A former evangelical pastor who once served in a ministry at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, Jim Palmer, now promotes humanism and secular state.
He said his journey away from faith in God was triggered about 20 years ago by two devastating events. He said his faith was shaken when he learned that a church staff member was beating their spouse.
It then suffered another blow when a woman encouraged by his sermons believed her unborn child diagnosed with a fatal disorder would live. The mother blamed herself when her child died soon after birth.
"That triggered, 'How can I preach this stuff?'" Palmer said. "Beneath the appearance and the surfaces of people's lives there was a level of suffering and brokenness for which my theology did not touch."
Along the way, he also lost his marriage. Presently, Jim is forging ahead with his belief that there is no God and has now placed his faith in humanity.
"I'm still going to plant my flag down on the belief that we are who we've been waiting for. There is no God in the sky who is going to rescue us," he told The Tennessean. "We've got to pull up our big boy and big girl panties and be human beings."
Palmer became a Christian when he was in high school, then went on to seminary in Chicago to deepen his faith. After losing his faith he now teaches a course called Life after Religion and is also the vice president of Nashville Humanist Association.
He is a member of The Clergy Project, an organization that supports religious leaders who no longer believe in God.
*The falling away.
"Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils..." 1Tim 4:1
He said his journey away from faith in God was triggered about 20 years ago by two devastating events. He said his faith was shaken when he learned that a church staff member was beating their spouse.
It then suffered another blow when a woman encouraged by his sermons believed her unborn child diagnosed with a fatal disorder would live. The mother blamed herself when her child died soon after birth.
"That triggered, 'How can I preach this stuff?'" Palmer said. "Beneath the appearance and the surfaces of people's lives there was a level of suffering and brokenness for which my theology did not touch."
Along the way, he also lost his marriage. Presently, Jim is forging ahead with his belief that there is no God and has now placed his faith in humanity.
"I'm still going to plant my flag down on the belief that we are who we've been waiting for. There is no God in the sky who is going to rescue us," he told The Tennessean. "We've got to pull up our big boy and big girl panties and be human beings."
Palmer became a Christian when he was in high school, then went on to seminary in Chicago to deepen his faith. After losing his faith he now teaches a course called Life after Religion and is also the vice president of Nashville Humanist Association.
He is a member of The Clergy Project, an organization that supports religious leaders who no longer believe in God.
*The falling away.
"Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils..." 1Tim 4:1
He definitely never knew the God he was preaching about all the years
ReplyDelete