Christian Scholars Applaud and Critique Jordan Peterson’s Book ‘We Who Wrestle with God’
Jordan Peterson's new book We Who Wrestle with God: Perceptions of the Divine includes profound insights into biblical narratives but also takes interpretive liberties that reshape theological meaning, say two Christian scholars who recently reviewed it for a podcast. Biola University's Scott Rae and Sean McDowell discussed Peterson's book in an hour-long discussion for an episode of The Sean McDowell Show, each saying they are fans of Peterson's work and believe the book has valuable insights for the Christian community. Last fall, We Who Wrestle with God landed on the New York Times bestseller list and upon its release was the best-selling book on Amazon.
Peterson is a psychologist, author, and cultural commentator known for his critiques of modern secularism.
"I found it very encouraging with how familiar he is with the Bible -- and I think his familiarity with the Bible puts some of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to shame," said Rae, professor of philosophy and Christian ethics at Biola and dean of faculty at the Talbot School of Theology.
"He holds the text with a kind of reverence, a sense of learning from it, a sense of respect, a sense of like: Let's dive in and learn from this," said McDowell, associate professor of Christian apologetics at Biola.
McDowell praised Peterson for highlighting the significance of religion and marriage in society. He also applauded Peterson for viewing the Old and New Testaments as a unified narrative with overarching themes.
Both men, though, said Peterson's interpretation of certain biblical stories often misses the mark. McDowell cited Peterson's interpretation of the story of David and Goliath.
"He says, 'The true hero is he who defeats the giant tyrant of the state,'" McDowell said.
McDowell acknowledged that Peterson is "making the same moralistic mistake that a lot of preachers make" in discussing the famous story. But McDowell said the point of the David and Goliath story "is that the one true God of Israel is the true God."
"It's not about defeating the tyrants of the state. And I think he makes this mistake a few times," McDowell said.
Another example of Peterson missing the mark, McDowell said, involves a story from 1 Kings 19, when Elijah flees to Mount Horeb after defeating the prophets of Baal and encounters God in what Scripture calls a "still small voice." Peterson interprets that still small voice as "the voice of conscience," McDowell said.
"And then he takes that voice of conscience and says, 'Abraham was responding to the voice of conscience, Jonah was responding to the voice of conscience, Moses was responding to the voice of conscience.'"
The Bible, though, makes clear this "was an audible voice," McDowell said.
"If you were there with Elijah, you would have … actually heard that audible voice," McDowell said. "And so removing God speaking objectively to Elijah allows him to somewhat universalize these stories and say, 'This is the kind of still small voice. God is all calling us to adventure. God is all calling us to this.' And so that gave me pause because if that frames the way he looks at all of these different heroes, I'm thinking, 'Wait a minute. These are real historical figures called by God audibly to a particular task.'
"And I think this is an example where he's kind of importing a certain worldview onto the text itself, rather than let the text speak for itself," McDowell said.
Rae said Peterson takes "hermeneutical liberties with the text because he wants to shape it into a mold that is somewhat less supernatural than it actually is."
"I think he gets a lot of mileage out of the biblical narrative without necessarily being clear about whether he believes that it's true or not," Rae said. "I think he believes that it's relevant and that it is timeless, and that it has a whole lot to say that's insightful about the human condition."
Rae added, "The hero of all of those stories is not the character in the script -- it's God who's the hero."
Although Rae and McDowell disagreed with some of Peterson's interpretations, both men applauded Peterson for his work in speaking out for traditional beliefs.
"I think he is giving voice to a segment of the culture that I think does feel beaten down and a bit hopeless," Rae said.
The two men also invited Peterson to appear on the podcast.
"I would do it in a heartbeat," McDowell said of a potential interview with Peterson. "I so appreciate his voice."
WATCH: We Who Wrestle With God | Reviewing Jordan Peterson's New Book
Photo Credit: ©YouTube/Sean McDowell
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published March 18, 2025.
