Catholics and ‘totality’

In my conversations with Catholic friends, I have found it useful to reference the five ‘magnetic points’ expounded by British theologian Daniel Strange.

There are five fundamentals that all human beings are looking for and to which they are magnetically drawn. Because of their universal presence in people’s lives, they can be seen in Catholics too.

According to Strange, each religion responds in various ways to these five questions. Their responses are points of attraction for people to be drawn to them. The questions are:

1. The search for totality: a way to connect to reality.
2. The need for a norm: a way to live.
3. The yearning for deliverance: a way out of oppression.
4. The sense of destiny: a way to control.
5. The reality of a higher power: a way to measure up to the supernatural.

Strange says that ‘these magnetic points act as a kind of “religious anatomy” of fallen human beings’ (p.27). Other religions suppress God’s truth and seek to substitute it with an alternative account, resulting in a messy combination of beliefs and practices. He argues that every religious conversation touches on one or more magnetic points. It is up to us to succeed in conveying the message of the gospel by showing how the Good News is the right answer for relating to the world, living according to God’s will, being set free from sin, relying on divine benevolent providence, and living in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Every religion, Roman Catholicism included, provides improbable and insufficient answers to the magnetic points. The gospel subverts these answers and fulfills the magnetic points. In the darkness of human existence, only the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring light. Truth is found in Him. This is the complete and living power for people, the power long suppressed and rejected. Dan Strange comments: ‘… the gospel of Jesus Christ does not bypass the magnetic points, but is the subversive fulfillment of the magnetic points’ (p.88). The gospel does not replace the points but presents a person, Jesus Christ, who fulfills them and grants them to those who believe: in fact, ‘our hope is not in a “what” but in a “who”’ (p.89). Here is how He does it.

1. Totality.

Jesus says: ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much’ (John 15:5). He connects us to Himself, freeing us from our isolation.

Roman Catholicism provides a sense of belonging to a bigger story and community. Catholics feel a part of something historical, global, cultural, and institutional. Unfortunately, the totality Roman Catholicism offers is not grounded in the Biblical gospel and has multiple cracks in it. Often, Catholics become disillusioned with the institution, develop scepticism, and look for totality either in family traditions that are embedded in religion or secular options. Jesus Christ grants a far better and deeper identity. He gives us a place in His historical and global family. In Biblical terms, we become a branch among many grafted into the vineyard (John 15:5), living stones within the spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5), ears of wheat in God’s field (1 Cor. 3:9), sheep within an innumerable flock (John 10:16), members never disconnected from the whole body (1 Cor. 12:27). Without neglecting the particular identity of each person, the Biblical vision is strictly collective. In short, submitting to Jesus’ leadership as our head involves becoming members of His body (1 Cor.12:12). As a community of believers, the church, as imperfect as it is, is nonetheless our spiritual home where fellowship and support can be found.

This article is an excerpt from his forthcoming book Tell Your Catholic Friend. How To Have Gospel Conversations with Love (B&H Books, 2025).