In case you missed it, there was a pretty big game last night. The Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 for a thrilling victory in Super Bowl XLVII. The game was lively, the commercials were interesting (is that the right word?), and the theology was questionable. With that in mind, below are some links to help you digest what happened:
1. Speaking of questionable theology, Ray Lewis made another good intentioned but misinterpreted use of Scripture:
Jim Nantz: “How do you describe it going out as a champion?”
Ray Lewis: “It’s simple: When God is for you, who can be against you.”
Ray is quoting Romans 8:31 there but I doubt God had in mind Super Bowl XLVII when He inspired those words in Paul. As I’ve said before, I like Ray Lewis and I applaud his sincerity in living the Christian life. I just wish he had more theological depth.
2. That serves as a good segue to this article that was posted prior to the Super Bowl entitled Who is God backing in the Super Bowl?
Well, according to a new poll, 27% of Americans believe that God “plays a role in determining which team wins” sporting events. That means about 80 million Americans believe that God will help one of the teams in this Sunday’s Super Bowl.
[…]
To me, San Francisco’s Kaepernick had it right with his recent statement: “I don’t think (God’s) cheering for one team or another. I think he’s helping everybody, just trying to keep everybody safe.”
This may be surprising but I believe 27% of Americans get it right. God absolutely plays a role in who wins or loses.
3. Colin Kaepernick was adopted into an Evangelical family from Rick Reilly
The 49ers’ 25-year-old starting quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, is adopted, too. I wonder if he sometimes feels for the woman who gave him up, who didn’t get the joy of knowing him and raising him.
4. Super Bowl; Super Disappointment from Jeremy Writebol
It’s the day after. The game is over. The commercials have finished. The parties have been thrown, the crowds dispersed, the trophies awarded, and the annual ritual of American sport has run its course for another year. But not everyone is happy. Given the make up of American football only 1/32 of us are happy today. Chances are you might have actually cheered for a team last night, even if it wasn’t your regular, tried-and-true team. However, if your team didn’t win, even the team you rented for the night, you feel a distinct disappointment today. There is, in most of us, a bad taste left in our mouths that isn’t the cheese from too many nachos gone bad. We wanted something spectacular.
5. Viewer backlash over Go Daddy and Calvin Klein spots
And then there’s Calvin Klein. If Go Daddy is known for objectifying women, Calvin Klein shows that ogling is an equal-opportunity pastime. On the heels of last year’s David Beckham H&M commercial, this year’s Klein ad features a chiseled male named Matthew Terry modeling the fashion icon’s new Concept-brand underwear featuring (brace yourself) “360 seamless technology.”
6. Ravens, 49ers combine to set or tie 18 records in Super Bowl XLVII
7. Overwhelmingly, the winner of best commercial (at least according to the infallible pulse of social media) was the Ram Trucks Super Bowl Commercial “Farmer”.
This commercial certainly wasn’t shy about its Christian overtones. I would certainly affirm its high view of vocation but would caution if its suggestion was that only farmers were given the cultural mandate in Genesis 1:28. I believe Genesis 1:28 is meant for everyone. Nonetheless, it was a great commercial:
