Author: Pastor Rich Lusk
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When it Comes to Lent, Be a Ninevite, Not a Pharisee
God’s people have many ways of expressing godly grief over our own sin or over tragedies we endure in this fallen world. Here are a few examples. From 2 Samuel 13: [19] And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe that she wore. And she laid her hand on her head…
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Canadian Bill C-4
This is an email I sent to my congregation this week, concerning Canadian bill C-4, which essentially makes the Christian faith illegal in Canada. TPC family, Last Sunday, Canadian bill C-4 forbidding “conversion therapy” for homosexuals and transgenders was mentioned in Sunday School, the opening exhortation, and the pastoral prayer. I wanted to follow up…
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“He Descended Into Hell”: Understanding a Key Phrase in the Apostles Creed
The phrase “descended into hell” from the Apostles Creed has been controversial at times in church history. Not even the Reformers agreed amongst themselves what it meant. Should we keep this phrase in the Creed — especially since not every early version of the Creed included it? What did the framers of the Creed mean by it? What should we mean by it when…
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An Email to an Egalitarian Critic (2011)
This is an email I wrote in October 2011. I came across it as I was going through some old files and realized it might be useful to make it public. I am turning it into a blog post here because the issues I was responding to are still very relevant. I have removed personal…
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The Church in Three Dimensions
These are lecture notes from a talk I gave at the Auburn Avenue Pastor’s Conference in 2006, but I believe they are more relevant now than when I first delivered them. I argue that when we consider the church’s relationship with culture, we must remember it is a dynamic and fluid, not fixed and static,…
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Notes on Roman Catholicism
Below are various emails I have exchanged over the years with Reformed church members who were drawn to Roman Catholicism or who had already converted to Romanism. Most of these discussions took place between 2009-2012. Obviously only one side of the conversation is presented, but I trust they will still be helpful. My hope is…
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The Pandering Church
Let me preface this post by offering a couple caveats that will frame all that follows. First, any and all sin can be forgiven through Jesus’ death on the cross. There is no sin that is “too big” to be covered by the blood of Christ. This includes all manner of sexual sin, yes, even…
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An Awakening for the Woke
On Facebook, Michael Foster asked, “Why are so many grown children are going woke even though they came from healthy Christian homes?” I thought I’d try my hand at an answer. Below is a slightly edited version of what I put in the Facebooks comments section: I get asked regularly why I address “woke” issues…
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Patriarchy and Patriotism: The Virtues of Nationalism
With the 4th of July coming up, we are sure to hear a lot of America bashing, especially from progressives who see America as the root of all (or most all) evil. Christians in our nation are critical of America too, but in a different way. We are critical of our homeland because we love…
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Today’s Jews and “This Generation”
Over the last couple weeks, as I’ve preached on Acts 2 and James 5, I’ve had opportunity to talk about the judgment Jesus brought on unbelieving Judaism in 70 AD when the city of Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed by Roman armies. This event is of great redemptive-historical significance, and while the entire New…
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