The Bible says that Christians should build their house on rock, not on sand, but has nothing to say about building it in virtual reality. Taking that as a sign they should not be afraid to venture out there, Church leaders in Britain have bought an island in the virtual world of Second Life.

With the slogan “Have a second go at life”, the Churches’ Advertising Network is encouraging young people and others with no experience of Christianity to sign up to Second Life and visit the island.

The island has been built by Andrew Down, a Second Life consultant, as a representation of 1st-century Palestine, with internet portals to virtual churches such as St Pixels, cafés, pubs, worship halls and pools for meditating around. It will feature parties as part of the Christmas religious promotion and after the campaign is over will be handed on to another Christian community to develop as a permanent base for the religion on Second Life.

It is in sharp contrast to what can be found elsewhere on the adult-only virtual world of Second Life, where members trade in Linden dollars for houses, businesses, clothes and virtual sex. A few other religious groups, mainly from the US, have already set up shop on Second Life but there are few others from Britain selling a spiritual message there yet.

Simon Jenkins, a member of the Churches’ Advertising Network and editor of the satirical Christian website ShipofFools, said: “The Second life population tends to be a bit hostile to organised religion. We wanted them to realise we are not fundamentalists who get offended easily, as well as being a bit of fun.”

With this in mind, the site is salted with sub-Christian humour. The island has a pub called “Everlasting Arms” and a café, “We Three Kings of Orient Arbucks”. There is a well and pool of fresh water, representing the “Well of Samaria” described in John 4:6-14. There is also a Zacchaeus’ Bonsai Shop, and a Roman amphitheatre with its own cinema. A nativity film will be screened in the run up to Christmas for visitors to Second Life.

One wall has graffiti on it stating “Romanes eunt pomus”, meaning “Romans go home”, a reference to Monty Python’s Life of Brian. The Roman Catholic Church is one of the few denominations that is not a member of the advertising network, having left after the advertisers ran campaigns depicting the Virgin Mary having a “bad hair day” and featuring Jesus as a Che Guevara figure.

The Christmas campaign will also feature the usual “real life” poster and radio advertisements urging people to enjoy a “second chance at life”. Second Lifers are being urged to visit the island and sit down in the quiet areas to ask questions and discuss problems. The aim is to offer hope to people who feel they have made mistakes and want to make a new start.

Mr Jenkins said: “We really wanted to reach people who are way out there, who never come into any kind of contact with Christianity. These are people who would not normally go anywhere near a church. We want to push the boundaries in that sense and reach people who do not know about the Gospel.” Second Lifers can be directed to the island via the website, www.secondlifechance.co.uk. This year’s campaign follows the success of last year’s, which featured the face of Jesus in an empty beer glass and conducted on MySpace.

Francis Goodwin, chairman of the network, said: “The virtual world is a brand new departure for us and we can’t predict how it will develop in the coming weeks. The posters and radio adverts are very much grounded in this life and we hope they will help people think again about God’s free offer of a second chance at life.”