Published by Good Book Company on October 1, 2021
Genres: Non-Fiction, Apologetics, Christian Life
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As followers of Jesus, we know that the good news is deeply attractive. But we often fear that to those on the outside, it comes across as irrelevant or even repellent. Sometimes the Christian worldview feels so out of step with everything else going on that we don't know how to share our faith.
However, author Daniel Strange wants to show you that the connections are there--in fact, the longings that our culture cannot help but express are the very ones that Jesus fulfils.
Building on the work of theologian J.H. Bavinck, Dan reveals five recurring themes that our culture can't stop talking about, or, as he puts it, the "five permanent 'itches' that in our work, rest, and play, we have to vigorously scratch." From TV to books to social media, these are the questions we can't stop asking and the tensions we can't stop wrestling with--and Jesus speaks powerfully into each one.
This book will help you to spot these connections in our culture, excite you about how Jesus makes sense of humankind's deepest questions and longings, and equip you to speak of him to others in a way that is truly magnetic.
Throughout this book, Daniel Strange builds on work by the twentieth century Dutch pastor and missionary J. H. Bavinck, who studied anthropology and psychology. Bavinck offered insight into the core, universal elements of human experience that everyone grapples with, regardless of their cultural traditions or personal belief background, and Strange updates Bavinck’s concepts and language for our current secular age. Overall, this book is very readable and accessible despite its philosophical depth, and it addresses core themes about humans’ need for transcendent connection, moral norms, deliverance, destiny, and a sense of a higher power.
Christians who enjoy apologetics will appreciate this book’s unique angle and insights, and those who are less likely to think philosophically about faith can still engage with this book because of its accessible writing style and vivid, real-world examples. Making Faith Magnetic addresses lots of current global issues and controversies and ways that people try to create meaning in their lives through their beliefs and communities. Strange shares interesting and perceptive interpretations of our current cultural moment, and during the second half of the book, he focuses on how Jesus fulfills all of the core needs that humans have and try to meet through other means.
I found Making Faith Magnetic engaging and insightful, and would recommend it to other Christians who enjoy thinking deeply about their faith and how to share it with others. However, even though Strange writes this to an audience of fellow believers, I would also recommend it to people who are not Christians but are curious about Christian beliefs. Even though these readers are not Strange’s primary audience, the book is so insightful and even-handed that it can appeal to people who do not share his fundamental presuppositions.