The American church should be ashamed of Jordan Peterson's lunch. It's not just Peterson. A swarm of other influencers did the same.
Peterson's success should be especially poignant because so much of his work is about the Bible.
One of Peterson's original claims to fame was that his series of lectures on Genesis were watched by hundreds of thousands of people, mostly young people, despite each episode lasting two hours. It was. He has just published his Bible commentary, “We Wrestle with God.'' Earlier this year, he toured the country with this theme, filling theaters across the country. Here in Indianapolis, it sold out a 2,500-seat auditorium with a minimum ticket price of more than $100. The audience effectively paid to hear him preach on Genesis.
People are willing to pay to have Jordan Peterson preach.
Oddly enough, the church doesn't seem all that interested in understanding the Jordan Peterson phenomenon, much less the sane people (like former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink) to the shady (the infamous Andrew (like Tate), much less the rest of the male influencer archipelago. ). Traditional strategies continue, which are appealing to some but are not as effective as those practiced by online influencers.
I can understand some of the appeal of online influencers. There's a certain edgy, rebellious, “brotherly” vibe to it. Some of the things sold here, such as pickup art, should be flatly rejected by the church, no matter how big the market is.
But that's not all.
They appear to be on the side of men. They don't see men as a problem to be solved.
Online influencers are happy to provide politically incorrect information that traditional authorities often don't touch. They will note that the majority of divorces (about 70% of them) are initiated by women. I rarely, if ever, hear a pastor mention this. They'll talk about hypergamy, or the fact that women prefer dating and marriage, or at least not downward. They also have a curiosity about the world, which is one of the keys to the success of Joe Rogan's podcast.
They also give you lots of practical advice to help you in your life. This includes advice on diet, exercise, and business, as well as tips on how to be liked by women.
Again, not all are accurate, but many are very useful. I myself have learned a lot from some of these people.
Most of all, they appear to be on the side of men. They don't see men as a problem to be solved. They don't just deliver a reprimand: “Good luck!” lecture.
Instead, they often look to men to step up, but they are also cheerleaders. And they treat men's own hopes, dreams, aspirations, and plans as important, but not as something that must be completely sacrificed or given up in the service of someone else's purpose. No.
Many of these people are playful, while others treat life more seriously than many traditional authorities think.
A good example is Jocko Willink's idea of ”extreme ownership.” Or that Jordan Peterson treats the Bible as having something important to say about the human condition. In the evangelical magazine Christianity Today, review his booksaid, “Christian readers should learn from Peterson's boldness, his reverence and obedience before the sacred page.”
For those of us who are convinced that Christianity is true, it is incumbent on us to understand why so many people look elsewhere for answers in life. And you have to find a way to articulate the truth in a way that seems more convincing than what online influencers offer.
