Jim Palmer's Biography

I'm interetsed in Red Room as a way of connecting with and expanding my reading audience. I am the author of Divine Nobodies, and Wide Open Spaces. My third book, Being Jesus in Nashville will be out in February.

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Jim has his Masters of Divinity degree in a box beneath his bed. In his former life he was a successful Senior Pastor. That was before he walked out on institutional church and organized religion to find out what was real about his relationship with God. Since 2006 he has been chronicling his journey beginning with Divine Nobodies: Shedding Religion to Find God (and the unlikely people who help you), and then Wide Open Spaces: Beyond Paint-by-Number Christianity. His newest book, Being Jesus in Nashville, will be available in December of 2011.

It makes Jim nervous to be referred to as a “widely acclaimed author,” but that’s better than the most recent label pinned on him, “heretic.” In a nutshell, Jim is an ordinary guy who likes people. He is a recovering codependent and a social media junkie who champions the idea that religion doesn’t have to divide people but can empower humankind for courageously creating a world that works for everyone. Perhaps Jim cares deeply about people because of his own troubled childhood and personal suffering.

After leaving church ministry Jim led  a non-profit agency for at-risk kids, and later served as the U.S. Director of Education for International Justice Mission, an international human rights organization based in Washington, D.C. These days in addition to writing, Jim does personal coaching, leads “shedding religion” retreats and workshops, hosts a weekly national Divine Nobody Call, and promotes the Occupy Religion message and movement.

Jim lives in Nashville with his wife, Kyra, and has a 12-year-old daughter, Jessica. You can find Jim at divinenobodies.com, Facebook, and Twitter or out running a trail somewhere.