Jordan Peterson is getting flak online after a debate he participated in was forced to change its title from “1 Christian vs. 20 Atheists” to “Jordan Peterson vs 20 Atheists.”
Jubilee debates have spawned numerous viral videos at this point, bringing in people with extremely different perspectives for heated debates. Some of the most popular videos involve young people debating known rightwing figures like Ben Shapiro.
Their most recent video brought in 20 atheists to debate Peterson, a controversial figure on both ends of the political spectrum. But this time, the actual stances being debated—Christianity vs atheism—have been taking a backseat due to a truly bizarre choice Peterson made once the cameras were rolling. He refused to acknowledge whether or not he’s a Christian.
Jordan Peterson vs 20 Atheists
A viral clip from the production features a young man named Danny who attempted to ask Peterson some questions about Catholicism. Looking confused, Peterson demanded to know why he was being asked.
“You’re a Christian,” Danny replied.
“You say that,” said Peterson. “I haven’t claimed that.”
Danny kept pushing, pointing out that the debate was, in fact, Christians vs. atheists and point blank asking Peterson whether he identifies as a Christian. But Peterson insisted that’s a “private” matter.
“I could be either of them, but I don’t have to tell you,” he said.
The back-and-forth ultimately ended with Peterson refusing to continue speaking to Danny despite there being nearly four minutes left on their clock.
From “1 Christian vs. 20 Atheists” to “Jordan Peterson vs 20 Atheists”
The debate in question was initially posted with the title “1 Christian vs. 20 Atheists.” In a video of his own, Danny clarified that this was the original way the concept had been pitched to everyone asked to participate. He also alleged that Peterson “embraced the label” prior to the start of filming, but got cagey once the show was underway.
The confusion over whether Peterson is actually a Christian or not led to Jubilee having to edit the title after going live, renaming the debate, “Jordan Peterson vs 20 Atheists.”
“If he was responsible, he would have declined,” Danny said. “If he doesn’t label himself as a Christian… then he should have never entered the arena.”
Is Jordan Peterson a Christian?
Despite the Bible having a fairly prominent story about a man who repeatedly denied Christ, this is far from the first time Peterson has been cagey about explicitly labeling himself a Christian. And it’s a point that has frustrated numerous interviewers and rightwing pundits who build brands on religion.
In his video, Danny shared clips of two different conversations in which interviewers tried to drag the label out of Peterson to debatable success. One got him to say that he believes Jesus is God, while the other got him to admit that he “suspects” Jesus literally rose from the dead.
Another interview with The Spectator in January 2025 saw Peterson asked, point blank, if he identifies as a Christian.
“I would say in the deepest sense, yes,” he responded. “But I’m not a typical Christian because I’m striving for understanding above all.”
Peterson loses the Jubilee debate
The overwhelming opinion online following the video’s release (and title change) has been that Peterson wound up looking utterly foolish. Christianity aside, in the question of Jordan Peterson vs 20 atheists, it only took one atheist to knock him out.
Peterson has not yet commented publicly on the debate, but his X bio still contains a plea for people to order his latest book about stories from the Christian Bible.
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