About us

Who we are

The Institute of Leadership and Social Ethics (ILSE) is a research institute of the Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven (Belgium). ILSE exists to help build a more just and sustainable society for everyone.

We do this by developing innovative thinking and new research from a Christian perspective on key issues of leadership and ethics.

We engage with professionals and academics, and our aim is to provide resources that inspire and empower leaders to contribute to a more just and sustainable world within their areas of influence.

Our Principles

We believe that the Bible and Christian traditions offer significant resources for understanding and developing justice and sustainability in today’s complex world.

We aim to engage in open dialogue with other worldviews, in order to contribute to this debate from a Christian perspective.

We develop original scholarship in ethics and social leadership to fulfil ILSE’s mission with integrity and credibility. Our scholarship is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing on theological and social scientific disciplines to further understanding of the nature of leadership and ethics in today’s context.

We promote core theological concepts that contribute to a Christian perspective on leadership and ethics include the triad of faith, hope and love, justice, shalom, servanthood and stewardship.

Our Team

Cees Tulp

Junior Researcher in Systematic Theology

cees.tulp@etf.edu

Cees Tulp (MA) is Junior Researcher in Systematic Theology at ETF. He holds a Bachelor of Music of the conservatory of Rotterdam. He received his BA in Theology and Religious Studies (Magna Cum Laude) at ETF in 2017 and his MA in Systematic and Philosophical Theology (with Merit) at the University of Nottingham in 2020. He has long worked in various roles in software development. Now he is a doctoral researcher in the technology project, conducting research at the intersection of philosophy (phenomenology) and theology.

Jack Barentsen

Professor of Practical Theology

jack.barentsen@etf.edu

Jack Barentsen (Ph.D.) is Professor of Practical Theology, and serves as senior researcher of ILSE. He served as church planter in the Netherlands before coming to the ETF, where he completed a dissertation on emerging leadership in Pauline churches (2010). He preaches and consults regularly in churches in Belgium and the Netherlands and is currently engaged in an extensive project, investigating the changing nature and public value of religious leadership.

Steven Van den Heuvel

Director of ILSE | Professor of Systematic Theology

steven.vandenheuvel@etf.edu

Steven C. van den Heuvel (Ph.D) is Director of ILSE and Professor of Systematic Theology at ETF; he also teaches at the Theological University Utrecht. His research interests are: environmental ethics, the study of ‘hope’, the ethics of technology, economic ethics, and the theological ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Paul Kieviet

paul.kieviet@etf.edu

Paul Kieviet (MSc) is entrepreneur and CEO of XSARUS, a leading Digital Commerce agency in The Netherlands. Paul earned his master’s degree in economics & informatics (Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam) and obtained a bachelor’s degree in theology (ETF Leuven). He conducts research on the evolution of AI technology within the framework of the philosophy of technology. Paul serves as an elder in a local church congregation (PKN) and as a member of the Supervisory Board of a health care institution and an educational institution.

Evert Jan Broekhuizen

evertjan.broekhuizen@etf.edu

Evert Jan Broekhuizen (MA) is Junior Researcher in Systematic Theology at ETF. He received his BA in theology from the Theological University of Kampen, after also having studied theology in Zwolle and Apeldoorn. In 2022 he obtained his master degree in Theology and Religious Studies at the ETF (with High Honors). He worked multiple years as a church worker. After his studies he became an ordained minister for the Nederlandse Gereformeerde Kerken in Zwolle. He combines his pastoral responsibilities with doctoral research for ILSE, with special focus on the relation between responsibility ethics and technology.

Ben Wiskerke

ben.wiskerke@etf.edu