Unbaptized: Why I Left Christianity and Returned to My Roots

Esther Dhanraj is a former Christian who spent over two decades in evangelical faith after converting from her Hindu Brahmin roots as a teenager. While pursuing her Master of Divinity in the United States, her faith began to unravel. What started as academic inquiry soon became a personal reckoning as her scholarship, lived experience, and relentless questioning dismantled the very belief system she was preparing to defend. Her return to Sanātana Dharma was not a simple homecoming but a rigorous intellectual, cultural, and spiritual reawakening. Today, she speaks and writes with candor about religious conversion, the psychological and cultural toll of leaving one’s native traditions, and the richness and resilience of Hindu thought. Esther mentors Hindu families who seek her guidance when a loved one is drawn into the influence of conversion efforts within their circles. In her current role as Director of Advancement at Hindu University of America (HUA), Esther is part of a global effort to nurture scholars who will become strong voices for dharma in Western academia, classrooms, and media. Through this work, HUA is creating space for Hindu studies in the modern world, and Esther is actively engaged in advancing that mission. Her memoir, Unbaptized: Why I Left Christianity and Returned to My Roots, chronicles her three-decade journey from devout Christian to unapologetic Hindu, offering both a deeply personal story and a wake-up call for her community. She spends her time between India and the United States and travels widely for lectures, panels, and grassroots advocacy.