Jordan Peterson: The Voice of a Wild-Man Prophet
What we can learn from one crying in the wilderness
Dateline: July 14, In the Year of our Lord 2022
I hesitate to publicize pieces by anyone as brilliant as Jordan Peterson. Some people believe Peterson to be a bit unhinged — for example, when he discussed recreational psychedelic drugs with Joe Rogan. I’ve noticed that the line between brilliant/articulate and one’s hinge is sometimes thin. But he commands language like a gem cutter whose single stroke reveals the jewel from a rough rock. How does he do that? Of late, I've been more impressed by the thoughts expressed in his eloquence. Maybe his allure will soon draw me past my skepticism of Jungian psychology to listen to his seemingly inspired wisdom. He’s been off on other things, but the piece below is stunningly important to churches, parents, and classical Christian educators. It, I affirm.
I think Peterson may be a bit like John the Baptist in one particular way – John almost certainly seemed like the crazy uncle who made a surprising amount of sense at times. Now, with Luke's gospel, we know John to be part of God's divine plan. But put yourself into the 1st century before any such gospel was written…
Let me set the stage: The common first-century Jewish laborer who fished or carved or sewed had a potpourri of ideology all around him with which to contend. The common man was deluged by Jewish sects, the lot of which prompted these blue-collar types to “check out.” Philo led a group of Jewish stoics in Alexandria not unlike today’s intellectual culture-apologists – think David French. The Sadducees were like neo-cons of our day – integrated into the halls of power and trying to remain respectable among the Romans. The purists were the Pharisees who demanded an orthodoxy and purity among God's people -- not unlike today's evangelical right. And there were the Zealots -- the "proud boy" militia types that the Romans crucified by the thousands. The Essene community, of which John was believed to be part, was the spectacle sideshow of the first century sects. It was hard, even for the regular guys, to ignore. In fact, they flocked to it. "Unhinged" seems less like a bad thing, in retrospect.
The Essenes moved to the wilderness (north Idaho?) and started a community of faith, employing a host of scribes to write and preserve, and they called people to baptism in the nearby river Jordan (or in their caves). They preached an odd apocalyptic message -- repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand! When they did leave their desert lair near the Dead Sea, they traveled with nothing but the clothes on their back – they took no money. Small communities of Essenes in each city provided whatever a traveler from their sect needed – even a change of clothes. So, if you passed an Essene on a country road, they looked like a suburbanite who threw on their bathrobe to get the mail and wandered too far -- 10 miles too far. The Essenes were simply odd everywhere they went. “Odd” but admired.
John ate candy coated locust, wore a camel hair jacket, and was a voice crying in the wilderness. Think about that. Such a person today would be ignored, if he could be. Or scorned. But, John did not stay in the wilderness. John wandered into the halls of power, creating intrigue even among the highest in society. And, if you were privileged enough to have Jordan river front property, the throngs of people camped on your villa's lawn waiting to get baptized created an unwanted scene.
I put Jordan Peterson in this camp – substituting YouTube for the “crying in the wilderness” part. John was admirable, but uncouth enough to get beheaded. I'm sure, in retrospect, more people alive at the time wished they had listened to John. Of course, Peterson may be more of a Persian wiseman than a Semitic prophet -- we'll see where his relationship with Christ goes. Whatever you think of Peterson, we should listen – like those who now wish they had listened to John.
In this piece, which is now making the rounds on twitter, Peterson touches on a consequential question for parents and classical Christian educators -- how can we better serve boys. Anyone who invokes Dolores Umbridge in our age probably has a point. He also brushes by a vitally important alignment between Jacques Derrida and logo-centric West. We'll pick this theme up in our coming series called "Contra Mundum."
Poetic License: This southern part of Idaho might have conformed more to the Essene’s liking than north Idaho. Craters of the Moon National Monument.
I love Peterson, and really like that you made such a connection between him and John the Baptist. People find it hard to recognize the similarities of anything that is currently happening, I think it must be just a lack of understanding of history. I cannot be sure, but I know I have been able to see such things all my life and can recognize when history has repeated itself. You sir, are also one of these people.
"But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace." Psalm 37.11 (my favorite scripture and one I always remember for what's to come.
May God bless you and keep you, sir.