The BBC’s Edward Stourton chaired a discussion last night on the importance of faith in society, at the launch of the first Theos report:

“Doing God”: A Future for Faith in the

The event was attended by over 200 people, including politicians, journalists, academics, theologians, and representatives of other think tanks.

Guardian columnist Madeleine Bunting, Frank Field MP, Baroness Shirley Williams and Nick Spencer joined Mr Stourton for the wide-ranging discussion at MillbankTower in Westminster.

Following introductory comments by Edward Stourton and Paul Woolley, the Director of Theos, Nick Spencer outlined the major points of the report, before the other panellists offered their own particular perspectives on the subject.

Congratulating the think tank on its report, Madeleine Bunting argued that she was less optimistic about the de-secularisation of society and the opportunity to engage in reasoned debates about faith. In her view Jack Straw was wrong to say that the class divisions of the past had been replaced by religious division. Society was not divided along religious lines. Criticising the former foreign secretary for suggesting that women who wear veils over their face can make community relations harder, Ms Bunting added that the current focus on Islam, provided politicians with an excuse to ignore the real problem of social inequality in society.

Frank Field MP noted that the UK owed a tremendous amount to the evangelical revivals of the past and said that Theos had a significant opportunity to tackle the major challenges confronting society. Shirley Williams talked about the practical tools that Christianity provides in order to deal with such issues as war and the challenge of climate change.

Commenting on the evening, Paul Woolley, Director of Theos, said:  “Theos has got off to a great start, and this event was an important part of that. The contributions from the panellists and the audience were informative and engaging. But this is just the beginning. Theos will work hard to undertake quality research on the issues that matter during the challenging years ahead.”

“In the words of Michael Burleigh in today’s Daily Telegraph, ‘Theos will not confine itself to locking horns with academe’s celebrity atheists, nor will it simply react to provocations that appear to discredit all faith.’ Our agenda will be bigger, broader and more positive than that.”