Jordan Peterson’s New Book Fails to Ignite Faith in Young Readers

TORONTO, Canada — Jordan Peterson, the controversial pop psychologist and author of the bestseller “12 Rules for Life,” has released a new book delving into biblical narratives. Despite his massive following, the book, which explores Genesis, Exodus, and Jonah, has been criticized for its lack of depth and repetitive style.

Peterson, known for his Jungian approach to psychology, interprets biblical characters as archetypes, such as “the Great Mother” and “the divine Son.” However, critics argue that his analysis often feels more suited to a counseling session than a theological exploration. “Do not look back at what you have left behind once you have learned to look forward in a better direction,” Peterson writes, a sentiment many find overly simplistic.

The book also revisits Peterson’s well-known bugbears, including his views on biological differences between men and women, his disdain for relativism, and his skepticism of climate change activism. While some of his assertions, such as his opposition to communism and Nazism, are uncontroversial, his prose has been described as convoluted and repetitive. “Perhaps we need to carry with us some box, never to be opened, so that the Pandora of our inquiry does not undermine ourselves, such that we fall forever downward,” reads one particularly opaque passage.

Critics have also noted the book’s lack of a coherent structure, with random digressions into topics like artificial intelligence, King Lear, and male alcoholism. The absence of an index further complicates navigation, leaving readers to sift through dense, meandering prose.

Ultimately, the book fails to capture the mystery and transcendence that many seek in religious texts. “If the stories in the Bible are simply exempla akin to fables, then they are not special,” one critic observed. “Why, then, should we pay them special attention?”

Despite its shortcomings, Peterson’s book is likely to find an audience among his devoted followers, though it may do little to reignite faith in a younger, more secular generation.