About the Apologetics Index Team (original) (raw)
This page: About this Apologetics Index Team
More About Apologetics Index
• About Apologetics Index
• About the Apologetics Index Team
• Our Values
• Statement of Faith
Apologetics Index is published in Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands. It is operated by a small team of unpaid volunteers.
Apologetics Index Team Members
David and Debbie Anderson
David Anderson was born and raised in Colorado, and now lives in Amsterdam with his wife Debbie and family. They initially moved to the Netherlands for his IT job and then stayed because he and his wife fell in love with the country.
They have a son and a daughter who also live and work in Holland.
David Anderson handles the day-to-day operation of Apologetics Index, including researching and authoring articles.
He edits and maintains Religion News Blog (a website provided by Apologetics Index), and he curates our X (formerly Twitter) Apologetics stream.
Debbie assists him in research and counseling.
David Kowalski
David Kowalski grew up in New Orleans, LA and has lived in various parts of Florida and Missouri.
He has worked as an English teacher (Abeka), high school administrator (ACE), in-school-suspension teacher (public school), Associate Pastor (two Assemblies of God churches), Senior Pastor (two Assemblies of God churches), and Bible College Professor (Global University).
A keen researcher, David supplies articles and background research to Apologetics Index.
Some of his articles at Apologetics Index include, Postmodernism and the Emerging Church, Interacting with Emerging Church Culture, and What to tell one of Jehovah’s Witnesses concerning the Trinity.
He has seen several of his articles published, including two in the “_Encyclopedia of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity_” (Berkshire Publishing).
Jacob and Anneke de Vries
Jacob and Anneke de Vries used to grow flowers for a living. Now retired, they still live on their farm in the Netherlands where two of their five children continue the family business.
Jacob provides wise counsel, helps us with research and increasingly is involved in the editing and updating of Apologetics Index. Both Anneke and Jacob enjoy teaching other Christians about God’s grace and mercy. They have a heart for Christians wounded by other Christians.
Anneke also curates our X (formerly Twitter) Religion News Blog stream.
Ruud Hein
Ruud Hein, Anton’s brother, is an extraordinarily skillful WordPress web site programmer and SEO specialist. Over the years — as our websites grew and outgrew various server and software solutions — Ruud has worked behind the scenes to keep them online and humming.
Ruud also publishes his own web sites and provides private consultation services to other blog- and website Owers. He is a GTD (Getting Things Done) whiz, and he drinks various forms of strong coffee all the time.
Ruud lives in Canada.
Eveline de Jong
Eveline de Jong is a retired social worker who counsels people who have been involved in abusive churches, cults, or other abusive relationships. She’s been a Christian since 1951.
Eveline divides her time between a home in the Netherlands and a tiny apartment in Spain. She writes travel articles under a pen name, and occasionally works as an ‘undercover tourist’ helping various travel agencies evaluate hotels.
Anton and Janet Hein-Hudson
Anton Hein started the Apologetic Index website in September 1996. Born and raised in Amsterdam he has briefly lived in Switzerland, Germany, and England — as well as 16-years in the USA — before returning to Amsterdam.
Anton has been a follower of Jesus for 59 years. He has been involved in lay counter-cult and apologetics ministry for 52 years – and has engaged in online apologetics since the days of 300 baud modems, single-color screens and 50MB hard drives (read: a long time ago).
If you’ve been online long enough, you may remember him as the ‘co-sysop’ of the (pre-World Wide Web) Christian BBS Abba II, a participant on GEnie’s Religion RoundTable, and the publisher of an electronic newsletter, the “_Christian Press Report_” — the forerunner of Religion News Blog. He was an enthusiastic Prodigy user from day one, and has even been a charter subscriber of what was then a small outfit called _AOL_…
Janet is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and an Experience Expert in domestic violence. She works at an organization that provides counseling and practical services to people who have been abused. Among other tasks, she trains other social workers in how to use their experiences in their counseling practice.
She works primarily, but not exclusively, with abused women. She is an empathetic, skillful counselor, both face-to-face and online. Janet was born in England, and raised in Ireland. She has been a Christian for 49 years.
Janet and Anton married in September 2002. Born in England, Janet was raised in Ireland, and has lived in Holland since 1987.
Whether they’re discipling new Christians, training older ones, or counseling people who have been hurt at church, in relationships or by life’s circumstances, Janet and Anton emphasize – in word and in deed – the reality of God’s gifts of grace and mercy.
Others Behind the Scenes
We’re blessed with additional behind-the-scenes helpers and supporters as well.
Former Team Members
David McKie
David Mckie, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, moderated the Apologetics Index email discussion list (which we no longer operate). He is a long-time, well-informed Christian who keeps his fingers on the pulse of teachings and practices within Christian churches.
Ian Reilly
Ian Reilly was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He has been a follower of Jesus for over 25 years, and he is an evangelist in heart and soul. Ian helps us in the offline part of our ministry.
He is gifted in various areas, including his trade (construction, roofing, painting), one-on-one evangelism, leading worship, and sign language. After living in Amsterdam, he and his Syrian wife moved to Enschede, where they minister to Muslims. They have three children.
Followers of Jesus
We are evangelical Christians. However, in large part due to the fact that we are uncomfortable with much that is said and done in the name of Christianity, we prefer to refer to ourselves as “followers of Jesus.”
Our guiding scripture is Jesus’ mission statement, which we see as our ‘job description’ as well:
The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
– Luke 4:18-19 NIV
As followers of Jesus Christ (Christians), we believe and defend the basic, essential doctrines of the historical, Christian faith as taught in the Bible. (See our Statement of Faith). However, we reject the cultural, denominational, and “spiritual” baggage many churches have managed to add over the centuries.
Instead, we feel very much “at home” with the “Core Values” of Christian Associates International (CAI). We like the balanced viewpoints these values represent – and try to incorporate them in our ministry as well.
In the spring of 2003, amidst much prayer and the input of trusted fellow Christians, Janet and Anton felt led to start an English-language house church. This was done in part because – due to our respective, fluctuating health problems – at times we were unable to attend even the nearest church. Over time, we have also seen how well the house church approach fits in with the ministry the Lord has given us.
For the time being we currently do not facilitate the home fellowship, due to ongoing health issues.
Our thoughts on house churches (home fellowship groups) are largely along the lines of those described in “The Church Comes Home,” by Robert and Julia Banks.
We remain in fellowship and relationships of mutual accountability with fellow Christians whose discernment and counsel we trust. We receive encouragement, advice, and practical help from a number of wonderful people.
Bottom line: we believe in practical, relevant Christianity: walking the walk, instead of just talking the talk. We love to see Jesus minister healing to His people – healing of body, mind and spirit. Therefore, we live to see the Gospel preached to the poor, the captives released, the sick healed, and the oppressed set free (Luke 4:18-19).
Questions? Feel free to contact us.