Redeemed Zoomer: Difference between revisions

'''Richard Ackerman''' better known online as '''"Redeemed Zoomer"''' is an [[United States of America|American]] [[Christianity|Christian]] internet personality known for making [https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Minecraft Minecraft] content while talking about [[Christianity]] or explanations about Christian beliefs and creeds. He runs the Christian-themed [https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Minecraft Minecraft] server "KingdomCraft", which is often featured in his videos.

Not much is known about Richard Ackerman's personal life outside his YouTube videos, although it is known that he is a member of [[Presbyterian Church (USA)]], a mainline Protestant church in the [[United States of America|United States]]. Ackerman's father is [[Jewish people|Jewish]] making him half Jewish, something he rarely mentions in his YouTube videos. He currently resides in [https://wikipedia.org/Manhattan Manhattan], [[New York City]]. He is both a quarter Lithuanian and Italian, and he originally attended High School in Irvington High School in New York,<ref> [https://ihspawprint.com/2020/11/29/ackerman-yun-named-to-all-state-music-festival/] </ref> but started attending Southern Methodist University in Texas.<ref> [https://irvingtonpresbychurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/6-13-21-ZOOM-Service.pdf, last page of this document]</ref> He described his time in Irvington High School as difficult, claiming the community has ostracized him for his political beliefs. <ref> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEq8WFyV8DA] </ref> However, community members have denied this, saying that Ackerman was disliked due to his attempts to start unwanted political arguments in the middle of class. In High School, he converted to Christianity through attending a youth camp and soon thereafter his family followed with conversion.  

Redeemed Zoomer originally created his current channel on 29th February 2020, being inspired by the many sermons he watched from reformed theologians such as Tim Keller. Earlier on in Zoomer's YouTube career before coming to be known as "Redeemed Zoomer" he started a small YouTube channel called "Gospel for the Least" during the COVID-19 pandemic where his content held much looser and more relaxed views on Christianity. However, his channel did not grow as much as he hoped thus he decided to restart as the nascent Redeemed Zoomer, which embraced a much more traditional and reformed perspective of Christianity.

Zoomer's content revolves around explaining Christianity particularly towards his demographic: Generation Z (hence the name "Zoomer)". His earlier videos provided a basic explanation for a variety of Christian topics such as Jesus Christ or Baptism. These videos discussed these topics typically from a Reformed/Calvinistic perspective. Overtime Zoomer's explainers evolved into discussing other groups related to Christianity such as the [[Roman Catholic Church]] and [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox Churches]] of which he provides reasons <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ADKeo8wqNU&list=PL-6iSAtvQ68jX_5pj4rQ2mIb_ayTfajwSwhy he is or is not]</ref> within different denominations outside Presbyterianism. Zoomer also covers Christian apologetics such as the theological positions and methods used in apologetics.

In addition, Redeemed Zoomer spearheads the [[Operation Reconquista|"Operation Reconquista"]]: an online community of young protestant Christians that intends on supporting and returning mainline denominations back to biblical Christianity and traditional roots.<ref>[https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/november-web-only/meet-zoomers-martin-luther-mainline-reformation-project-onl.html Meet the Zoomers’ Martin Luther]</ref>