Is God Onboard the ARC?

Jordan Peterson, Douglass Murray and others are true to realise that a better story and transcendence exists but if the root is missing one will be left with, to borrow Os Guinness' words, a "cut flower". We'll have just a better story, not a lasting story.

I recently returned from attending the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference in London. The ARC is pioneered by Jordan B Peterson, Baronness Philippa Stroud and Os Guinness, among others, to be a Judeo-Christian alternative to the World Economic Forum. For far too long the woke mob and radical left driven by godless ideas have fermented a story of doom and gloom for the West and the World. ARC has been founded and positions itself to be "an international movement with a vision for a better world where empowered citizens take responsibility and work together to bring flourishing and prosperity to their families, communities, and nations.¹"

I had seen all their videos from the inaugural event in 2023. Justin Brierley spoke highly of it and, thanks to a friend involved with ARC, I knew who were driving the ARC forward. So when I was invited to attend I was truly elated. But as the days drew near I kept asking myself - will I find God onboard the ARC?

My concern was driven by the realisation that despite the high praise from serious thinkers of Christendom, ARC appeared to be more focused elsewhere: countering the doomsday narrative of the left. The express drive to be an alternative to the WEF also added to this ambiguity. The WEF is just that - an economic forum. Is that what the ARC is all about? A forum to discuss flourishing and prosperity? I wanted to know in-person the 'story' ARC would be narrating.

The Elusive Better Story

ARC advances the need to tell a better story about faith, family, the future, climate change, energy, innovation and art. Yet, it's still elusive, weirdly so, what that better story actually is. My impressions were confirmed when I talked to and read what some of my friends who attended ARC thought. We know there is a better story and the one told so far by the left is a bad one. So then what exactly does the better story look like? The elusiveness is because the better story isn't out rightly given the name it deserves: Christianity.

It appears that there is a split (not an infighting by any means) within the leaders of ARC. Os Guinness leads one side with Jordan Peterson as his counterpart. The former is focused on getting the roots right while the latter is focused on the fruits. Os Guinness, being the godfather of the movement, has repeatedly reminded, both in the main talks and also in a closed room prayer breakfast, that one cannot go about rebuilding and telling the better story by merely viewing "[Christianity] as useful … if we turn [Christianity] into a psychological version of whatever". That right there was the watershed moment at ARC 2025. Jordan Peterson, Douglass Murray and others are true to realise that a better story and transcendence exists but if the root is missing one will be left with, to borrow Os Guinness' words, a "cut flower". We'll have just a better story, not a lasting story.

Remember the Poor

Alongside Os Guinness we have Ayan Hirsi Ali and others who unrelentingly call for a solid foundation in the Christian faith. Chief among them are Philippa Stroud, CEO of ARC, and Pastor Joshua Luke Smith.

In the call for rebuilding the Western civilisation, the echoes of self-help and mastering one's destiny reverberated throughout the chambers of ARC. While such strong calls have their place in rejuvenating the battle weary, it leaves out those who have fallen by the wayside. That is not to say that ARC has a disdain for the poor or that their welfare is not on the agenda. A careful review of the talks delivered sets the records straight. But it doesn't get the limelight it deserves.

Joshua's poem at the concluding ceremony reminded us to "remember the poor". But to do so, we must choose between a "revolution" and a "revelation". Caught in the heat of the moment marching through the institutions to reclaim them, compassion would be hard to come by. Thankfully Philippa Stroud is doing her part to advance the cause of the afflicted. In her article for the Conservative Home² she calls for the need to support legal migrant workers who struggle to make ends meet. As the comments make clear, the call for the government to support families that deserve support, even when coming from a Tory member, is immediately tagged as 'socialist'.

With Conservatives from the Western world making the overwhelming majority at ARC, there exists the eerie possibility that such government-driven course correction will not find the sympathy it requires, simply because the Left has positioned themselves to be the champions of welfare systems. Christian Conservatives may find the peer pressure to DOdGE any such policy suggestions too strong to resist. Will the better story told be one suited just for those who help themselves? Will the rest miss out on "flourishing and prosperity"? Will the "widows and orphans" fall by the wayside? There appears the tendency of a knee-jerk reaction because of the politics involved. If this shall plague ARC, how Judeo-Christian shall the ARC remain? Shall God be onboard the ARC?

Where the Hope Lies

Among the art on display at ARC, Julie Ann Scott arrayed 9 pieces depicting the triumph of Britain over the Nazis. The recurring thread among them was the necessity of prayer, brought forth through paintings like these focusing on King George VI's role in assembling Britain under the banner of prayer.

I captured this while at ARC. If this is a copyright violation kindly reach me at jacob@saftapologetics.com

In the affixed board adjacent to the art, Julie writes,

King George VI: During the war, every time Britain faced an existential crisis with no human help available, King George VI initiated national days of prayer pleading for divine intervention. Seven times we prayed and seven times we were delivered. We must remember the truth that the King knew the best and only weapon against evil was faith in God's word. We must build our house only on this sure and solid foundation. The orange DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD represents where the hope lies.

Julie's art advance two truths essential for ARC to remain afloat: victory against evil comes with divine help and resilient foundations must be built on Scripture.

Many non-Christians at ARC admire the civilisational greatness of the West, a greatness, by account of their own admission, owing in no little part to the role played by the Bible. But the builders of the past succeeded in doing so because of their outlook on Scripture. They didn't take the Genesis mandate on human equality to be a metaphorical or mystical edict. They took it literally. Could they have built the modern world with its modern codes of values with a non-literal reading of such crucial passages? If not, how can the rebuilders achieve such a feat? I am in no means arguing for a hyper-literal reading of all of Scripture. But if the blueprints of Western civilisation on table, once interpreted literally, are now to be read metaphorically, what sort of confidence can one have in that enterprise? It remains unclear where ARC will sail towards in this regards. One thing is clear: Christianity is at the centre no matter what.

Grab an Oar and Row

In the final talk of ARC 2025, Jordan Peterson outlined what lays ahead by drawing connections to stories from the Old Testament. He however did so in his manner: metaphorical readings and allusions to a non-personal transcendent force. He is on a journey and his journey has been used by God to draw many seeking deeper meaning and purpose unto Himself. No vessel is off limits for God.

Peterson spoke of God visiting Abraham as the "spirit of adventure", calling him out to the adventure that lay ahead. It struck me then that I had never used nor heard anyone speak of our pilgrim progress to the Celestial City as an adventure. The adrenaline anticipation built in to a call for adventure is oft left out. But our journey is precisely an adventure. The days ahead are exciting. No Christian can look at what lies ahead and claim it to be one of boredom. We are in the thick of the battle on all fronts across all domains.

Peterson then concluded with the following admonition to the 4,000+ seated before him,

Welcome onboard the ARC, grab an oar and row.

It is easy to sit through 3 days of conference to listen to such exciting and deep talks. But what lays ahead is crucial. Peterson's call to me was clear. I who understood the essentiality of ARC must, like King George VI, bent my knees and beseech divine protection for the ARC.

The past few years have been radically paradigm shifting. Atheism's surge has peaked and leveled off in the US. Belief in God is making a surprising rebirth in Europe. Bible and God is taking centre stage in media (consider Wes Huff!) Global politics and alliances are being reshaped. We continue to be, as Os Guinness coined it, in the "civilisational moment". The ARC, despite the lack of clarity on some fronts, is being built using the right blueprint. There are men and women of great Christian conviction onboard who are holding down the fort.

It is time to grab an oar and row because God is onboard the ARC, for now.

Here are some must-watch videos from ARC 2025 released as of March 2nd.