Is Jordan B Peterson the saviour of Christianity?

It all seemed to be going smoothly. Could I book Jordan Peterson for an interview about his new book? “Yes,” said the publicist. “He’ll be in the UK soon and his diary is fairly free.”

However, as the date approached, my allotted time began to be whittled down. The publicist couldn’t quite believe how much interest there seemed to be in the relatively unknown Canadian psychology professor and his new book 12 Rules for Life: An antidote to chaos (Allen Lane). Numerous media outlets were vying for his time and two hastily booked lectures at a 1,000seat venue sold out within hours. The events were packed out, not by crusty academics, but by young male professionals.

I still managed to bag an hour with the increasingly in-demand author in the form of a discussion recording for my Unbelievable? show. Peterson would be appearing opposite atheist psychologist Susan Blackmore, the first in a special video series called The Big Conversation.

However, one of the next appointments in Peterson’s diary turned out to be an interview with Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman, whose inquisitorial style often leaves politicians flustered. But when she challenged Peterson over his views on the gender pay gap, the psychologist’s cool dismantling of her combative assertions left Newman (literally) speechless. The interview went viral, with millions of views on YouTube, and Peterson was launched further into the celebrity stratosphere.

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See also: Jordan Peterson warns things will get worse before they get better, by Jonathan van Maren, The Bridgehead