Super Bowl week is more than a game now—it’s a cultural event. It becomes a stage where music, identity, messaging, and values are broadcast to the nation at once. This year, Super Bowl LX (February 8, 2026) at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara was no different.
Alongside the official halftime performance headlined by Bad Bunny, Turning Point USA promoted an alternative broadcast: an “All-American Halftime Show,” featuring artists like Kid Rock, Lee Brice, Gabby Barrett, and Brantley Gilbert, streamed online and carried on additional platforms.
I want to say something clearly before I critique anything:
I’m not writing this to insult Turning Point USA, or to deny that they have done real work that has helped people. I’m also not writing this as a “holier-than-thou” scolding. I’m writing because I believe there was a massive opportunity here—an opportunity to lift up Jesus Christ to millions—and it was traded for something smaller.
Yes—Turning Point deserves credit
In a time when many Christians are afraid to speak the name of Jesus publicly, Turning Point USA has been bold about faith language. That boldness matters. Many Christians stay silent. They didn’t.
And their alternative event undeniably drew attention—reports on the night described millions watching online, with some coverage citing millions of concurrent viewers during the stream.
So what’s the problem?
The problem: the spotlight shifted from Christ to culture
What I saw wasn’t an event centered on Christ above all else.
It was an event centered on America-first identity, patriotic signaling, and culture-war posture—with Jesus referenced, but not truly front and center.
And that’s the heartbreak: with a moment like this, you could have broadcast the Gospel—clearly, lovingly, powerfully—to the kind of audience most churches will never reach.
Instead, much of the public conversation afterward wasn’t “Jesus is Lord.”
It was “Was that lip-synced?” and “That was underwhelming.”
That’s not a win for the Kingdom.
Here’s what “missed opportunity” means to me
Imagine if that alternative halftime show had been unmistakably Christ-centered:
- worship that exalted Jesus (not a nation)
- a clear Gospel message (sin, repentance, grace, cross, resurrection)
- an invitation to come to Christ
- a prayer for enemies, the suffering, the fearful, the angry
- a call for Christians to live like Jesus—not to “take back” power, but to take up the cross
In a world full of hate, rage, anxiety, division, and war… how many people are desperate for peace, forgiveness, and hope?
How many people might have heard the truth:
“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Instead, the energy felt like: “Love your country first, defend your side, fight the culture.”
And I’m saying this carefully: even if Scripture is quoted, that does not automatically mean the event is about Christ. Sometimes Scripture can be used like a stamp of approval for a separate mission.
The deeper concern: free obedience vs. forced compliance
One of the biggest differences between the way of Jesus and the way of worldly power is this:
- Worldly power changes behavior through control (pressure, fear, dominance, law-only solutions).
- Jesus changes people through new hearts (truth, conviction, mercy, repentance, the Spirit).
Yes, laws matter in society. But the Church is not commissioned to “win” by control. The Church is commissioned to make disciples.
When Christians chase culture-change primarily through politics, we risk trying to produce “Christian outcomes” without Christ’s heart—without the cross, without humility, without sacrificial love.
“You will know them by their fruits”
Jesus gives a sober warning: you can tell what a tree is by what it produces.
When a movement repeatedly aligns itself with political power, elevates national identity, and treats enemies like the main threat—what fruit does it produce?
- peace, patience, kindness, gentleness?
- or fear, rage, suspicion, contempt?
That’s not me claiming I can see anyone’s heart perfectly. That’s me saying: the public fruit matters. The tone, the targets, the priorities—those reveal what’s being discipled into people.
The enemy isn’t “those people.” The enemy is Satan.
This is where I believe many Christian political movements drift badly.
If our primary enemies become:
- liberals
- immigrants
- gay people
- minorities
- “the other side”
…then we are already off track.
The Bible’s framing is deeper: the war is spiritual. The devil is the deceiver, the destroyer, the one who fuels hatred, fear, pride, and division.
And here’s the hard truth: when Christians are discipled into fear and anger, Satan doesn’t care what flag is being waved—he’s happy because Christ is being obscured.
You cannot serve two masters
Here’s the collision that Super Bowl week exposed:
Jesus has a mission.
America has interests.
Those are not the same thing.
Jesus did not come to make one nation “great again.”
He came to save sinners, reconcile enemies, and build a Kingdom that includes every tribe, tongue, and nation.
When any Christian organization uses Jesus mainly to energize national identity, we reverse the order.
Christ doesn’t exist to serve America.
America must bow to Christ.
My plea to Turning Point USA
If Turning Point USA truly wants to change culture, the deepest cultural change is not policy—it’s salvation. It’s repentance. It’s new hearts.
The greatest “halftime show” would not have been about proving a point against the official one. It would have been about lifting up Jesus so clearly that nobody could mistake the message.
Because the real victory is not “our side won.”
The real victory is: a soul came home.
Closing question
If you had 30 minutes and millions of viewers during Super Bowl week…
would your message look more like the Kingdom of God—or more like the kingdoms of this world?
Click here if you want to learn more about this topic and read Part 2 of this series.