Country music singer John Rich confronts Jordan Peterson on his faith crisis: 'What terrifies you?'
'The last thing [God] wants to see happen to you is for you to go and follow the other way and wind up in eternity separated from him,' Rich told Peterson
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Country music singer John Rich posed tough questions to Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson about his faith journey in an "intense" new interview.
During a recent conversation on Peterson's podcast, Rich read an old quote from Peterson where he wrestles with believing in Christianity even as he finds there's an objective morality rooted in Biblical values.
"'But I still don't know what to make of it, partly because it's too terrifying of a reality to fully believe. I don't know what would even happen to you if you fully believed,'" Rich quoted Peterson.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"What struck me about that is the ‘terrified’ part," Rich reacted. "Because to me I would think it would be the greatest thing in the world if Jesus is who the Bible says he is … Then you should go running straight to him because he controls Heaven and Hell."
Country singer John Rich debated faith and spirituality with Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson on his podcast. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
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"He loves you more than [any]body will ever love you. He created you," Rich continued.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The last thing he wants to see happen to you is for you to go and follow the other way and wind up in eternity separated from him. So I know it's your interview, but I wanted to ask you, what terrifies you about the notion that Jesus might be who the Bible actually says he is?" he asked Peterson.
Peterson said that his views on faith have deepened as he was researching the Biblical narratives for his new book, "We Who Wrestle with God."
The "terrifying" part of faith, he said, was giving up control and yielding to God's will for your life.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"There's a terror in letting that go, let's say, and only doing … what you're commanded to do or what you're invited to do by the spirit of the truth. But the payoff is an adventure that's so disproportionately greater than whatever you would've gained," Peterson said.
Jordan Peterson talked about his new book, "We Who Wrestle with God" on his podcast with guest John Rich. (iStock)
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"There's a terror in being subjugated to that even though it's a necessary subjugation," he continued.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rich challenged Peterson on whether it was a greater "terror" to have your life changed by God or to end up facing "eternal terror" in the afterlife. He asked him if Peterson would be willing to turn his life over to Christ, which Peterson said he did long ago.
As the two continued to debate what it meant to be saved, Peterson said "holy terror" kept him pursuing the "straight and narrow path."
Rich replied that no one can be good enough to be worthy of salvation and that "every knee" would bow before God one day.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}John Rich challenged Jordan Peterson to reconsider keeping his faith views private. (iStock)
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Peterson admitted that he "loathed" talking about his personal beliefs about faith in public because he didn't want it to be a spectacle.
Rich challenged him to reconsider. He argued that Peterson could reach millions of people with "the truth" about the Bible and eternity.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"You could be one of the most powerful weapons in the hand of God that he ever slung," he told Peterson.
The country singer reacted to the interview afterward on social media, calling the discussion about life, death and faith, "intense, to say the least."