Bus Stop – Christians and Atheists Pose Questions about God

The buses attracted attention at every stop.

The messages written on the busses could not have been more different during the three-week tour. And yet, they had something in common: Both travelled through Germany to publicize their convictions. One bus was a red double-decker touting the message, “There is no God.”  The other a white tour bus carrying the inscription, “And when there is a God… ‘Gottkennen.de’ (Meet God)

During the “Get to know God” tour, we reached our three biggest goals, explained project leader Dr. Andreas Bartels. “First, we very effectively advertised our Internet website, www.Gottkennen.de (Meet God) – more than 1,000 hits a day was not unusual. Second, in the cities we visited, we experienced open conversations with passers-bys about the Christian faith. And thirdly, we were able to support local believers to take action beyond their church boundaries and bring conversations around to God.

Church groups rallied around the 'Gottkennen' bus.

Bartels was excited at how much creativity local volunteers demonstrated; “In Chemnitz, for example, an impressive program with games, dancing and a huge open air church service was organized.”

Right from the beginning, we worked at establishing best-possible relationships with the atheist bus campaign people. “Before we went public, we contacted the organizers and clarified our intentions,” explains Ingmar Bartsch, spokesman for the ‘Gottkennen’ tour. Fair, however critical, dialogue was a main objective.

Convictions were completely opposite: “We believe in God and that you can know Him personally. The people with the atheist bus campaign believe there is no God. It is important to ‘agree to disagree’ on this point,” Bartels is convinced. This was very successful over the three weeks.

Stimulating conversations occurred throughout the three week tour.

The reactions of the visitors were very positive; “I am so thankful, that here in Germany, there is freedom to have differences of opinion! It’s OK that a bus of atheists travels through Germany,” declares a Christian from Karlsruhe. And in the same way, they’re also happy that the ‘Gottkennen’ tour bus stopped in Karlsruhe. “From our many conversations, we realized questions about the meaning of life and about God are more prevalent than ever for many people,” says Bartels. One can be thankful the bus campaign brought questions about God into open dialog. “We can answer from our perspective as Christians,” says Bartels.

The ‘Gottkennen’ tour bus was with the atheist bus campaign from the start on the 30^th of May, although they were not always at the same location. Additional cities such as Osnabrück and Gießen were also visited. Campus für Christus, Campus Crusade for Christ, Germany based in Gießen, sponsored the ‘Gottkennen’ tour. Director Clemens Schweiger is confident it was worth it to start the ‘Gottkennen’ tour; “Through this, we as Christians could show our true experience with God.” Campus für Christus is financed through donations and likewise the ‘Gottkennen’ bus tour.

Conversations we not limited to stops in the cities.

Regarding the tour, the Chairman of the District Council of the Evangelical Church of Germany, Bishop Dr. Huber, at the Coalition for Evangelisation on July 8^th said, “It was good that Campus für Christus stood in contrast to the atheist bus campaign.”

In Düsseldorf, the atheist bus campaign also found themselves in the middle of an outreach initiative of the State Catholic Church.  Father Manuel Merten of the Dominican Monastery in Düsseldorf was so excited about the ‘Gottkennen’ tour bus that he spontaneously invited them to park directly in front of the monastery near the double-decker atheist bus campaign.

To view pictures by city, go to:

http://www.tour.gottkennen.de/gallery/main.php