Past Event
Workshop with Dan Strange
Making Faith Magnetic
in London
This event was held on the 12th July 2023
Paul Bickley and Nathan Mladin look at the dynamics of London
Making Faith Magnetic in London
Workshop with Dan Strange
Making Faith Magnetic presents a framework for cultural analysis and apologetics. The book takes the ‘magnetic points’ framework of the 20th century missionary to Indonesia, J.H. Bavinck, and applies it to our current cultural context in the West. The ‘magnetic points’ are what make up the ‘religious consciousness’ of every human being: five areas of longing and need to which we are all drawn to ‘magnetically’ and which can only be subversively fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
On the day, we explored how this framework manifests itself in London and what that might mean for our churches in terms of discipleship, evangelism, and community engagement.
Dan gave a brief recap of the book's themes, and Paul Bickley and Dr Natan Mladin joined to help think through some of the dynamics of the city, particularly the City of London. Paul and Natan are the authors of the recent Theos Report ‘Religious London’. They worked together to build out a picture of what the magnetic points looked like in London, moving towards what this might mean for ministry in London in 2023 and beyond.
Dan Strange
Dan is the director of Crosslands Forum, a center for cultural engagement and missional innovation. Formerly he was college director and tutor in culture, religion, and public theology at Oak Hill College, London. He is a contributing editor for Themelios, and vice president of The Southgate Fellowship. Dan's book, Their Rock Is Not Like Our Rock: A Theology of Religions (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015), received an award of merit for theology/ethics in the Christianity Today 2016 Book Awards. His most recent books are Plugged In (The Good Book Company, 2019), and Making Faith Magnetic (The Good Book Company, 2021) both with Forewords from Tim Keller. Dan is married to Elly, has seven children and is a West Ham United season ticket holder.
Paul Bickley
Paul is Head of Political Engagement at Theos. His background is in Parliament and public affairs, and he holds an MLitt from the University of St Andrews’ School of Divinity. Paul is the author of ‘Building Jerusalem? Christianity and the Labour Party’ (2010) and numerous Theos reports.
Nathan Mladin
Nathan joined Theos in 2016. He holds a PhD in Systematic Theology from Queen’s University Belfast and is the author of several publications, including the Theos reports Data and Dignity: Why Privacy Matters in the Digital Age, Religious London: Faith in a Global City (with Paul Bickley), and ‘Forgive Us Our Debts’: lending and borrowing as if relationships matter (with Barbara Ridpath). Nathan is also a visiting lecturer at St Mellitus College, London. His research, speaking and writing focus on technology ethics, AI, and theology of culture.