"On the buses"

Have you read about the so-called "atheist bus" campaign, currently running (no pun intended!) in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and other major cities in Great Britain? The campaign is the brainchild of writer Ariane Sherine who was offended when she checked out the website that was highlighted in a Christian advert that she saw on a bus. There she discovered the amazing fact that the Bible teaches that those who reject God in this life are condemend (or, condemn themselves!) to eternity in hell.

With the support of the well-known atheist Richard Dawkins, and the British Humanist Association, she set up the campaign to place an "atheist" advert on busses, in an attempt to counter that Christian message. The slogan reads, “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

A couple of things need to be said:

1. To state that there is "probably" no God is not an atheist standpoint, but that of an agnostic;

2. As a committed Christian, I don't worry (see Matt.6:25ff, Lk.12:22ff), and I enjoy life to the full. Indeed, Jesus said that He came that I might have life "in all its fulness" (Jn.10:10);

3. This campaign could be a great way of instigating a conversation with a fellow bus passenger. There would be nothing pushy about asking the person beside you "What do you think of the slogan on the bus?" This could, by God's grace, lead to a very interesting conversation and, ultimately, to the salvation of one more person for whom Christ died;

4. There is no such thing as an "atheist bus" any more than a "Christian bus". The adverts may be thus labelled - the buses are totally neutral!

So, if you live in one of the targetted areas, don't be afraid to get on to a bus with a slogan that suggests that God doesn't exist. It may be a great opportunity to witness to the Living God Who is so real to so many of us.