Cory Asbury Scraps Proposed Super Bowl Halftime Show, Citing Desire to Avoid Distraction
Michael Foust
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By Michael Foust, Crosswalk.com
Christian singer-songwriter Cory Asbury announced Monday that his proposed alternative Super Bowl halftime show with Forrest Frank has been called off, although he hopes it might move forward in a future year.
The Reckless Love and The Father’s House singer made the announcement in an Instagram post nearly one week after he said he envisioned an evangelistic alternative halftime show filled with worship. The alternative show presumably would have been televised or streamed online, allowing Super Bowl viewers to switch to the Asbury-Frank event at halftime.
“What started as a dream to lift up the name of Jesus during one of the biggest moments of the year began to devolve into something else, something distracting,” Asbury wrote. “After much prayer, we’ve decided not to move forward with it in its current form. Not forever, just not now.”
Asbury first floated the idea in early October, shortly after the NFL named Bad Bunny – known for sexually suggestive and explicit music – as this year’s Super Bowl halftime performer. But several days later, Turning Point USA announced it was holding its own alternative halftime event, dubbed the “All-American Halftime Show.”
Turning Point has yet to reveal its lineup.
“This dream was never about rivalry. It's not us vs. Bad Bunny. It's not us vs. Turning Point USA,” Asbury wrote. “It's not about politics, parties, or proving a point. The heart was never competition, just worship. We want whatever we do next to be pure and focused solely on Jesus, not on headlines, not on hype. We do believe there is something great to come in the spirit of what we were dreaming up, but sense there is a different expression God has in mind.
“Massive thank you to all who offered stadiums, arenas, churches and other resources with no strings attached. Your commitment to see the Gospel furthered is beautiful and it will bear much fruit.”
Last week, Asbury said he and Frank had talked with Turning Point officials about partnering together but determined that the “two visions are just incompatible.”
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Photo Credit: ©Icon Sportswire / Contributor
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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