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Houston Matters

How a Former Atheist Became an Episcopal Minister

A few weeks back, Rev. Clay Lein delivered his first sermon as the new rector at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in River Oaks. But he wasn’t always a religious man. He’s a former electrical engineer who was once a self-professed “angry atheist.” How did he find himself heading up a 4,000 strong Episcopal […]

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A few weeks back, Rev. Clay Lein delivered his first sermon as the new rector at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in River Oaks.

But he wasn’t always a religious man. He’s a former electrical engineer who was once a self-professed “angry atheist.”

How did he find himself heading up a 4,000 strong Episcopal congregation in Houston? We find out, in the first of two conversations.

Tomorrow, we talk with someone on an opposing journey – a journalist and public speaker who studied religion, and has now written a guide to “coming out as a non-believer.”

MORE:
Mom, Dad, I’m an Atheist: A Conversation with David McAfee (Houston Matters, Nov. 20, 2014)
Onetime-Atheist Taking Helm of Houston’s St. John the Divine Episcopal (Houston Chronicle, Nov. 6, 2014)

Michael Hagerty

Michael Hagerty

Senior Producer, Houston Matters

Michael Hagerty is the senior producer for Houston Matters. He's spent more than 20 years in public radio and television and dabbled in minor league baseball, spending four seasons as the public address announcer for the Reno Aces, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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