We calculate the effects of relatively strong electric fields, corresponding to typical values for the fields inside glasses and proteins, on the spectroscopic properties of a simple two-level molecule. Disorder in the electric field strength is employed as a physical source for inhomogeneous broadening. A striking result is that a Gaussian probability distribution for, the field over the ensemble does not give rise to a Gaussian spectral line shape. The results are used. to describe the absorption spectra of the B800 band of the B800-850 light-harvesting complex of photosynthetic purple bacteria.