Jonathan M. Threlfall

Thoughts on Christian Theology and Pastoring

  • Did the Evangelical Movement Fail a Generation?

    Did the Evangelical Movement Fail a Generation?

    Ward’s book calls evangelicals to honest self-examination and humble correction. It is true that many evangelicals have been swept into identity politics, hoodwinked by conspiracy theories, covered up sexual abuse, and embraced racist ideology. Yet with all this criticism, Ward, somewhat paradoxically, suggests encouragement for evangelicals.

  • 7 Statements About the Israel-Hamas War

    7 Statements About the Israel-Hamas War

    It’s been only nine days since Hamas’ horrific attack on Israel, but it has already triggered an avalanche of issues that are both complicated and deeply vexing.

  • Caring Leadership

    Caring Leadership

    In order to be trustworthy, a leader must genuinely care for the people he or she leads. Leaders who don’t might gain short-term influence, but they won’t earn long-term trust.

  • Leadership and Competence

    Leadership and Competence

    People won’t follow you unless they trust you. And they won’t trust you unless you have certain core competencies.

  • Leadership and Conviction

    Leadership and Conviction

    When a person holds the right convictions with utmost tenacity, that inspires trust. And trust is the foundation of leadership.

  • Four Essential Qualities of Leadership

    Four Essential Qualities of Leadership

    All four are crucial for building and maintaining trust, which is the foundation of leadership.

  • Leadership: Ask Yourself, Who Would I Want to Follow?

    Leadership: Ask Yourself, Who Would I Want to Follow?

    Trust is the sacred bond between leader and follower. If trust is broken, leadership isn’t happening.

  • Genesis and Gender

    As the Bible presents it, the fact that humans are either male or female is not a roadblock to individual expression, as modern Western culture sees it. Nor is it a divine curse, as the ancient mythologies present it. Rather, it is a good gift from God—a gift that brings flourishing, joy, and beauty.

  • Living Hope

    Someone has said that hope is like listening to the music of the future, and faith is the courage to dance to it today. In the resurrection of Jesus, we can hear the music of the future—a world of love and life—so why not dance to it?

  • Relationships

    Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone.” Genesis 2:18 These words are jarring. To this point in the narrative, we have heard “good” repeated again and again. Six times during the week of creation, God looked at what he had made and declared it to be “good.” Then, when…