John Jackman

John Jackman is a speaker, pastor, philosopher, filmmaker, and lifelong student of the human mind who lives at the intersections of faith, ethics, science, and story. For more than four decades, he has helped audiences explore the mystery of what it means to believe, to doubt, and to grow — intellectually and spiritually — in a complex world.

Ordained in 1982, John serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Moravian Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Moravian College and a Master of Divinity from Moravian Theological Seminary, with additional training in ministry to those living with mental illness. His early grounding in ethics and religious history continues to shape his work today, particularly his passion for intellectual humility — the recognition that wisdom begins with acknowledging how much we do not know.

• "Whether the audience be children or adults, you can be sure everyone will be paying attention and leave with a message they can apply in their lives.” - Rick Stamm, The Team Approach
• "John has the impressive ability to explain complex ideas in a clear, compelling manner, regardless of the subject." - Kimberly Reed, DV Magazine

John is most widely known recently for organizing the Debt Jubilee Project, a nonprofit effort to wipe out past-due medical debt in central North Carolina. Since 2022, John has personally burned the markers for over $25 million in medical debts owed by 18,000 households, and has impacted statewide policies.

• "The Jackmans are the rock stars of medical debt relief in North Carolina!" - Allison Sesso, CEO of Undue Medical Debt and Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People.

But John’s vocational life extends far beyond the pulpit. An award-winning filmmaker and recognized expert in television lighting, he has taught at the American Film Institute, lectured at the Library of Congress, led workshops for the National Association of Broadcasters, and spoken at colleges and film schools across the country. He is the author of Lighting for Digital Video & Televisionand Blue Screen Compositing, and has served as a contributing editor to DV Magazine. Whether illuminating a film set or unpacking the Dunning–Kruger effect, John is fascinated by the interplay of light and perception — how what we think we see often shapes what we believe is real.

That fascination with perception lies at the heart of his speaking.

• John's feature films and documentaries have won numerous national awards and have been featured at many international film festivals.

Drawing from neuroscience, philosophy, Christian history, and cultural observation, John challenges audiences to rethink certainty, embrace doubt as a form of courageous searching, and cultivate curiosity as a spiritual discipline. His talks explore the blending of science and faith, the ethical dimensions of everyday life, and the lessons history offers to a generation navigating rapid change. He is especially known for helping people understand cognitive blind spots and the limits of knowledge — not as a threat to faith, but as an invitation to deeper wonder.

John speaks comfortably in both explicitly Christian and mixed academic settings, using language that is rooted in his own faith tradition while remaining open and hospitable to those of other beliefs. He believes that truth is not threatened by honest questions and that intellectual challenge is one of the highest forms of respect an audience can be given.

His style is accessible, story-driven, humorous, and often provocative. He moves easily from a story about church history to insights from brain science, from ethical reflection to cultural critique — weaving threads that are often treated as separate into a coherent tapestry. Audiences ranging from intimate groups of five to gatherings of five thousand leave not simply informed, but thoughtfully unsettled in the best way: inspired to rethink assumptions, to question more deeply, and to see doubt not as failure but as fertile ground for growth.

When John speaks about deconstructing faith, he does so not to dismantle belief, but to refine it — to separate cultural habit from enduring truth. When he speaks about ethics, he grounds it in daily decisions. When he speaks about science and faith, he approaches both with reverence and curiosity. And when he draws from history, he does so to remind audiences that we are part of a much longer human story.

Outside the lecture hall and sanctuary, John’s curiosity continues. He is an old Jaguar car enthusiast, has built two harpsichords by hand, and shares life with cats and ducks — reminders that beauty, craftsmanship, and unpredictability all belong in a well-lived life.

Above all, John Jackman is committed to helping people recover a sense of mystery in an age of loud certainty. He invites audiences to think deeply, laugh honestly, question bravely, and rediscover the joy of knowing that there is always more to learn.