I just finished Mark Driscoll’s newest, Death by Love. I really enjoyed it.  The book is a series of letters applying different angles on the atonement to needy sinners in his congregation.  In doing this, he still manages to rightfully keep the atonement centered on penal substitution.  One chapter, dealing with his “unlimited-limited atonement” view, was really persuasive to me.  Dr. Bruce Ware shared this view with me in the van ride back to the airport after our recent Theology Weekend.  It turns out that Ware influenced Driscoll highly in the formulation of this chapter.  I hope to read it again soon, but I think I could buy into it, and it doesn’t feel that much different from what I have already been explaining to people in Karis.

Karis member Lindsey Howald has written for the Columbia Tribune as their arts editor for several months.  She does a great job, and it’s super to have another Karis person on the cutting edge in terms of the arts in Columbia.  Here is a second installment of her visits to area art galleries, here visiting the Nelson-Atkins Gallery in Kansas City.

We’re continuing our series “Beautiful Collision” this week.  Sunday I’ll be looking at the justice and wrath of God, showing how it particularly “hits” our sinful rebellion, and leaves us, if we are those who respond in faith, with reconciliation and peace.  Join us Sunday morning at Karis for the worship Gathering.

Tim Keller has a great article relating the proclamation of the gospel to the assisting of the poor here.

I just finished the great new book by Tim Keller, The Prodigal God. I loved it.  It is one of those cute, little gift-looking book that is full of rich, deep truths.  I would highly recommend it.  This is a great book to give to Christians to challenge and refine their understanding of the gospel.  But it’s also to give to people who don’t trust Christ, as it could really be used to break down stereotypes about the message of Scripture.  I don’t really do book reviews on Karisblog.org, so I won’t here.  I’ll just point you to Karis intern Jeremy Linneman’s review here.

After a bit of a hiatus while we updated our Wordpress software, the Karis blog is back.

There is an interesting article here in the New York Times.  The economic recession is sending people back in droves to evangelical churches.  May our Lord use these hard times to draw people away from trust in idols to the true and living God.

This fall, some members of Karis pulled together a vision to open a fair-trade store in downtown Columbia.  It’s called the Mustard Seed.  They buy products from around the world, ensuring you that they are buying them for fair prices, so that the workers, not big corporations, get the profits.  They have lots of great gift ideas in the shop.  Stop by on Ninth Street, right near Kaldi’s and Sparky’s, this holiday season.  If you’re going to get Christmas gifts, why not get some that will benefit those less fortunate than us?

KBIA joined us for our Paquin Feast a few weeks back and recorded this “audio postcard.”  Hear the reporter interview both Paquin residents and Karis volunteers.

I like to point out as much as I can the greatness of Mizzou’s journalism school.  It is known as the tops in the nation.  This truly gives the University of Missouri an Ivy-like influence.  In fact, Mizzou grads are shaping, in many ways, the thinking of those Harvard and Yale grads working in Washington and across the country.  Here is an excerpt from a Kansas City Star sports article.  The influence goes beyond ESPN to every influential news outlet in America, as well as across the world.

The Journalism Bowl

One of the questions that came up during Thursday’s Alamo Bowl media conference with Fitzgerald and Missouri coach Gary Pinkel concerned pressure from the internationally known school of journalism for each university.

“It was made crystal clear the expectations,” Fitzgerald said, perhaps kiddingly.

Pinkel noted he became most aware of the journalism school’s tradition during a midseason bye week when he went to the ESPN studios in Bristol, Conn.

“I think they have 21, 22 people on that site that are graduates from the J-school at the University of Missouri,” Pinkel said. “What I came away with from that is the remarkable pride they have in where they went to school, where they graduated.”