Why I Only Watch The Game...

Over the years, you just learn some things. One thing i have learned is that church is not the place for the Super Bowl Commercials or the Halftime Show. Traditionally, I have a remote control and a chaperone or myself armed to change the channel at the breaks during the SuperBowl. For the Same reason, we host a Worship Service during Halftime to focus our attention on the Lord. Why? The information below is from a blog by Bill Johnson and the American Decency Association that updates me on what I don't want or need to see, so that I can protect others from the same. This is a line up of the written content of the 2011 Commercials that we missed at FBC Martin. Frankly, I'm glad we missed them. 

"-       Crude humor which results in a man getting hit in the privates – Check. (Pepsi Max ad)

-       Promotion of alcohol and excessive drinking – Check. (Budweiser ads)

-       Ads demeaning and sexually objectifying women  - Check. (GoDaddy.com, Teleflora, etc.)

-       Profanity-laced ad – Check. (Brisk ice tea)

-       Sick violence (i.e. catapulting a baby against a window, REALLY?!) – Check. (HomeAway.com)

-       Offending entire people groups with stereotypical depictions (GroupOn.com, Pepsi Max)

And so on. You get the idea. However, there was a commercial that FOX deemed so offensive it refused to air the ad. What was the ad that FOX didn’t want to touch with a ten foot pole? An innocuous ad that refers to the scripture John 3:16 and directs viewers to a website LookUp316.com.

The ad shows a group of fans watching a football game who notice that one of the players is wearing John 3:16 written in his eye-black. (A verse, by the way, that is as standard at American sporting events as the giant foam finger.) In the ad, one of fans says, “Hey, I’ve seen that before. What does it mean?” And another guy says, “I don’t know. Hey, I’ll look it up.” Cut to the site address on the screen for LookUp316.com. 

That’s the so-called “controversial” ad FOX refused to air. They’ll gladly take the $3 million per 30 second commercial to air truly offensive ads, but won’t take the money from a group promoting a truly inspirational message. 

However, FOX gladly took the money from Skechers shoes which ran an extremely salacious ad featuring a skimpily clad Kim Kardashian seemingly about to have sex with her workout trainer on the floor of a gym. The camera erotically pans her [...] body as she foregoes her trainer for [in favor of the] shoes.

And FOX had no qualms about airing the lewd ad for British-made Mini-Cooper cars. The catch-phrase of this ad was “Cram it in the Boot.” With a play on words and vulgar imagery, this ad made blatant reference to anal sex to the millions of viewers, both young and old, tuning in.  

These are the themes that FOX approves of for family viewing. But air an ad with a Christian message and you just might offend someone.  

FOX TV has long-proved it is no friend of the family with shows such as “Family Guy” and “American Dad” which offend moral sensibilities on a weekly basis. So it comes as no surprise that FOX continued that tradition of offending not only with the ads they chose – but also with one ad they refused to air.

John 3:16, "For God so loved THE WORLD, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish and have eternal life."  Being in the world, but not OF the world is watching the Game but not giving in to the sultry moral drift that even FOX TV - the self proclaimed Conservative TV has fallen for.