From its inception, in September, 1996, until somewhere in the middle of 2002, Apologetics Index was a one-person ministry, operated by Anton Hein.

I, Anton, was born and raised in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, and - aside from a 16-year detour in the USA - have lived here all my life.

In September, 2002, I married Janet Hudson. Born in England, she was raised in Ireland, and has lived in Holland since 1987.

My Brother, Ruud, lives in Canada with his wife and children.

David Mckie moderates our discussion list.

Together we operate Apologetics Index as the online part of our ministry.

Ian Reilly helps us in the offline part of our ministry. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland he now lives and works in Amsterdam with his wife and child.

We're blessed with a small but dedicated group of helpers and supporters.

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 offline ministry includes

• providing counseling and practical help to people in need,
• teaching fellow-Christians to understand and apply God's grace and mercy - gifts that set Christians free from legalism, and instead allow us to become expressions of Jesus who lives in and through us (see Galatians 2:20).
• providing a research and training library of Christian books and other resources,
• providing hospitality to Christians who need a time-out, as well as to Christian ministers visiting - or on their way through - Amsterdam, and
• leading the Bethlehem House Church.

Our guiding scripture is Jesus' mission statement, which we see as our 'job description' as well:

Source: Luke 4:18-19 NIV

• Anton
  I, Anton, have been a follower of Jesus for 42 years. I have been involved in lay counter-cult and apologetics ministry for 35 years - and have engaged in online apologetics since the days of 300 baud modems and 50MB hard drives. If you've been online long enough, you may remember me 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". I was an enthousiastic Prodigy user from day one, and have even been a charter subscriber of what was then a small outfit called AOL...
  
  I have been diagnosed with CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome), which I have to such an extend that it is difficult to keep a regular work schedule. Hence I have been declared "100% disabled," even though my condition allows me to do quite a bit (witness the fact that Apologetics Index currently includes 25,000+ pages.)
  
  Update, July 2006: Since about March, 1995, I have seen much improvement in my condition.
  Update, April, 2008: Since the previous update my CFIDS has, for the most part, disappeared, save for two symptoms: short-term memory problems and a rather erratic sleep/wake 'pattern.'
• Janet
  Janet is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. At present she works primarily, but not exclusively, with abused women. She is a empathetic, skillful counselor, both face-to-face and online. Janet was born in England, and raised in Ireland. She has been a Christian for 20 years.
  
  Coincidentally, Janet has Fibromyalgia, which is believed to be related to CFIDS and has many of the same symptoms.
  
  Update, April, 2008: While some symptoms remain, Janet's condition has greatly improved to the point where she has now worked full-time for over a year.
• Ruud
  Ruud is an extraordinarily skillful web site programmer and SEO specialist. As our sites continued to grow - outgrowing various server and software solutions in the process - Ruud has for many years worked behind the scenes to keep them online. He also publishes his own web sites, including the highly-acclaimed GoodNewsBlog.com
• David
  David Mckie, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, moderates the Apologetics Index discussion list. He is a long-time, well-informed Christian who keeps his fingers on the pulse of teachings and practices within Christian churches.
• Ian
  Ian Reilly was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He has been a follower of Jesus for over 20 years, and he is an evangelist in heart and soul. He is gifted in other areas as well, including his work (construction), leading worship, and sign language. Now living in Amsterdam, he and his wife (from Syria) also minister to Muslims.
• Helpers and Supporters
  We're blessed with a small but dedicated group of people from around the world who help and support us in various ways.

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) (Note 1). 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.

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.

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