An Athiest's story...this can't really be possible, can it?

Yes, it really is possible. I've read his books... and was surprised to see a movie at Blockbuster of the same title. The video is very good. Check out "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel. Its a documentary of Lee's (a professional journalist from Chicago Tribune) investigation of the validity of the story of Christ. His intent was to prove it invalid... and he interviews multiple experts from Universities all over the country.