Answer
We receive this question fairly often. Some people are simply curious. Others allege that we are trying to hide something by not disclosing the names of the authors of our articles. Please rest assured that there is nothing nefarious about our articles being anonymous. We offer the following reasons for why our articles do not carry bylines or in any way identify their authors:
(1) From the very beginning of this ministry, our intent was to promote the Word of God, not to promote people’s names or enhance resumes. Now, with over 9,000 articles written over a span of 22 years, we do not have records of who wrote every article.
(2) While some of the GotQuestions.org authors would be fine with their names being published, a significant majority would rather have their names withheld. They are all dedicated servants of the Lord, and most of them do not wish for any credit or want any praise.
(3) Some GotQuestions.org authors have passed away or are no longer serving with our ministry. We have no way to contact all the writers of our archived articles to secure their permission to print their names in a byline.
(4) We receive a fair amount of “hate mail” and even the occasional death threat. We absolutely do not want to expose our writers to such hostility. GotQuestions.org authors are focused on teaching God’s Word in a clear, understandable way, and we would like to spare them whatever personal attacks we can—and they would definitely endure personal attacks if their names were made public.
(5) We would rather our answers not be accepted or rejected based on who wrote them. We want people to compare our answers with Scripture and accept or reject what we publish based on that comparison.
(6) An author’s byline is unnecessary. The reference information given on our citation page is sufficient without the author’s name in virtually every setting, academia included.
Ultimately, as the president and CEO of the ministry, S. Michael Houdmann is accountable for the content of our website.
