Jesus…Myth or Historical Reality? Peterson…Christian or Not?
If you have read and digested Jordan Peterson’s somewhat recent offering, 12 Rules for Life (1), you might have picked up his much earlier work, Maps of Meaning (2), and expected to plow through it somewhat quickly and easily. If you had such a presumption, you would recognize your error around page three. Maps of Meaning is a philosophically dense book that explores the ways human beings create frameworks (or maps) to give their lives meaning and purpose. The journey itself is largely made up of our experience of living into what we know and our interface with what we don’t know, and the dynamics of that journey are reflected in the various popular myths found within all societies and cultures. The book’s general concept is relatively easy to grasp and it shares similar themes reflected in Campbell’s, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (3), albeit from a solidly psychological perspective. However, I found much of the book challenging to read, unnecessarily wordy, and nearly impossible to digest within a week.
I tend to start my engagement with any book by looking at the year it was written—I can’t say why, exactly, but perhaps it is my unconscious bias that current content is better than older content (unless it’s really old…the desert fathers rock!). The date of this book (1999) is important because Peterson’s view of Christianity as a ‘metamyth’ (4) may be viewed differently by him in 2024. While I don’t really follow Peterson, who is now much more publicly known than when he wrote Maps of Meaning, I am aware that he seems to be on a journey towards some sort of Judeo-Christian faith over the past 4-5 years, even as he seems to solidify his place amongst the ‘free speech’ crowd (5). “Belief,” he writes, “Is disruptible…” (6), and it seems his own belief is undergoing a degree of metamorphosis. Of course, there are numerous websites and videos debating whether Peterson is actually a Christian by people’s various definition of ‘Christian’ and, if he is a Christian, whether he’s the right kind of Christian. I tend to leave the ‘Are they a Christian?’ question to God (And John MacArthur, as he seems to be pretty confident to assess such things!), and I am not particularly interested in debating what Peterson has got right or wrong about faith—or at least not in this blog.
What I am intrigued by, and what I would be curious to dialogue with Peterson further about (he is Canadian after all!) is what sort of factors have caused him to go through the threshold experience of re-evaluating and changing (at least to some degree) one significant map of meaning—that is, the viability and perhaps the historicity of the Jesus narrative. This disruption, Peterson says, “necessarily involves extreme emotional dysregulation” (7). Who wants to go through that stress? Yet, any kind of change requires a degree of cognitive dissonance to motivate change, and then further discomfort as we wander through the threshold.
As I reflect on the main points of Peterson’s book and his own spiritual journey (which is partial speculation on my part and may be further illuminated by his upcoming book in 2024), I am thinking about just how radical and destabilizing a person’s conversion to Christ is—it represents a cataclysmic shift in someone’s framework (map) through which they view the world. Sometimes I wonder if we Christians think such a change can take place too easily and too quickly. Our church just finished an 8-week Alpha course where we are hoping and praying that people respond in faith to the gospel and enter into relationship with Christ.
Eight weeks.
Imagine yourself becoming an atheist or a Muslim 8 weeks from now.
A lot of significant maps would have to change for most of us! Of course, all things are possible with God, and we have lots of examples of how an encounter with Jesus transforms a person in an instant and the individual begins to sort out the implications of this new life in Christ. In a very real sense, any conversion must be the work of the Spirit of God to remove spiritual blinders and transform hearts of stone to hearts of flesh and help people sort out new maps of meaning (Perhaps that’s what Peterson means when he speaks of, “a spirit calling from outside the ‘walls’ of society”? (8)). But as it relates to our part in that process alongside others, I wonder if there are things we could do to make it easier for people to consider such radical propositions as conversion to Christ? Peterson speaks about anomalies entering our lives that present themselves as either threatening or promising (9), and those promising anomalies cause people to be curious, engage the question further, and risk the safety of the ‘known’ to explore the shores of the ‘unknown’. This seems to be what Peterson is doing in real-time himself (among other things), and I would personally love to create environments where people are given both the security/safety and time to examine these deep and personal maps of meaning in relation to the ultimate reality-map of Christ and find meaning in THE story of all stories.
(1) Jordan B. Peterson, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos (Toronto: Random House Canada, 2018).
(2) Jordan B. Peterson, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (New York: Routledge, 1999).
(3) Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Joseph Campbell Foundation, 2020).
(4) Jordan B. Peterson, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (New York: Routledge, 1999). 17.
(5) This is a link to an almost 20 minute YouTube video where Peterson is talking about Christian things, ending in his viral prayer of the Lord’s Prayer from last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr_H0QC2G_c.
(6) Jordan B. Peterson, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (New York: Routledge, 1999). 17.
(7) Jordan B. Peterson, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (New York: Routledge, 1999). 19.
(8) Jordan B. Peterson, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (New York: Routledge, 1999). 446.
(9) Jordan B. Peterson, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (New York: Routledge, 1999). 446.
About the Author
Scott Dickie
8 responses to “Jesus…Myth or Historical Reality? Peterson…Christian or Not?”
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What a radical thought you’ve posed: “Imagine yourself becoming an atheist or a Muslim 8 weeks from now.”
That’s gonna stick with me for a while Scott. Not that I’m considering either option, but it helps me consider the implications of what I am calling people to on a regular basis, especially in my “altar call responses.”
Hey John,
I’m glad you’re not seriously considering atheism! Although I joke, I have had seasons in my life where I would answer Jesus’ question to his disciples about their own potential desertion similarly: “Where else would I go from you….I can’t figure out a better alternative!”
Up in my quite secular context, we’ve had to at minimum recognize that people choosing to make a (seemingly) quick decision to jump in and follow Jesus have likely been on a long journey that we are now intersecting at a specific point. More commonly, we have had to recognize that in a post-christian culture with people who literally know nothing about Jesus….like NOTHING!….the journey of exploration and (hopefully) eventual decision for Jesus is a much, much longer process than we would like. That makes sense…because they don’t even know this Jesus map that we’re talking about and quite familiar with even exists. Like most things, it presents new challenges and new opportunities for the church…
I have no doubt the Peterson will be forgotten in the ebb of time if not sooner. His words provided me with no substantial building blocks to move in a direction (Faith or no Faith, To be or not to be). He seemed unable to come to a conclusion that was edifying.
I became curious about Jordan Peterson a couple of years ago when I saw that my brother-in-law was reading 12 Rules for Life. I know about his podcast, but I did not know he was publishing another book in 2024. I’ve heard that he was on “some sort of Judeo-Christian faith over the past 4-5 years,” as you said, but I wasn’t sure how serious that was. If he is warming to the Christian faith, I wonder if he might articulate that journey in a more accessible way than Maps of Meaning. Maybe that’s going to be revealed in his new book??
Hi Scott,
I really enjoyed your post. I was very curious about Peterson’s faith. I would have to say after watching a few interviews that he seems to be wrestling with it. I was actually quite touched by how frequently his tears flowed when discussing faith, and love, and seeing the miraculous. I agree that being that this book was written 20-years ago his faith/belief seems to be going through a metamorphosis of sorts. He is in a very vulnerable and public sphere for working that out. I was very touched by how his wife’s healing from cancer and her spiritual life has impacted him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGQnfIy0lx8
I enjoyed your post Scott; especially your empathy with those going through a conversion. Reading it, made me think about a few things. One was how in my training for administering the Birkman Personality Assessment, I have learned that the creator asserted that there were 3 things that could change the results of your assessment- virtually, that could impact your personality: the death of a child, a life-threatening illness, or a major conversion. To your point, when we are asking people to accept Christ’s life-changing gospel, we are asking them to deconstruct what has made them who they are. Thanks for helping me put that all together.
Another great post Scott, you really are a good writer and easy to read. I’ve been following Peterson over the years as well and he has been going through a spiritual evolution. You posed a great question: “Imagine yourself becoming an atheist or a Muslim 8 weeks from now.” What a great way to put ourselves in another’s shoes who might be having the rug pulled out from under them when it comes to their worldview. I will say his journey and material is causing may I know, who are agnostic or athiestic, to reengage faith, tradition, and the big questions again. Greatful for that. Great post
Scott,
This is a great post. I appreciate your writing style. Peterson was a difficult read for me. This question caused me to pause, “Imagine yourself becoming an atheist or a Muslim 8 weeks from now.” This puts so much in perspective. I absolutely love your closing. You wrote, “I would personally love to create environments where people are given both the security/safety and time to examine these deep and personal maps of meaning in relation to the ultimate reality-map of Christ and find meaning in THE story of all stories.” Yes and Amen!