'Wonder of Scripture' series presents Steve Peck with a personal lecture about Job

The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University hosted a lecture in its "Wonder of Scripture" series on April 3 at the Harold B. Lee Library, featuring Steven Peck, an evolutionary biologist, poet and novelist.

In his lecture, Peck offered new perspectives on scripture, particularly the Book of Job, challenging the traditional view of Job as purely patient and instead emphasizing how he questioned God amid his suffering.

We think about Job; we think about patience. No, he wasn't. He was mad, Peck said.

Peck also used metaphors to explain the Book of Job story to the audience.

God is like a vending machine. Put in the behavioral coins of obedience, and all it's doing to do in all the things you should do, and you get immediately, Peck said. And Job is feeling ripped off throughout the entire Book of Job.

This view of Job helped Steven Peck connect with him, relating Jobs experience of suffering to his own personal experiences with tragedy.

I was looking into the future with my wife, we had just got married, then we were hit by a drunk truck. We were severely injured. Peck said.

For Peck, this experience was traumatizing, and he related it to Jobs tragedy of doing everything good and still suffering.

And I could not understand it. And I remember ... (I) hobbled out into the garden, and I said, 'Why? Why, God? Did you do this?' Peck said.

Peck reflected on the traumatic experience, realizing he was blessed to have survived an accident with his wife.

He came to understand that God doesnt provide direct answers but instead raises questions about creation.

This insight helped Peck see that chaos, suffering, and human agency are essential parts of creation valuable when learning humility and wonder.

Real suffering is contextualized by the depth; it is a complex thing. This plan of creation does allow for chaos within certain limits. The decision God has made is to allow public disorders, Peck said. Christ's response was an organic view of creation in the same place; we have to have a view of creation that evolves a much deeper meaning.

These testimonies were heard by an auditorium full of people, which included Terryl Givens, a member of the Maxwell Institute.

I love the fact that it was a reflection of his own research interests, as well as his own personality, and his own unique take on discipleship, Givens said. We are all invited to get on board a ship, where there are no guarantees, but existence is a great adventure.

The same viewpoint was shared by Norma Smiley, another attendee at the event.

I think that the professor introduced a really interesting perspective about Job and the role of separation. I love how he addressed that suffering is part of our existence and how even God suffered, Smiley said.

The Maxwell Institute will host the last lecture of its Wonder of Scripture series on April 10. For more information about future speakers and events of the institute, visit its website.