Decker, Ed

J. Edward Decker is the founder of Ex-Mormons for Jesus (later changed to Saints Alive In Jesus) and is probably best known for his 1980 film The God Makers.

Decker joined the Mormon Church in 1957 while attending Utah State University in Logan, Utah. He was an active member of the Church for twenty years. Decker had a change of heart, however, and became an evangelical Christian. Decker asked for his name to be removed from the records of the Mormon Church. A High Council Court was held on October 21, 1976 in Bellevue, Washington which excommunicated him.

Decker organized Ex-Mormons for Jesus Evangelistic Association in 1978. In August of 1979 it issued a position statement in which the organization is described as "a Christian non-profit corporation founded upon the call of God to witness Jesus Christ to the Mormon people."

Ex-Mormons for Jesus has often been criticized for being merely a negative attack on Mormonism. This negative, anti-Mormon, image results from the self described "primary function" of the ministry to prove that there is a difference between Mormonism and traditional Christianity. The root of the Ex-Mormons for Jesus message is that Mormons are not Christians. They see this negative aspect of their ministry as only preparatory for the positive message of evangelical Christianity. In order to emphasize the positive side of the ministry, Ex-Mormons For Jesus changed its name to Saints Alive In Jesus.

Saints Alive is not a Church. They believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, and the Trinity is centered on the divine mission of Jesus Christ as the savior of mankind. Based upon this, the role of Saints Alive is to take the gospel to Mormons. Decker and Saints Alive, based in Issaquah, WA, produced newsletters, tracts, films, and slide shows on the topic of Mormonism through the late 1970s and early 1990s.

From the guide to the Ed Decker photograph collection, 1970-1992, 1980-1989, (Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives)

J. Edward Decker is the founder of Ex-Mormons for Jesus (later changed to Saints Alive In Jesus) and is probably best known for his 1980 film The God Makers.

Decker joined the Mormon Church in 1957 while attending Utah State University in Logan, Utah. He was an active member of the Church for twenty years. But Decker had a change of heart and became an evangelical Christian. Decker asked for his name to be removed from the records of the Mormon Church. A High Council Court was held on October 21, 1976 in Bellevue, Washington which excommunicated him.

Decker organized Ex-Mormons for Jesus Evangelistic Association in 1978. In August of 1979 it issued a position statement in which the organization is described as "a Christian non-profit corporation founded upon the call of God to witness Jesus Christ to the Mormon people."

Ex-Mormons for Jesus has often been criticized for being merely a negative attack on Mormonism. This negative, anti-Mormon, image results from the self described "primary function" of the ministry to prove that there is a difference between Mormonism and traditional Christianity. The root of the Ex-Mormons for Jesus message is that Mormons are not Christians. They see this negative aspect of their ministry as only preparatory for the positive message of evangelical Christianity. In order to emphasize the positive side of the ministry Ex-Mormons For Jesus changed its name to Saints Alive In Jesus.

Saints Alive is not a Church. They believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, and the Trinity is centered on the divine mission of Jesus Christ as the savior of mankind. Based upon this, the role of Saints Alive is to take the gospel to Mormons.

From the guide to the J. Edward Decker papers, 1978-1992, (Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives)