Is Jordan Peterson A Christian?

Around 2016, Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson rose to prominence thanks to the viral success of his TED Talk and subsequent book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, in which he urges readers to shape their destinies and improve the world. 

Peterson has since released Beyond Discipline: Twelve Additional Guidelines for Living. The goal of this essay is to help readers have a firm grasp on the teaches in his books. 

In particular, we hope to shed light on Peterson’s interpretation of the Bible and the place Jesus has in his worldview for Christian readers.

This essay got not designed to doubt Peterson’s honesty or sincerity; he has never once claimed to be a Christian in any of his works. 

We can not agree with Peterson’s ideas on fundamental reality. Therefore, we appreciate his commitment to promoting conversations on divisiveness and his support for free speech.

What Made Jordan Peterson Turn to Jung?

Previously, in the book titled “Maps of Meaning”1, Peterson talks about his childhood experience of being catechized in the church. 

Peterson had questions, but the catechist leading the session needed to give them more thought. 

Peterson concluded Christianity was incompatible with Darwinism and rejected it as irrational wishful thinking. 

His agnostic parents and neighbors didn’t bat an eye when he stopped practicing his former religion.

Peterson underwent weighty introspection during his time at university, during which he became aware of his potential for violence and began to have terrifying dreams. 

After one too many drinks at a party, he stumbled home and painted a blasphemous painting. 

Peterson was shaken up by what he went through. The emptiness he felt on the inside was beyond his comprehension.

Then he started reading Carl Jung, the pioneer of analytical psychology and thought he had found an explanation for his nightmares. 

In particular, Peterson got struck by the following quote from Jung: “It must get admitted that the archetypal contents of the collective unconscious can often assume grotesque and horrible forms in dreams and fictions that can give even the most logical person terrifying nightmares and recurring nightmares.” This is a fancy way of saying that the experiences and stories of our ancestors influence us.

Jordan Peterson about Order and Chaos in Jung

Peterson agreed with the theory’s core assumptions, although he thought it was oversimplified and unsustainable in places. 

In other words, mythology and religion are gold mines of information for delving into the human psyche, and the study of universal archetypes can provide light on how our minds have evolved to negotiate between the forces of order and chaos in the natural world. 

Peterson determined that there are three primary archetypes, which he labels 

• the unknown or chaos
• the known or order
• the mediator between the two extremes. 

Peterson argues that stories and myths tell us to keep a system in place that is secure enough to withstand disruptions yet adaptable enough to allow for change when necessary.

And what, according to Peterson, does the interplay between order and chaos imply for us as people? 

Meaning and fulfillment can be found in becoming the hero who brings order and harmony to one’s life, family, and community, even if one no longer believes in a deity outside of nature. 

Finding meaning in this terrible, unpredictable, and often violent world requires us to be responsible adults who face significant burdens and contribute to society while ensuring we tidy our rooms and lives first.

Jordan Peterson’s Thoughts On the Bible?

To convey his meta-myth of chaos and order to a Western audience highly affected by the Bible, Peterson often cites Scripture and discusses Jesus, but not because he believes Jesus is God or that Scripture is God-breathed. 

According to Peterson’s teachings, Jesus is not the resurrected Lord who provides eternal life via his death and resurrection. 

Instead, Jesus is just one of many legendary figures who help us strike a balance between anarchy and order. 

Christians hope that Peterson will eventually adopt their viewpoint. However, after reading Peterson’s most recent book, Beyond Order (2021), his current ideas are not significantly different from those he communicated in his earlier book, Maps of Meaning (1999). 

This excerpt from Beyond Order shows how he views Jesus and the Bible.

Final Words 

According to Jordan Peterson, we can learn the most about ourselves by examining how Darwinian adaptation via the struggle for existence has molded the human mentality to deal with chaos and order. 

With this knowledge, we can better survive in this unpredictable and dangerous environment.

In contrast, Christians believe that God created a “very good” world from the start and that when he restored order to the universe, he would wipe away every tear from every eye. 

Humanity’s rejection of God has brought us to a world riddled with death, and the only way to overcome this darkness in ourselves and the world is via death and Jesus’s bodily resurrection and the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. 

Peterson thinks the world is dangerous and chaotic and that all we can do is try to make the most of our time here. 

Christians believe that Jesus has triumphed against evil on their behalf. An all-good God who extends an invitation to spend eternity with him is where we find our true meaning in life.