Jordan Peterson has become one of the most effective apologists for Christianity in the 21st century. This is quite something to say about a man who has yet to embrace a version of Christianity we might consider orthodox. His wife is a strong Catholic Christian, and his daughter embraced an Evangelical version of Christianity last year. I’m not sure what Peterson would say today about his faith status, but he’s far closer to the Christ of Scripture than he has ever been.
What makes him so effective is his background as a clinical psychologist and scholar. He can see deeply into the nature of things on a psychological level that I have found fascinating and instructive for my own Christian worldview. He’s so attracted to Christianity because of its explanatory power, although I’ve never heard him use this phrase. Simply put, Christianity explains the nature and structure of reality far better than any other faith or worldview, which gives it its psychological power both on an individual as well as a societal level (because societies and cultures are filled with people!). He would probably agree with the ex-atheist CS Lewis who said:
I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not because I see it but becasue by it I see everything else.
This is wonderfully apparent as he takes down atheist Sam Harris. The lack of explanatory power of the atheistic materialist worldview could not be more apparent in these short exchanges. The juxtaposition is powerfully compelling for the plausibility and power of Christianity. Dr., Steve Turley does a terrific analysis of the interaction between the two, and it is well worth a watch/listen. As my wife tells me, Peterson is not an easy listen, but he’s worth a careful one.
Recent Comments