Monday Links

Bit of a roundup today:

The pic above is from Start the Week, which today covers the youth evangelism fund, a 'director of hospitality and welcome' at Birmingham Cathedral (every Cathedral should have one), and use of the 'Jesus Deck' in evangelism. The Jesus Deck is, to use a very bad description, a Christian version of tarot: except that rather than tell you what the future holds, each card tells part of the gospel story - people choose a card at random, have it explained, then talk about any connections that makes with their life. Very creative.

Madeleine Bunting weighs in in support of faith schools, arguing that a strong ethos is vital to a succesful school, and faith schools find it easier to articulate this than secular schools:

Edward Skidelsky argues that both the secular and sacred "languages"
underpinning the values of self-discipline and responsibility have been badly
eroded. Secular humanism has not found a popular ethical narrative to replace
faith; parents, uncertain how to bring up their children with a sense of
responsibility for others, resort to school Christianity.

Ekklesia, whose Simon Barrow is one of the 'Accord' founders, has a roundup today responding to some of the criticisms and calling for debate, rather than dismissal. I still don't see how Accords position holds together, but if they're opposed by the National Secular Society then perhaps they have got some of it right.

Former SAS man and novelist Andy McNab is doing the rounds highlighting the issue of mental illness in former soldiers. I've avoided the US elections on this blog, but Oliver Kamm discusses Sarah Palins religious beliefs, whether it's right to call her a 'creationist', and what that means anyway.

Looking ahead, the Big Bang happens again on Wednesday, when the 'Large Hadron Collider' starts firing atoms at one another at mind-boggling speeds. The hope is to learn more about subatomic particles, how the universe began, discover new dimensions, and be finished in time for tea and cakes at 3. This Q&A section from the BBC guide makes a bit of sense of it. Here's Rob Bell on subatomic particles and the Trinity

Finally, Andy Murray, what a player.