What Is A Good Life? #142 - Cultivating A Faith In Life Itself with Jim Palmer

On the 142nd episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Jim Palmer, Founder of the Center for Non-Religious Spirituality. A critically acclaimed author, former megachurch pastor, adjunct professor, and chaplain with the American Humanist Association, Jim is also a trained counsellor in religious trauma and spiritual abuse.

In this conversation, he reflects on his journey through a crisis of faith, his experiences as a megachurch pastor, and his challenges of navigating religious culture. We explore theological deconstruction, rewilding spirituality, and the importance of embracing diverse perspectives. This episode invites you to consider a faith in life itself as a way to deepen our connection with existence.

For more of Jim's work:
Substack: https://substack.com/@jimpalmerauthor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimpalmerauthor/

For more from Mark McCartney:
Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney

00:00 Introduction and Setup

01:51 Exploring the Good Life

02:50 The More Than Human World

06:22 Personal Evolution and Crisis of Faith

12:22 Experiences as a Mega Church Pastor

17:35 The Challenges of Mega Church Culture

21:22  Theological Deconstruction and Reconstruction

26:38 Confronting Suffering and Injustice

33:03 Cognitive Dissonance in Religion

39:13 Processing Religious Trauma

42:55 Rewilding Spirituality

50:04 God as a Verb

54:20 The Good Life as a Process of Inquiry

58:06 Faith in Life and Interconnectivity

Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​

What is What is a Good Life??

A project exploring the big questions around how we live, who we are and what actually matters. Over the past four years, I’ve sat with more than 300 people — artists, parents, executives, wanderers, therapists, and strangers and invited them into a simple but profound inquiry, "What is a good life for you?"
The conversations explore presence, paradox, uncertainty, and the moments that shape a life - love and loss, trust and fear, clarity and not knowing. It’s an invitations to slow down, to listen deeply, and to bring you into conversation with your own life. There are new episodes every Tuesday.