Last week, Jordan Peterson went viral for his appearance on Jubilee, where he was initially billed as 1 Christian up against a score of atheists. Atheist vs Christian debates has been marketable content for decades, and so Jubilee, with their conversation videos, however authentic, hosted Jordan Peterson as a representative for Christianity, where he quickly proved unwilling to defend the faith.
In this video, a Reddit tier atheist point blank asks Peterson whether he’s a Christian, and Peterson denies ever claiming to be a Christian and denies being one via his refusal to answer the question, insisting that it’s a private matter.
Christians are commanded in 1 Peter 3:15 to always be willing to give a defense for the faith. Moreover, Jesus says that he will deny those who deny him (Matthew 10:33). While Peterson’s denial of Christ was not as egregious as Peter’s, he nonetheless, signed up for a debate against atheists as someone who could not properly represent a side.
As for the Reddit atheist, he was rightfully indignant about signing up to debate a Christian and getting someone who believes in nothing, instead.
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I only saw part of this, but the essence of what I took, Peterson seemed to object to having to tell the atheist what he specifically believed. Almost like it didn’t matter. Never mind that only others have claimed he was EVER a Christian in the first place, but for a moment consider.
That Jubilee thing has to be one of the biggest rhetorical scams of a program I ever saw.
The atheists did not seem to have to announce their position, but Jordan was expected to do so to make it easier to triangulate and attack his position?
Also, the verse in peter says be prepared/ready to give an account. It does not say to always give an account. Also recall that Jesus said when they call you to authorities don’t worry about what to say, because the Lord gives it.
Jordan to my knowledge does not actually claim Christ, and that to me is the difference here, it would be different if he had some actual public profession of faith, and then seemed like he recanted. But that Jubilee thing is just the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched a couple of them now, and learned very little from any of them long term.
Frankly, I am not moved by Jordan’s words sometimes also. He comes off as a person who has a respect for some need for the message of the Gospel, but won’t proclaim the message itself. Does that make him like the person in was it Hebrews 6?
Heb 6:4-6 (think this is the KJV)
“4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”
The rub here is I have a difficult time claiming this is Jordan apostatizing, so much as nothing having been established conceretely.
I know many are disappointed that he hasn’t just come out and said he is, but when i think that asking the questions the way he was asked as a debate tactic, that Jordan did not want to play their game, means the entire discussion basically came to a sudden halt.