercials centered on faith aired during Super Bowl LVIII, despite the average cost of a 30-second ad being $7 million, according to The New York Times.
Robert Kraft, the owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots, claimed a coveted commercial spot during the game. His organization, Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, aired a 30-second spot called “
Silence,“ which encourages viewers to ”stand up to Jewish hate.”
The ad features Dr. Clarence B. Jones, a former draft speechwriter for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Most notably, Dr. Jones assisted Dr. King in writing his iconic “I Have a Dream Speech,” which the latter delivered in August 1963.
Dr. Jones ends the Super Bowl commercial by saying: “When we stand up to silence, we stand up to all hate.”
In a statement posted to the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism’s website, Mr. Kraft states that more must be done “to make people aware of antisemitism.” He added that he has “committed tremendous resources toward this effort” and vows to do more to support this cause.
Mark Wahlberg Leads Prayer for Hallow
Celebrities were front and center during Hallow’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial. The Catholic meditation app tapped actors Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie—who is known for his portrayal of Jesus in the television series “The Chosen”—to star in its 30-second spot.During the ad, which aired three days before the start of Lent, Mr. Wahlberg, a devout Catholic, encouraged others to “stay prayed up” by joining him and Mr. Roumie in a moment of prayer for Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the religious observance.
In a
statement, Hallow’s co-founder and chief executive officer, Alex Jones (not the same Alex Jones from Infowars), said the company’s goal was to “reach out to as many folks as possible” and “invite them deeper into a relationship with God.”
“When we learned about the timing of the Big Game this year, we couldn’t have been more excited to work with Mark and Jonathan to use it as an opportunity to invite millions into prayer,” he continued.
Hallow has previously partnered with both actors, who have created content for the app. In 2021, Mr. Roumie took part in the app’s 30-day Gospel challenge, which aimed to guide users through all four of the Gospels outlined in the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The following year, the company launched a new series of prayer resources with Mr. Wahlberg in conjunction with the release of his 2022 film, “Father Stu.”
‘He Gets Us’ Runs Two Ads
Hallow may have been a newcomer to the Super Bowl, but “He Gets Us” was not. The Jesus-focused initiative launched by the non-profit organization Come Near aired two commercials during last year’s big game. This year, the campaign followed suit, airing two more ads centered on Jesus.Its first spot, entitled “
Foot Washing,“ ran for 60 seconds. It featured a series of images depicting several people, including a woman outside of a family planning clinic, having their feet washed. It ended with the phrase: ”Jesus didn’t teach hate. He washed feet.”
The second commercial, called “
Who Is My Neighbor,“ continued on the concept of the previous ad. ”We felt that if we were going to encourage others to love their neighbors, then we should provide some insight into whom that word includes,” the campaign’s
website states. “[A]nd while there are some surface-level observations as to who those people might be, we thought it would be best to explore how Jesus defined neighbors through his actions.”
The first ad immediately drew criticism online, with some questioning whether it condoned various sins outlined in the Bible. “The ‘he gets us’ [sic] feet ad about Jesus seems to imply that Jesus was cool with all kinds of sinful behavior,” Robby Starbuck, director of 2024’s “The War on Children,”
wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after it aired.
Joel Berry, managing editor for The Babylon Bee,
posted that the foot-washing commercial was “strictly following oppressed v oppressor intersectionality guidelines.”
In a
tweet posted on Feb. 11, “He Gets Us” reiterated the campaign’s message of “Jesus didn’t teach hate,” writing, “Jesus washed the feet of friends and enemies. No ego or hate. He humbly loved his neighbors. How can we do the same?”
The Church of Scientology also aired a 60-second spot, called “
Decide for Yourself.“ It urged ”people of all faiths in every corner of the world,“ to learn more about the religion. ”What if you see for yourself who we are, what we believe, and what we stand for? Our doors are open,” a narrator recites during the ad.
