It all turned out so well, I have a hard time making much of the fact that Focus on the Family's Tebow ad, billed as pertaining to the pro-life issue, didn't have anything to do with abortion.
But looking back, Focus never said it would.
In fact, Focus said it wouldn't. CEO Jim Daly told USA Today on Feb. 5 the ad was "an open discussion on the sanctity of human life – not just the issue of abortion ... [with] a bit of humor in it – in fitting with the Super Bowl theme."
Focus gave exactly what it promised.
People like Jeff Emmanuel at RedState.com commended Focus for PR genius:
The job done by Focus on the Family and the Tebows with their much-publicized Super Bowl advertisement was nothing short of masterful. In fact, I'm not sure that word describes the level of mastery Focus on the Family showed with their domination of the pro-abortion left through last night's ad and the public relations battles leading up to it. …
In one fell swoop, Focus on the Family and the Tebows exposed the real pro-abortion left to a larger audience than, perhaps, had ever seen them in their natural state: as abortion-loving autocrats who despised choice almost as much as (infant) life itself – all without really having to do anything.
Brilliant.
The fact that the commercial was not overtly pro-life (or anti-abortion) made the PWNing even sweeter, and likely brought far more people over to the life side of the issue (or, at least, divorced them from the pro-abortion side) than an overtly anti-abortion spot would have. This is, in part, because the pro-abortion left used the run-up to the Super Bowl to reveal themselves to a massive audience as being solidly anti-life and pro-abortion. …
On top of all that, the absence of an abortion message in the ad meant the pro-abortion left had to bear the entire burden of publicizing such a divisive and touchy issue all by themselves.
This was made possible, in part, by a brilliant non-information campaign. … In this absence of detail, the pro-abortion left immediately assumed the worst. …
But Focus representatives stated several times they had no grand plan, such as to USA Today:
The ad has gotten more pregame buzz than any other game ad. …
[T]he group estimates that by the game's end, the ad also will have gotten $10 million worth of free exposure.
"I've seen this called brilliant marketing strategy," laughs [CEO Jim] Daly. "Well, I can assure you this was not something where we sat down to demonstrate brilliance."
But there was a brilliant strategist involved here Who must be given credit.
God's masterful and mischievous hand was clearly on display Sunday. God loves a good laugh, and He must have had a great deal of fun outsmarting, exposing and embarrassing pro-aborts in such a grand fashion.
The one enthroned in heaven laughs.
The Lord makes fun of them.
~ Psalm 2:4
The wicked person plots against a righteous one
and grits his teeth at him.
The Lord laughs at him
because he has seen that his time is coming.
~ Psalm 37:12-13
Focus is a praying organization. Pro-lifers like me can learn a lesson from the outcome of the Tebow ad to pray more, to pray first. There is no better public-relations strategist in the universe than God. How much do we try to do, when He "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine"? (Ephesians 3:20)
Like He did Sunday, a reminder to all of us …
Entrust your ways to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will act on your behalf.
He will make your righteousness shine like a light,
your just cause like the noonday sun.
Surrender yourself to the LORD, and wait patiently for him.
Do not be preoccupied with an evildoer who succeeds in his way
when he carries out his schemes.
Let go of anger, and leave rage behind.
Do not be preoccupied.
It only leads to evil.
Evildoers will be cut off from their inheritance,
but those who wait with hope for the Lord will inherit the land.
In a little while a wicked person will vanish.
Then you can carefully examine where he was,
but there will be no trace of him.
Oppressed people will inherit the land
and will enjoy unlimited peace.
~ Psalm 37:5-11