Dr. Jordan B. Peterson spoke at Franciscan University of Steubenville on April 4 to more than 1,500 Franciscan University students, employees, and invited guests.

Peterson, a best-selling author and clinical psychologist, opened the evening with a talk on the cultural and psychological significance of the Bible. He discussed how the biblical canon is fundamental to Western culture, serving as the bedrock upon which most other texts depend and a lens through which to perceive the world.

Referencing a recent trip to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., he said, “If you mapped out the relationships between all the books that there are, you’d find the most fundamental book is the biblical library.”

“We see the world through a structure of value,” he added. “A huge part of that structure of value is derived from the entire set of texts and their interrelationships with the biblical corpus at their base.”

Peterson explained people gravitate toward narratives “to establish frameworks of perception” because “we’re trying to build, within ourselves and collectively, the structure that enables us to perceive the world without undue confusion and chaos, and in a manner that provides some value to us and some sustainability.”

From a scientific perspective then, the Bible “is true in that it provides the basis for truth itself,” he said. “Without it, there couldn’t even be the possibility of truth.”

Following his talk, Peterson had a conversation with Franciscan University President Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, about being grateful in spite of suffering, which Peterson writes about in his book Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life. Father Pivonka noted the topic is particularly relevant today, both for Christians and for the wider society where “the pandemic has placed at the forefront of our culture suffering, death, and pain.”

Peterson discussed the reality of suffering and how voluntarily confronting the source of suffering can be a pathway toward transcending it. Using Jesus Christ’s Passion narrative as an example, he said he found it interesting how “our culture has put at its center an archetypical tragedy,” yet the story ends not with Christ’s crucifixion but rather with his resurrection.

Examining that psychologically, Peterson said, “If you get people to expose themselves to what they’re terrified of, being terrified isn’t the end of the story. Recovering is the end of the story. So that begs the question, to what degree are we capable of bearing suffering and prevailing? The answer might be to the degree we’re capable of confronting it forthrightly.”

Father Pivonka spoke about how suffering can have a meaningful purpose and serve as an invitation to draw closer to the Lord.

“It’s easy to find God in a sunset. What about cancer, divorce, and infertility?” Father Pivonka said. “It’s the mystery of our faith that God enters the messiness, rather than just fixing it from the outside. He takes it upon himself and transforms it. When we find him there, we can find him anywhere.”

Peterson noted that maintaining an ethical orientation amid malevolence and suffering is extremely difficult, but those who do so bring about goodness.

“When you see people take on more responsibility and decide they’re going to confront their suffering honestly and forthrightly, their lives get better and the lives of people around them get better, too,” Peterson said. “It also means that the pathway to less suffering is through suffering.”

The event was made possible thanks to a generous benefactor.

Both videos are available to watch on Peterson’s YouTube channel. His talk on the Bible can be viewed here. His conversation with Father Pivonka can be viewed here.