Over the years, John has done presentations on a vast variety of subjects. Due to his wide-ranging experience in various fields, he is often able to illuminate a Biblical parable with astronomy, or connect an organizational issue to brain science. If your organization has a special need, please be in touch to enquire. Please click here to see a list of presentations for pastors, churches, and religious organizations.
Critical areas that are hot topics now include
- Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity are STILL Important!
- Technology & Ethics: Unblurring the Lines.
- Spirituality, Social Justice, and Community Impact
- Alone in A Crowd: How Technology Has Isolated Us.
Of course, John has a number of “trademark” keynote addresses that have arisen out of his experience and ministry:
Keynote Addresses
Solving Medical Debt
In the wealthiest nation in the world, many people can’t afford basic medical treatment — and medical debt is the primary cause of bankruptcy, even of people who are well-off with good insurance. The medical system in the US is broken..how can it be solved? After Covid, John organized the Debt Jubilee Project, set up to purchase past-due medical debt and forgive it. Since then, he has had the privilege of symbolically burning over $25 million in medical debt owed by neighbors in North Carolina. News coverage of this project has spread the idea to hundreds of other churches.
Don’t Believe Everything You Think!
Why Smart People Believe Wrong Things: The Hidden Psychology of Certainty
A winsome and entertaining exploration of a very serious and even crippling subject — our own biases and blind spots, and the way advertisers and politicians manipulate our biases. Starting from a nuclear reactor, flying by Pluto, and ending up in your own back yard, this talk explores the Dunning-Kruger Effect and the impact of confirmation bias, John explains how we must develop habits of verifying news and rumor and improve our critical thinking.
Failing Forward:
Turning Rejection into Success
Fear of failure keeps many from pursuing their dreams – but failure is often a vital ingredient in success. John tells a true story of a failure in his life that prompted him to pursue his goals more vigorously – resulting in a significant success in the same area. Learn how to use failure as a stepping stone to success. Good for all ages, but especially apprpriate for high school and college ages.
Square Mile Churches
Churches across the nation are struggling or closing. But recent research shows that small local congregations that are vitally engaged with their community are making a real difference. How small neighborhood churches can transform the world – and do far more than just keep the doors open. Starting with his own experience leading a high-impact small church, John brongs in many other examples that will inspire.
Eveything You Know is Wrong Series
This is a series of talks (accompanied by study guides) on faith deconstruction – examining what the Bible and the early church actually said and how different it is from teachings and assumptions of the modern evangelical church.
A Brief History of Hell
Deconstructing the ideal of Hell and everlasting punishment – did you know that “hell” as it has been understood since the Middle Ages actually doesn’t show up in the Bible at all, and the ideas of eternal conscious punishment are much later constructions.
Why the Rapture Didn’t Happen…AGAIN!
A humorous but well-researched review of the very modern concept of the Rapture and the continual fascination with “end-times.” John looks at what is actually in the Bible and what is a later invention, and review a few of the many failed predictions of the end of the world.
Over the years, John has done presentations on many vastly different topics. If you have a particular need for a specific keynote topic, please be in touch to inquire.
Other Areas of Interest:
- Mental Illness
- LGBTQ+ Issues
- Women’s Issues
- Diversity Issues