I first heard the name Jordan Peterson when one of our more intellectually astute youth ministers was quoted as saying “millennial guys are reading and listening to this person”. I learned from an article online that he was very correct. Peterson has captured the attention of many millennial men. The obvious question is why? Any time we see a person shaping the minds of a segment of our population, we ought to explore the reasons. What is it about this man that captivates the minds of young adults?
Dr. Jordan Peterson is a Psychology professor in Toronto, Canada who previously taught at Harvard University. He does not consider himself a Christian in the way that most of us would define and yet he is very well versed in scripture. While he has recently been associated with conservative politics in the USA, he actually describes himself as a classic British liberal. Ultimately he is a pragmatist who is not caving to political correctness. Hence conservative radio and television is more keen to invite him to dialogue.
Peterson has published two books. The first, a more academic book was titled “Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of belief”. His more recent “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos” has captured the attention of millennials. His YouTube channel has nearly 2 million subscribers. Given his influence, what can we learn from Dr. Peterson’s approach?
There are a number of good articles observing the phenomenon. This one on Desiring God takes an excellent look into the content of Peterson’s philosophy. Alastair Roberts in the article suggests Peterson’s style of speaking to audiences is akin to preaching. I’d like to just focus on him as a communicator and set aside the content for a moment. My thoughts here were prompted by reading this article.
Dr. Jordan Peterson embodies five strengths that should inspire us who are seeking to shape the minds of millennials and generation Z. I am a firm believer that we should emulate good communicators. Sometimes we find them outside of our evangelical circles. In fact it may be more helpful to listen to a diversity of speakers than listening to loads of youth speakers.
1. Conviction – Dr. Peterson is convinced of the truths that he shares with his audience. He is not afraid of the backlash that he faces, nor the difference between his conclusions and that of the politically correct world.
2. Clarity – As an articulate professor, Peterson explains his positions on issues using clever illustrations and plain language.
3. Confidence – There is a gentle confidence in his manner that speaks of humility and strength.
4. Common sense – So much of what Peterson addresses is basic common sense. His 12 Rules would have been laughed at by publishers a few decades ago but is currently lost truth.
5. Compassion – The gentle confidence in Peterson’s voice is paired well with a sense that he genuinely is concerned for the well being of individuals and the population in general.
There is no reason why these five qualities cannot become ours as we seek to communicate the gospel and truth of God to students. Conviction in this context is about certainty. We can know with certainty the truths God has revealed. That gives us courage to speak freely without fear of backlash. We may experience backlash but if truth is on our side, we don’t need to fear this.
Clarity is more essential than ever in this age! Precision with words not only empowers your teaching, it minimizes conflict . We have a confidence that comes from knowing the God of all creation and the redeemer of mankind. that should help us speak with a humble strength. There is a sense in which we are not proclaiming new truth but the truth that got lost over the years. Bible sense used to be common. As Jen Wilkin wrote “it’s not new truths we need; we need old truth’s recently forgotten”.
Communicating certainty and compassion will take you farther with your students than using comedy. It was drilled into me as a young youth pastor that “students don’t care what you know until they know that you care”. The statement was used to place greater value on relationships than teaching. Yet there is no need to create a dichotomy here. We can communicate to students that we care about them before we even know their name.
A decade ago it seemed that the norm for speaking to students (and it was a preaching style in some churches) might be described as tentative and suggestive. Using words like “maybe”, “perhaps”, “possibly”, and “what if” the communicator took a gentle approach to suggest truth. I honestly think that backfired. Compassion and certainty will always be more effective because students need to know that we know and know that we care.
What do you think? Comment below or email me with your thoughts.
Bonus: In case you are interested in hearing Peterson summarize his best selling book “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos” you can find it here…
Leave a Reply