Jump directly to the Content

The Atheist Diaries

Selling his soul on eBay allowed one man to encounter Christianity in a new way.

You can buy anything online—including one man's eternal soul. It all began when Hemant Mehta, a 23-year-old graduate student and atheist living in Chicago, wanted to explore Christianity. Raised in Jainism, an Eastern religion, Mehta had never even entered a Christian church. He also wanted to write about his experiences and get feedback. So he auctioned his soul on eBay.

The sale offered the chance to "save" Mehta's soul, with one hour of church attendance for every bid of $10. But then Jim Henderson got involved, and the direction changed radically. Henderson, a former pastor, is director of Off the Map, an organization that aims to "reinvent evangelism for ordinary Christians." Rather than trying convert Mehta, Jim wanted Mehta's take on the church.

With a $504 bid (the money was donated to an atheist organization), Henderson won the auction and the two embarked on a joint venture.

Mehta agreed to visit 12 churches they selected together and write about his experiences on Henderson's ...

March
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
PINCH POINTS OF PASTORAL COUNSELING
PINCH POINTS OF PASTORAL COUNSELING
A Leadership Forum
From the Magazine
Empty Streets to the Empty Grave
Empty Streets to the Empty Grave
While reporting in Israel, photographer Michael Winters captures an unusually vacant experience at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close