Author talk covers spirituality at arena
More than 3,000 Arkansans gathered at North Little Rock’s Simmons Bank Arena on Tuesday to hear University of Toronto emeritus professor Jordan B. Peterson on his “We Who Wrestle With God Tour.’’
In some instances, people said they had shelled out more than $100 per ticket to hear the Canadian psychologist and author discuss “the psychological significance of the biblical stories.”
Peterson’s 2018 bestseller, “12 Rules for Life,” has sold millions of copies and his online videos are extremely popular. He has 5 million followers on X (formerly known as Twitter) and 2.8 million followers on Facebook.
His online classes on Genesis and Exodus have also attracted a great number of viewers.
Tuesday, the academic was dressed in a coat of many colors — a jacket of orange, yellow, red and gray, with Peterson’s own signature emblazoned on the lapel.
Early on, Peterson and his audience spent a few minutes in audio-visual purgatory.
The day’s scriptural passage was supposed to focus on God’s call of Abraham, the Hebrew Patriarch, in the 12th chapter of Genesis.
Instead, the jumbo screen highlighted Genesis 4: the story of Cain and Abel.
As someone rushed to locate the correct images, Peterson switched from Old Testament tales to stories about his childhood, his interest in “the problem of evil,” and a visit to a maximum security prison somewhere in the Great White North before eventually coming around to what he labeled “the biblical corpus.”
“The deepest stories are religious,” he said.
Peterson spoke for two hours, mixing psychology and spirituality.
In the call of Abraham, “God is the voice of adventure that calls even to the unwilling,” he said.
Toward the end, Peterson fielded three questions from the audience, offering relationship advice and describing his favorite music.
While a few lecture-goers wearied and departed early, the vast majority stayed until the very end,
showering him with applause when it finished. A sizable minority gave him a standing ovation.
Shanna Place said it was worth the drive from Gillett to hear him speak.
“He really challenges you to dig deeper when thinking about important topics,” she said in an email.
Derrick Mashburn of Fayetteville also left satisfied.
“I thought the talk was astounding,” he wrote in an email. “I’m excited to dive deeper into some more of his work.”
Peterson isn’t a preacher. His speciality is psychology, not theology.
“I left the church when I was about 13,” he said.
Peterson was a member of the United Church of Canada, a “middle of the road Protestant” denomination formed by a merger of Canadian Methodist, Congregationalist, Presbyterian and Union churches in 1925.
Since Peterson’s childhood, it’s gotten a lot smaller. It’s also shifted to the left, he noted.
It’s online “What We Believe” statement highlights seven areas, ranging from “Faith and the Bible” to “Copyright Justice.”
“It’s gone so woke, you can’t believe it,” he said.
Peterson’s own religious beliefs remained an enigma.
He acknowledged the reality of death without weighing in on the hope of life eternal.
Fans who missed the show need not worry. His book “We Who Wrestle With God” is slated for release on Nov 19.