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Christians respond to atheist bus campaign

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 26 Feb 2009

Three Christian organisations have launched separate and individual advertising campaigns following that created by the atheist bus campaign.

The Russian Orthodox Church, supported by British-based Russian broadcaster Russian Hour, is funding CBS Outdoor advertisements on 25 buses in central London featuring the slogan ‘There is God. Believe. Don’t worry and enjoy life’.

The campaigns – the other two are run by the Christian Party and the Trinitarian Bible Society, respectively – are in response to the atheist bus campaign (pictured) which is supported by the British Humanist Association and which raised a record amount of money on Justgiving late last year. 

Alexander Korobko, director and producer of Russian Hour, told Professional Fundraising that while the broadcaster does not have an official relationship with the church, the decision to launch the campaign was a result of a meeting between Russian Hour and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Britain and Ireland. The cost of the campaign, he said, will not be disclosed to the public.

Fr Andrew Phillips, a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, told PF that members of his parish who were aware of the atheist campaign had been “very surprised” by its tone.

“It was the concept that because people believe in God that they weren’t enjoying their life that was most peculiar,” he said. “I would have thought that atheists could have thought of a much better slogan.”

“The campaign that the church is running is actually ‘believe in God and enjoy life’ and stop worrying. We think people would be worried more if they didn’t believe in God. It seems logical.”

The Christian Party’s campaign will run with a similar, yet more self-serving, tagline ‘There definitely is a God. So join the Christian Party and enjoy your life’ and will run on 50 buses throughout London.

The Trinitarian Bible Society meanwhile, will run the biggest largest of the Christian campaigns, on 183 bus advertisements, and feature a Psalms quote: ‘The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God’.

"Misleading" reportage

Assistant general secretary of the society David Larlham told PF that reportage in the Guardian suggesting that the three organisations were working in concert was “very misleading”.

The society, he said, had discussed the possibility of running a campaign on buses in November – partly prompted by the atheist campaign and partly as an extension of the organisation’s remit to spread gospel messages to the public, which it has been doing via railway posters over some decades.

“We are very happy for [the atheists] to have the opportunity to declare their views to the public, but you can’t expect us to agree with it,” he said.

Larlham said that the Trinitarian Bible Society is offering free bibles to anyone who contacts them as a result of the new advertisements.

The organisation expects to increase its outdoor gospel advertising in the future.

Larlham added that while the organisation was funding the £35,000 campaign out of its annual budget, supporters have already contacted the society to offer donations towards the effort. 

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