Hemant Mehta is the founder and editor of FriendlyAtheist.com, a YouTube creator, and podcast co-host. He is a former National Board Certified math teacher in the suburbs of Chicago. He has appeared on CNN and FOX News and served on the board of directors for Foundation Beyond Belief and the Secular Student Alliance. He has written multiple books, including I Sold My Soul on eBay and The Young Atheist's Survival Guide. He also edited the book Queer Disbelief.
Our latest podcast guest is Kate Shellnutt, associate editor at Christianity Today magazine. Kate helps run Christianity Today’s social media accounts and also edits their popular site for women, cleverly called Her.meneutics. Before this, she worked as a web producer for the Houston Chronicle’s religion site. She’s a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, where she earned her masters in reporting and online journalism. We spoke with Kate about how Christianity Today deals with hot-button issues, what a faith-based publication can bring to the table that secular outlets can’t, and how comedy and religion go hand-in-hand. Read more
Last week, I posted about a billboard that was slated to go up in Los Angeles. It called out the practice of “Disconnection” in Scientology, in which people who leave the Church are essentially shunned by those who remain in it, even if that means family members. Thousands of dollars were raised during a fundraising campaign for a “Stop Scientology Disconnection” billboard on Hollywood Blvd. Unfortunately, that billboard has hit a major snag: The billboard company Outfront has canceled its contract with former Scientologist Phil Jones: Read more