In no particular order, here’s some of my highlights for this week. Please note that I am not responsible for the content of external websites and that I may not necessarily agree with all positions represented in the following links:

• In a Mirror Dimly: Belonging: When I Didn’t Serve God in Church: “When I started attending church, it served as a  lifeline for me. I found friends. I met people who believed the same things I’d been processing from the Bible. It didn’t take long for me to start showing up to volunteer.”
• BBC News: Queen Church role backed in poll:“Almost 80% of people in England support a religious role for the Queen, a BBC poll suggests. In a poll by Comres to coincide with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, 79% of respondents said she still had an important faith role.”
• Big Bible Project: Mary Magdalene – model disciple #BigBible @Seeking1st:”What do you think of when you hear the name ‘Mary Magdalene’? Penitent prostitute? Jesus’ lover? Magdalen College, Oxford? Magdalene College, Cambridge? The former Magdalen Asylums for  ’fallen women’ in Ireland? Generally Mary Magdalene has had a bad press.”
• Christian.co.uk: 2012 Summer Festivals and Conferences: “Our indispensable guide to the summer’s most exciting and inspirational festivals and conferences.The weather may be telling you differently, but Summer is approaching fast, and with it comes a wealth of Christian conferences and festivals for all the family. If you haven’t booked a ticket yet, check out our guide to what’s going on around the UK.”
• The Beaker Folk of Husborne Crawley: Talking During Worship: “I first noticed this phenomenon many years ago in a Methodist chapel near Milton Keynes. Chatting during a service.” 
• Kingdom People (The Gospel Coalition): Is it Biblical to Ask Jesus Into Your Heart?: “The Southern Baptist blogosphere has erupted in conversation on whether it’s proper to use phrases like “asking Jesus into your heart,” “accepting Christ,” or methods like the “sinner’s prayer” when sharing the gospel.”
• National Secular Society: Advertising watchdog threatens to martyr Archbishop Cranmer all over again: “Christian blogger Archbishop Cranmer is under investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority after he reproduced an advertisement from the group “Coalition for Marriage” which is seeking to thwart the Government’s plans to legalise same-sex marriage.”
• Daily Mail: ‘He is the love of my life’: Mother’s inspiring YouTube video about son born with severe cleft palate that left him with no eyes: “A mother whose son was born with a rare form of cleft palate that left him with no eyes has made an inspiring video revealing their struggles – and how the baby boy battled their bullies with his laughter. In the YouTube video, Lacey Buchanan, from Woodbury, Tennessee, holds up cards describing her excitement at falling pregnant with son Christian, and the fears and snide comments that followed. During the seven-minute film, she holds one-year-old Christian into her chest, only revealing his face to the camera at end of the video as she kisses him and shows him off proudly.”
• The Resurgence: Should Christians Believe in Evolution?: “The question “Do you believe in evolution?” does not have a simple “yes” or “no” answer. There are at least six principal meanings of evolution used in biology textbooks, and for the average non-scientist I believe there are four core distinctions that should be understood…”
• Chron.com: Texas pastor launches website for clergy fashionistas: “There was a time when clergy were known for clerical collars and ornate liturgical vestments. However, since the rise of Evangelicalism in the 20th century, pastors are better known for baggy business suits than for unique spiritual garb. Certainly, pastors are not known for their sense of style”
• Sojourners: N.T. Wright Asks: Have We Gotten Heaven All Wrong?: “The oft-cliched Christian notion of heaven — a blissful realm of harp-strumming angels — has remained a fixture of the faith for centuries…”