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Inner Anarchy: Dethroning God and Jesus to Save Ourselves and the World
One of the great spiritual writers of our times, Jim Palmer, is calling for anarchy – inner anarchy! Since 2005, Palmer has been exploring the terrain of spirituality beyond the mindsets of organized religion, and has written four books, including the widely acclaimed works, Divine Nobodies, and Notes from (Over) the Edge. In his provocative new book Inner Anarchy, Palmer shows how the Christian religion has twisted the true life and message of Jesus, and has preached a powerless gospel that is preventing millions of people from being free. He challenges the reader to inner anarchy, “We must dethrone and tear down the mindsets and ideologies that are ruling our world from within us and taking us further down a road of certain doom.”
Whether you are a Christian, Atheist, or whatever religious or spiritual background you may have, Palmer offers a hopeful place for all human beings to explore the possibility of birthing a new reality in our world. He writes, “Jesus announced the inauguration of a new age—the likes of which we have never seen but have dreamed of. His words are compelling and fascinating. He implied that this age is hidden in the human heart and is now ready to be birthed into existence. Jesus said it would come in the midst of great turmoil and would be led not by religious preachers and Bible scholars, but by those who open up their minds, become like a child and trust what is deep inside their hearts.”
“Inner Anarchy is not a book; it’s smelling salts.” – Jacob Byrne
“An admonition to the Christian church, an invitation to birth a new world, and a challenge to tear down what is ruling us from within.” – Maria Armstrong
“…brings God out of the sky to the center of our lives. Inner Anarchy shows the way to the future.” – Jim High
“It has changed everything I thought I knew about God.” – Byron Johnson
“Remember the sixties? Inner Anarchy could spark a movement that finishes the job!” – Carson Kavanagh
“Gritty. Deep. A message to rattle your cage, and change the world.” – Lucas Farrell
“... will speak to you at your core and trust the truths that lie within you.” – Reuben Goff
Whether you are a Christian, Atheist, or whatever religious or spiritual background you may have, Palmer offers a hopeful place for all human beings to explore the possibility of birthing a new reality in our world. He writes, “Jesus announced the inauguration of a new age—the likes of which we have never seen but have dreamed of. His words are compelling and fascinating. He implied that this age is hidden in the human heart and is now ready to be birthed into existence. Jesus said it would come in the midst of great turmoil and would be led not by religious preachers and Bible scholars, but by those who open up their minds, become like a child and trust what is deep inside their hearts.”
“Inner Anarchy is not a book; it’s smelling salts.” – Jacob Byrne
“An admonition to the Christian church, an invitation to birth a new world, and a challenge to tear down what is ruling us from within.” – Maria Armstrong
“…brings God out of the sky to the center of our lives. Inner Anarchy shows the way to the future.” – Jim High
“It has changed everything I thought I knew about God.” – Byron Johnson
“Remember the sixties? Inner Anarchy could spark a movement that finishes the job!” – Carson Kavanagh
“Gritty. Deep. A message to rattle your cage, and change the world.” – Lucas Farrell
“... will speak to you at your core and trust the truths that lie within you.” – Reuben Goff
165 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 18, 2014
About the author
Jim Palmer
16 books169 followersJim Palmer has spent three decades asking what happens when the answers we inherit can no longer carry the lives we are living.
A former evangelical megachurch pastor, Jim became a pioneering voice in religious deconstruction and reconstruction. His work now reaches beyond religion to a larger human question: how do we stay in honest contact with ourselves, one another, and the reality of being alive?
Jim is the founder of the Center for Non-Religious Spirituality and the founder and president of the Institute for Existential Health. Through his books, essays, teaching, and practitioner training, he is helping establish existential health as a field of study and practice concerned with meaning, identity, mortality, belonging, and self-trust.
He is the author of seven books, including Divine Nobodies, Inner Anarchy, and Life After Religion. His eighth book, The Practice of Being Alive: Modern Humans in Search of Ground, will be released October 13, 2026.
Learn more about the book: https://books.grokk.ist/the-practice-...
A former evangelical megachurch pastor, Jim became a pioneering voice in religious deconstruction and reconstruction. His work now reaches beyond religion to a larger human question: how do we stay in honest contact with ourselves, one another, and the reality of being alive?
Jim is the founder of the Center for Non-Religious Spirituality and the founder and president of the Institute for Existential Health. Through his books, essays, teaching, and practitioner training, he is helping establish existential health as a field of study and practice concerned with meaning, identity, mortality, belonging, and self-trust.
He is the author of seven books, including Divine Nobodies, Inner Anarchy, and Life After Religion. His eighth book, The Practice of Being Alive: Modern Humans in Search of Ground, will be released October 13, 2026.
Learn more about the book: https://books.grokk.ist/the-practice-...
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 24, 2014
Interesting
Another one of Jim's fine books that really make you think. I enjoyed reading his views, and although I have some issues with some of his ideas, it is a very thought provoking book. I agree with many of his thoughts, and even when disagreeing, I found myself thinking over what was said and asking God for truth and guidance. Read this book with an open mind, realizing we all have different thoughts and ideas, and none of us have it all figured out. We do have the Spirit living within us, we have the mind of Christ. Listen for His voice and let His truth arise from within you.
Another one of Jim's fine books that really make you think. I enjoyed reading his views, and although I have some issues with some of his ideas, it is a very thought provoking book. I agree with many of his thoughts, and even when disagreeing, I found myself thinking over what was said and asking God for truth and guidance. Read this book with an open mind, realizing we all have different thoughts and ideas, and none of us have it all figured out. We do have the Spirit living within us, we have the mind of Christ. Listen for His voice and let His truth arise from within you.
April 6, 2022
The very structure and control that Palmer rages against he tries to reinstitute. While rightly condemning a "god from the sky" theology, Palmer turns around and reclaims Jesus as the Son of God, just in a different way.
What Palmer unfortunately ignores, or avoids, is that many Christian theologians and pastors reject the same theology that Palmer does. Yet they don't need to reconstruct their own flimsy and shady structures.
The logic here is truly quite terrible.
What Palmer unfortunately ignores, or avoids, is that many Christian theologians and pastors reject the same theology that Palmer does. Yet they don't need to reconstruct their own flimsy and shady structures.
The logic here is truly quite terrible.
June 29, 2024
I'd like to be positive as I could. The author definitely had a clear issue with religious Orthodoxy in Christianity and that is definitely something we can agree on. That being said, the author continually denounced all Christians defining them all in a rigid manner that would seem to apply to those from a Fundamentalist perspective. He even made clear to attack Progressive Christians (full disclosure I consider myself a progressive Christian) using similar descriptions. I found that extremely ignorant. To make matters worse occasionally he described Christians as we suggesting at times he considered himself a Christian. To add further confusion he attacked all Christians as worshipping the Bible (again a distinct non-progressive perspective of the Bible) yet seemed to base all his opinions on selected Bible quotes. He used the term "Inner Anarchy" often, making me think he was getting paid by the amount of times he could reference the term, yet never offerred up a clear vision of what he truly meant by this. Apparently it had something to do with denouncing all Christianity while still relying on Christian documentation to bear out the point. In the end the only good thing I could say about this book was that it was short. Can't imagine bothering to pick up something else from this author. I believe you can get better/clearer perspectives from other authors. Wolsey if you are not fond of Christianity but want more input. Borg or Rohr if you would like better understandings of true progressive Christian thinking.
March 17, 2026
I follow author, counselor and former pastor Jim Palmer by reading his daily blogs. I also have read his book Divine Nobodies.
I must say that I find his writing a mixed bag. Sometimes his musings resonate with me, while at other times I feel we are on different levels of spiritual understandings. He also seems to display an overt hostility towards organized religions, and Christianity in particular. That animosity is something I don't harbor.
In Inner Anarchy, Palmer argues that Jesus' message was that heaven and god resided in each person and is not some faraway, physical place. He calls for everyone to recognize that authority lies within each person and that we must put to death our notions of a physical heaven, god and a Jesus who is coming back physically. According to Palmer, these all reside inside each of us.
I don't know if my spiritual journey will lead me to this understanding, but I'm certainly not fully there yet.
I must say that I find his writing a mixed bag. Sometimes his musings resonate with me, while at other times I feel we are on different levels of spiritual understandings. He also seems to display an overt hostility towards organized religions, and Christianity in particular. That animosity is something I don't harbor.
In Inner Anarchy, Palmer argues that Jesus' message was that heaven and god resided in each person and is not some faraway, physical place. He calls for everyone to recognize that authority lies within each person and that we must put to death our notions of a physical heaven, god and a Jesus who is coming back physically. According to Palmer, these all reside inside each of us.
I don't know if my spiritual journey will lead me to this understanding, but I'm certainly not fully there yet.
May 3, 2024
New ways of thinking and believing
Jim Palmer was a pastor and still uses his preacher voice of exhortation. You will find many exclamation mark in this book. But he makes a compelling case for rejecting religious constructs of Christianity. In their place a deep internal Spirit of knowing and feeling God within us. His idea is that the "true" Jesus was actually trying to teach this. Definitely heretical, and I liked it. Jim writes especially for those of us trying to escape religion, and who are trying to figure out where that leaves us. This book is from 2014 and his contemporary writings on Substack indicate great strides since then, talking about philosophy often. If you are curious as to "what is wrong in Christianity," I recommend this book.
Jim Palmer was a pastor and still uses his preacher voice of exhortation. You will find many exclamation mark in this book. But he makes a compelling case for rejecting religious constructs of Christianity. In their place a deep internal Spirit of knowing and feeling God within us. His idea is that the "true" Jesus was actually trying to teach this. Definitely heretical, and I liked it. Jim writes especially for those of us trying to escape religion, and who are trying to figure out where that leaves us. This book is from 2014 and his contemporary writings on Substack indicate great strides since then, talking about philosophy often. If you are curious as to "what is wrong in Christianity," I recommend this book.
October 11, 2019
Interesting
Another one of Jim's fine books that really make you think. I enjoyed reading his views, and although I have some issues with some of his ideas, it is a very thought provoking book. I agree with many of his thoughts, and even when disagreeing, I found myself thinking over what was said and asking God for truth and guidance. Read this book with an open mind, realizing we all have different thoughts and ideas, and none of us have it all figured out. We do have the Spirit living within us, we have the mind of Christ. Listen for His voice and let His truth arise from within you.
Another one of Jim's fine books that really make you think. I enjoyed reading his views, and although I have some issues with some of his ideas, it is a very thought provoking book. I agree with many of his thoughts, and even when disagreeing, I found myself thinking over what was said and asking God for truth and guidance. Read this book with an open mind, realizing we all have different thoughts and ideas, and none of us have it all figured out. We do have the Spirit living within us, we have the mind of Christ. Listen for His voice and let His truth arise from within you.
December 9, 2025
Articulate and valid identification of his thesis that God is not experienced in creeds or doctrines but in "intense feelings." The author doesn't clarify how one identifies whether the "intense feelings" are the real presence of God or simply the emotional response to one's circumstance. In Dickens' "Christmas Carol," Scrooge's first reaction to the appearance of Jacob Marley's ghost is, "You're nothing but a spot of mustard; a bit of undigested ham." That's about where Palmer leaves the reader.
June 22, 2026
Could have been a bullet pointed list. It’s repetitive, vague, emotive. He could have strengthened his case by looking at commonalities in world spiritual practices rather than limiting himself to the Bible. William James, Dewey’s “A Common Faith,” and even Karl Marx, are more helpful. He needs to explore Buddhism and Taoism. He rejects Christianity while sticking to Jesus. His scope is too small for his purpose.
July 9, 2024
I saw a post about this book on Facebook. A great paragraph which inspired me to get the book. Unfortunately, that one paragraph summed up the whole content of the book and is just repeated in various forms again and again.
The idea is great but you can save yourself a lot of time if you just read that one paragraph.
The idea is great but you can save yourself a lot of time if you just read that one paragraph.
April 25, 2022
Scarred and Bold at the same time...
Thankyou Jim Palmer, you bring metanoia moments that both scare the hell out of me and release the bold essence of who I truly are, a true son, releasing heaven on earth. Shalom.
Thankyou Jim Palmer, you bring metanoia moments that both scare the hell out of me and release the bold essence of who I truly are, a true son, releasing heaven on earth. Shalom.
December 26, 2023
Enlightened and Affirmed
I've been following Jim on FB for a short while and his teachings resonate with me. I have been feeling like there is something more to life than just the same old ways and this book really puts those feelings into words.
I've been following Jim on FB for a short while and his teachings resonate with me. I have been feeling like there is something more to life than just the same old ways and this book really puts those feelings into words.
March 21, 2026
Inner Anarchy is upon us!
Amazing book. Challenging, provocative, and yet hopeful. Not going to be very popular among those heavily invested in religious institutions! Truth sets you free, but can be quite scary!
Amazing book. Challenging, provocative, and yet hopeful. Not going to be very popular among those heavily invested in religious institutions! Truth sets you free, but can be quite scary!
January 26, 2024
I loved this book and it brought me to tears several times with the practical ways we can be just like jesus and affect the lives of others without the confines of religion.
February 28, 2024
A different take on leaving Christianity.
January 31, 2026
A good read for those that have pretty much deconstructed already and are struggling with what to do next.
I've been through this myself and am happily living as a follower of Jesus without religion.
I've been through this myself and am happily living as a follower of Jesus without religion.
September 5, 2026
Seems to be an excellent book, but it just didn't want to be finished in the time I had it (3 weeks, library copy). I'll probably try again in a year or so.
December 15, 2014
This book is definitely not for the lightweight. It will probably be seen as an offense to the broader Christian community. It delves deeply into realms of religious teachings that have falsely created a God, a Jesus and afterlife that is completely inconsistent with the teachings of the person of Jesus.
Inner Anarchy provides its readers with a glimpse of the SPIRIT of Jesus' teachings. Given careful review and study of Jesus' teachings one cannot help but to realize the Christian community, like most religions, have tried to present a God that simply isn't what is deeply held and known at humanities deepest core.
Again, the lightweight will be disenchanted. The deeply religious will be highly offended and the Christian religious establishment may very well consider the books the greatest treason since Judas Iscariot.
I suspect that many will be curious to know what's the hoopla about this book. From pulpits across nations, warnings will be released and manipulative threats to congregants will be declared against the purchase and reading of this book. For some, clarion calls we be made to rebel against Jim Palmer, fearing that he's the devil, come to lead one astray. And so, they will come.
However, Inner Anarchy is not a guidebook. It's not a call to retreat. It's not a guru intended self-help manifesto. It is a journal that speaks to those who are courageous enough to proclaim inwardly "that enough, is enough" and who are bold enough to live from the heart and change a world.
Inner Anarchy provides its readers with a glimpse of the SPIRIT of Jesus' teachings. Given careful review and study of Jesus' teachings one cannot help but to realize the Christian community, like most religions, have tried to present a God that simply isn't what is deeply held and known at humanities deepest core.
Again, the lightweight will be disenchanted. The deeply religious will be highly offended and the Christian religious establishment may very well consider the books the greatest treason since Judas Iscariot.
I suspect that many will be curious to know what's the hoopla about this book. From pulpits across nations, warnings will be released and manipulative threats to congregants will be declared against the purchase and reading of this book. For some, clarion calls we be made to rebel against Jim Palmer, fearing that he's the devil, come to lead one astray. And so, they will come.
However, Inner Anarchy is not a guidebook. It's not a call to retreat. It's not a guru intended self-help manifesto. It is a journal that speaks to those who are courageous enough to proclaim inwardly "that enough, is enough" and who are bold enough to live from the heart and change a world.
January 1, 2017
I am forced to pick a star
I am glad his work is helping people. I finished it wanting more. I found it to read like any other evangelical book. Concepts, ideas that I can't sink my teeth into. When individual scriptures are pulled to support an idea that loses me. I am not sure how to express myself here except disappointed in the read. Anyway Jim is an author I am not. Loved "Divine Nobodies"
I am glad his work is helping people. I finished it wanting more. I found it to read like any other evangelical book. Concepts, ideas that I can't sink my teeth into. When individual scriptures are pulled to support an idea that loses me. I am not sure how to express myself here except disappointed in the read. Anyway Jim is an author I am not. Loved "Divine Nobodies"
January 2, 2015
I'll come back and write a real review later wen I have time. I will say that I love books that challenge me and give me a lot to think about. And this book definitely did!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews