Answer: Maybe
Disclaimer: It is not our role to determine whether or not somebody is a Christian. We just use our discernment based on the evidence we have found on the internet to come to a likely or best-guess answer. Our answers do not actually determine who is or is not a Christian and it is ultimately between the person and God. Not us.
Canadian author, media commentator, and psychologist, Jordan Peterson was born in Alberta in 1962. Peterson is married to Tammy Roberts, and the union is blessed with two children.
Jordan Peterson became popular in 2010 because of his conservative cultural, political, and religious views and is currently a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto.
Peterson has always been vocal about his cultural, political, and religious views. On different occasions, Peterson has stated that he is very obsessed with religious matters and this explains why he talks about them so much.
Many have suspected Peterson to be a Christian even when the psychologist has not clearly stated this. He has denied atheism but has also not clearly expressed his faith in a particular religion. His audiences have raised questions on if Peterson is a Christian or not and it’s what this article seeks to find out. Read on!
Is Jordan Peterson Religious?
Society today tags someone as “religious” when he or she has outwardly fulfilled the requirement of their religion or someone who follows traditions, laws, practices, and rituals peculiar to a particular religion.
One might feel a Christian who goes to church every Sunday, Muslims who pray at the mosque every Friday, Jews that attend synagogue every Saturday, and everyone who follows the tradition and practices of a particular religious group, believe in their God or gods and publicly worship the supreme being is religious.
However, this might not be so and could be a mere show-off, to receive credit from on-lookers and not done out of deep love and belief in the religion. As a result of this, it’s not so easy to say if a person is religious or not.
Peterson has been in the news severally for religious reasons and has publicly affirmed that he is a religious person though he has not been very open on which religion he believes in. In a debate series with Premier News, the author stated that he is a religious person and we need God to make sense of our lives. Peterson added that most people who claim they are atheists aren’t. According to him;
“I would describe myself as a religious man. There’s no doubt about that. As a westerner, I am conditioned in every cell from the Judeo-Christian worldview. I live my life to the best of my ability as though God exists. That’s the fundamental hallmark of belief, it is how you act, it’s not what you say about what you think you think.”
In a question and answer session with abcQandA, the psychologist again mentioned that he is “deeply religious.” He added that his wife too became religious while struggling with cancer. While discussing matters of faith and how his wife has changed so much with Christian artist Jonathan Pageau, some of his words were:
“I mean, she’s changed quite a bit as a consequence of her struggle with cancer, She has become much more overtly religious, I would say. We say grace before our meal in the evening, and it’s a very serious enterprise, and it always centers around gratitude for the ridiculous volume of blessings that have been showered down upon us at a volume that’s quite incomprehensible. But despite that, I’m struggling with this because I don’t know how to reconcile myself to the fact of constant pain. And I feel that it’s unjust, which is halfway to being resentful, which is not a good outcome.”
Does Jordan Peterson believe in God?
Jordan Peterson, whom many see as one of the most influential interpreters of the Bible, has always been ambiguous when answering questions about his belief in God.
In a 2021 report by Giles Fraser of UnHerd, it was highlighted that Peterson has always stated that he does not like it when being asked if he believes in God. In one of his responses, the author stated: “I don’t know, exactly. I act as if God exists and I am terrified that He might.”
Peterson has affirmed that he is not ready to believe in God but prefers to act as if God exists. In a 2021 interview on Jonathan Pageau’s podcast, the psychologist stated that he has always given a somewhat negative response when asked if he believes in God. His words were:
“I’ve answered in various ways, ‘No, but I’m afraid he probably exists. There’s no limit to what would happen if you acted like God existed. It may be not reasonable to say to believers, you aren’t sufficiently transformed for me to believe that you believe in God or that you believe the story that you’re telling me. The way you live isn’t a sufficient testament to the truth.
Is Jordan Peterson a Christian?
Jordan Peterson has utterly declared that he is a religious person. Though he hasn’t declared his faith in Christianity or any other religious group. Peterson shows a lot of interest and regard for things that concern Christianity. He interprets the words of the Holy Bible and recently uploaded a 10-minute Youtube video he titled “Message to Christian churches” where he was advising churches.
He urged churches to be welcoming and make their premises a home to all. He advised churches to put up large billboards that will encourage everyone to come in. What this means is that, even though Peterson has not revealed whether he goes to church or not, he is directing others to go and this says a lot about his stand on Christianity.
Below are some statements the psychologist made in the video:
“Yes, the Church, Christ’s very bride, is up to something big and what is happening there is very important. This is TRUE. even if many Christians don’t believe it.”
In the video, Peterson mentioned that he knows the church is not perfect but that should not stop them from inviting people and having a mutually beneficial relationship with them. He advised the church to say this with humility:
“We have our problems in the Christian Church. We are moribund and sometimes, far too often, corrupt, and sometimes deeply so. We are outdated, as are all institutions with their roots in the dead, but still often wise, past. But She does have a hopeful and purposeful call to men, “So join us! We’ll help fix you up and you can help fix us up. And together, we’ll aim up.”
To date, Jordan Peterson hasn’t revealed if he is a Christian or not but he believes his opinion of Christianity is very correct. He once stated that if Jesus is right about Christianity, then he must have the same opinion as he does. In his words:
“I have the right opinions about things. If Jesus is right, He must have the same opinions as me. Therefore, churches should teach my opinions. Really, how could it be otherwise?”
“I had been raised agnostic and remained so for most of my life. But Peterson helped spark a spiritual and intellectual transformation in me that led me to the Church. Remarkably, I’m not the only one. Even though he isn’t a Christian himself, Peterson is arguably the most successful evangelist of his day.”
The above statement was made by Darren Geist in 2021 while reviewing “The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute.”
Jordan Peterson’s words and actions have most times been in support of Christianity and this begs the question: is Jordan Peterson a Christian? We can’t conclude if Peterson is a Christian or not because the psychologist hasn’t also made it public.
Is Jordan Peterson Baptized?
Many have falsely claimed that Jordan Peterson is a catholic, owing to his statements and themes harmonizing with catholic teachings and making more sense to Catholics. We do not think Jordan Peterson is baptized into Catholicism because he hasn’t publicly stated it and hasn’t declared his faith in Christianity or any religion even when he claims to be a religious person.
What did Jordan Peterson say about Jesus?
Jordan Peterson is known for his numerous religious views. He interprets and analyzes the Bible almost perfectly and makes comments about Jesus Christ.
While being interviewed on Channels 4 News, Jordan Peterson teared up while talking about Jesus. His words were:
“I’m not willing to place myself conveniently in a box of believing one man, namely, Jesus to be the savior.”
“The difference is that. Lewis pointed out as well that between those mythological gods and Christ was that there were historical representations of his existence as well. So what you have in the figure of Christ is an actual person who lived plus a myth, and, in some sense, Christ is the union of those two things.”The problem is I probably believe that but I’m amazed at my own belief, and I don’t understand it, because I’ve seen, sometimes, the objective world and the narrative world touch you know, that’s union synchronicity. And I’ve seen that many times in my own life and so, in some sense, I believe it’s undeniable.”
Conclusion
Despite Jordan’s claim of not being a Christian, his opinions are most times tailored to Christianity. As a result of this, he has earned support from several Christians because of his continuous endorsement of biblical views, Christian values, and beliefs. However, some are still worried about his merging of Christian and secular ideologies. Since Peterson has not publicly declared he is a Christian, we are not certain that he is a Christian.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!