Redeemed Zoomer
Redeemed Zoomer is the online name of Richard Ackerman, a young American Presbyterian activist and YouTuber. He was born in New York in 2002 or 2003 and comes from Jewish and Italian heritage. He was not raised in a church but converted to Christianity at age 14 after attending a Presbyterian Church (USA) music camp. He studied at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, earning a BA in music and a BS in pure mathematics in May 2025, and he plans to study theology at Dubuque Theological Seminary to pursue PCUSA ordination. He married Anna Marburger in August 2024.
Ackerman began uploading content around 2020 and became popular with the Redeemed Zoomer channel in 2022. His videos mostly explain Christian theology, denominations, and church history in simple Microsoft Paint–style animations. He also posts Minecraft gameplay and hosts livestreams. By January 2026, the Redeemed Zoomer channel had about 663,000 subscribers and more than 100 million views. He runs an Instagram account (@redeemed_zoomer) with about 51,000 followers and a Twitter/X account (@redeemed_zoomer) with about 34,000 followers.
He founded Operation Reconquista in 2023 to defend theologically conservative congregations within mainline Protestant denominations and to promote conservative theology. He co-founded Presbyterians for the Kingdom and helped send representatives to the PCUSA General Assembly in 2024. He operates a Discord community with more than 13,000 members aimed at organizing Gen Z and Gen Alpha across several mainline denominations. Some Episcopal priests involved faced safeguarding concerns, but an independent investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing.
Ackerman identifies with traditional mainline Protestantism and criticizes modern evangelical and non-denominational “pop-Christianity,” advocating a renewed focus on Reformation-era theology. He has said the U.S. government should be “explicitly Christian” while supporting church-state separation. He has expressed supersessionist views, is not Zionist, and is neutral on the Arab-Israeli conflict, stating that anti-Semitism is incompatible with Christianity. He criticizes both right- and left-wing politics, supports abortion restrictions, and describes himself as a “never-Trumper.” He opposes same-sex marriage and homosexuality and has described conversion therapy as the healthiest form of therapy. He has also shared controversial views on LGBTQ issues.
Ackerman and his wife, Anna, met at SMU in 2020, and they married in August 2024.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:55 (CET).