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Religion

Believers on Wheels - Cycling for Christ

May 7, 2023

The idea of a pastor living out his vocation on a bicycle may sound eccentric, but Michael Stahl, a German Lutheran pastor, is convinced that it’s fully in line with the gospels. "If Jesus were out and about today,” he says, "I’m certain he’d use a bicycle.” Stahl is not only a man of the cloth but an enthusiastic cyclist.

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His enthusiasm for cycling is shared by many German Christians. In St Catherine’s, one of Hamburg’s principal Lutheran churches, the pastor invites cyclists to bring their means of transport into the church, while down in Bavaria Christians use their bicycles to go on pilgrimages. There’s even a cycling cantor: Martin Schulze, who rides from one parish to another to play the organ. With no fewer than 350 cycle routes across the country, German cycling enthusiasts are spoilt for choice.

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DW Sendungslogo Glaubenssachen englisch (Faith Matters)

Faith Matters — The Church Program

What people build on, what gives them support and the values they hold: For many, that is a question of faith. Every first Sunday of the month DW's monthly feature on religion gives insights into matters of faith.