C.S. Lewis is often brought up in reference to Dr. Jordan Peterson, so David interviewed Dr. Christopher Kaczor and Dr. Matthew R. Petrusek about their book on the Canadian clinical psychologist, Jordan Peterson, God, and Christianity: The Search for a Meaningful Life.
S5E67: “Jordan Peterson, God, and Christianity”, After Hours with Kaczor and Petrusek (Download)
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Show Notes
Introduction
Quote-of-the-week
“A man who disbelieved the Christian story as fact but continually fed on it as myth would, perhaps, be more spiritually alive than one who assented and did not think much about it.”
C. S. Lewis, “Myth Became Fact”
Biographical Information
Dr. Christopher Kaczor graduated from the Honors Program of Boston College and earned a Ph.D. four years later from the University of Notre Dame, and he is now professor of philosophy at Loyola Marymount University. He has written more than 100 scholarly articles and sixteen books. He has been appointed a corresponding member of the “Pontifical Academy for Life”, he is a consultant to the USCCB, and is the “William E. Simon Visiting Fellow” in the “James Madison Program” at Princeton University.
Guest Biographical Information for Dr. Christopher Kaczor
Dr. Matthew R. Petrusek received an MA and PhD in religious ethics and is currently associate professor of theological ethics at Loyola Marymount University. He specializes in Christian ethics and moral theology, though lectures broadly, in English and Spanish, on philosophy, theology, and the Catholic intellectual tradition.
Guest Biographical Information for Dr. Matthew R. Petrusek
Chit-Chat
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Beverage and Toast
- David was drinking Earl Grey Tea
- Our guests were drinking an unidentified clear liquid…
Discussion
1. “Personal Background”
Would you mind telling our listeners a bit more about yourselves and, since we’re Pints With Jack, mentioning what contact you’ve had with the works of C.S. Lewis and the Inklings?
2. “Who is Jordan Peterson?”
Chances are that those listening to this podcast already have some idea of who Jordan Peterson is, but just in case we have anyone who has no idea who we’re talking about, would you please explain who Jordan Peterson is, why he’s so popular, and anything in particularly they should know?
3. “Why is he so popular?”
Why do you think Dr. Peterson is so popular and enables him to speak to skeptics about Scripture?
4. “Lewis exposure?”
Do you have any idea how much Lewis Peterson has read? He’s clearly read some…
5. “Book origin”
What motivated the production of this book, Jordan Peterson, God, and Christianity: The Search for a Meaningful Life?
6. “Peterson and Scripture”
In the first part, Dr. Kaczor, you write “A Christian Response to the Biblical Series”. This is a response to a famous series of lectures which Peterson gave on the Bible. Would you mind telling us more about that video series and about how Dr. Peterson reads the Bible?
7. “Chaos, Utopia, and Adventure”
You have a chapter called “Chaos, Utopia, and the Divine Call to Adventure”. What do you talk about there?
8. “Myth Become Fact”
The final chapter in your section has a title which should be familiar to most of our listeners, Myth Become Fact, very similar to the title of a Lewis essay found in God In the Dock. What do you make of Jordan Peterson’s understanding of myth?
9. “Rules for Life”
Dr. Petrusek, you wrote the second part of the book, where you offer a Christian response to Dr. Peterson’s book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. Would you mind telling us what that book is about?
10. “Peterson’s Philosophy”
You begin by considering Peterson’s theology. How would you describe it?
11. “The Problem of Meaning”
You consider the various “problems” which Peterson identifies. The first is the problem of meaning and its pursuit. What’s the problem?
12. “Further thought”
I want to know about what has happened since you wrote this book. You’ve obviously spoken to lots of different people about Dr. Peterson (including Pope Francis!) and you’ve even been on Peterson’s show. Have your thoughts changed at all?
13. “Grace and Faith”
Grace doesn’t really seem to fit into Dr. Peterson’s thought. What do you think?
More Information
- Dr. Christopher Kaczor (Website | Twitter)
- Dr. Matthew R. Petrusek (Website | Twitter)
- Jordan Peterson, God, and Christianity (Word on Fire | Amazon)
- Jordan Peterson
