The Peterson/Rogan interview is blowing up the interwebs. Four hours of conversation ranging from climate change and the significance of the Bible in shaping language and culture. I made mention to someone that Peterson channeled the great Francis Schaeffer when he spoke of the Bible as truer than true. The late apologist wanted to speak of truth as something more foundational; something more rooted. He coined the phrase “true truth” to convey this sense of certainty in the God of Scriptures. Of course, to be clear, Peterson is not yet a member of First Baptist of Pascagoula. If anything, he’s embraced a sensical priestly role in our secularized society.
The interview is fascinating on a number of levels, but more importantly, in my mind, is the closeness to sanity I see abounding in sundry platforms, especially on the world’s largest, namely Joe Rogan. Now, I am aware of the traps that certain purists warn us about and I despise the kind of generalism associated with the media. Observations about “God” generally don’t mean much, and I try to develop allergic reactions to such instinctive. Nevertheless, as one who observes and follows social trends, there is certainly a shift in orientation taking place in our society.
Bill Maher’s atheism affords him a little dose of common grace here and there, but if you told me that Bill Maher was going to be a voice of reason in 2022 on matters pertaining to COVID, I would have said you are as high as Bill Maher on a typical Saturday. But alas, sanity is prevailing. There is less stupidity going around.
There is a scene in the “Last Battle,” where C.S. Lewis records Jill’s words that she would rather be killed “fighting for Narnia than grow old and stupid at home.” Indeed, COVID has taught us that dying stupidly at home is more rewarding than fighting for our convictions. If a Christian looks at the world today and says, “What are we going to fight about?” he has already made his steady descent into stupidity at home. There is always something to fight about. In fact, give me a man, a husband who fights for nothing, and you will show me a man who will have no stamina to fight for Narnia when it is time. And it’s time, man!
Peterson is a piece of the puzzle. He keeps adding more and more sanity to the matter. His defense of the free market was spectacular. His tirade against stupidity was commendable throughout. But we need more voices of sanity from within the Church to speak out. We need more biblicism; the kind that irritates the free-thinkers. We cannot be flattered into oblivion. We cannot be controlled by fear at the moment we need to be controlled by courage.
Our cognitive dissonance becomes more astounding as we allow portraits of the church that make her be a pitiful helper to Mother State. Whatever happened to the insatiable thirst to make God’s name known among happy Calvinists? Those same voices have been surprisingly silent in this venture. These were the same ones arguing that Federal Visionists were going to lead people to Rome. Remember? Now, those same voices have abdicated their duties and have drunk deeply of the kool-aid of wokeness and they have chosen their battle cry of justice to be centered on social causes that would have made the late R.C. Sproul cringe. And those of us in the old, dreadful world of covenantalism have kept steady in our walk upwards to the prize. We have embraced our inner Frame and just moving about calling stupidity wherever it is found. You know, dude, it’s truer than just true.
Seinfeld once said to George Constanza: “There’s more to life than making shallow, fairly obvious observations.” I agree with the sentiment, and anyone who knows me knows that my life’s goal is to communicate things with a flavor of teriyaki sauce, but the mood of the day is that “fairly obvious observations” have had a steep decline in the stock market of ideas, and Peterson now has become the guru of common sense.
Now, I often do lament that God took Greg Bahnsen so young, and why he didn’t extend the life of Van Til, Schaeffer, and Sproul another 50 years. But, to my embarrassment, the answer is simple: he’s raising up new mouthpieces to speak clearly and objectively and to make obvious observations in an age of high-class warfare against sanity.
It’s time to put Elijah on display again (I Kings 18). It’s time to test the prophets of the age, even if you are the only one left. It’s time to pursue the praise of God. It’s time to start taunting the prophets of Baal: “Go ahead, shout louder!” And when their voices are tired and weary and our King rules and reigns again in our midst, our voices will prove valiant and steady marching to our favorite tune of adoration.
