All Articles For Decker, Nathan

Rev. Nathan Decker, pastor of Grandville Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan The purpose of this article is twofold. First, it will report briefly on key decisions taken at the 2022 Synod of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) regarding the report on human sexuality. Second, it will reflect on a couple of the more significant immediate implications of these decisions. What occurred at this summer’s CRC synod has a history beginning in 2016. That year, the CRC synod adopted the following recommendation: That synod appoint a new study committee to articulate a foundation-laying biblical theology of human sexuality that pays...

Rev. Nathan Decker, pastor of Grandville Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan Introduction Sexual abuse is present in the Protestant Reformed Churches. The recent proof is two public cases: a minister deposed and multi-term elder excommunicated for his impenitence with regard to this sin. The overwhelming evidence is the many victims and survivors in the PRC, who were sexually abused by PR family, teachers, or fellow church members. Why an article on the role of the local PR church? Because this evil is among us, and the church is called to deal with sexual abuse justly and wisely. The subject...

Rev. Nathan Decker, pastor of Grandville Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan Around five years ago, I gave a speech entitled “Living Wisely in a Digital Age.” A central point was to highlight the importance of being proactive in knowing about technology, striving to understand the potential spiritual harm of using a device or application before jumping headlong into it. One of the greatest dangers is that we become passive by using every new device or platform without much thought. This much is clear: certain devices and apps do impact the spiritual and emotional well-being of the believer. Discernment is...

As I reflect upon the gift of God that Prof. Robert Decker  was to the church of Jesus Christ, I write this article in  memory of him from two perspectives. First, the man known to the churches as Rev. Decker,  and later as Prof. Decker, was to me always and  only “Uncle Bob.” I am the youngest son of Prof.  Decker’s younger brother, and because of our relative  ages, many who did not know our family well would  often assume that Prof. Decker was my grandfather.  My memories of Prof. Decker are those of a nephew.  It is fitting that...

Introduction The subject of this “All Around Us” article is sexual abuse in the realm of the church, a topic about which it is difficult to write and to read. However, it is necessary to do so because, in the first place, we must have a certain level of knowledge that the terrible evil of sexual abuse is present in the church. For a member of the church of Christ to think that sexual abuse only occurs in the world is wrong. Not only does such a mentality cause the church not to take the necessary protective measures to prevent...

Let us begin by listening in on an eighth and ninth-grade Heidelberg Catechism class. The pastor, beginning the class as he often does with a time of review to drive deep in the students’ minds important facts and main ideas, asks about the history of the Heidelberg Catechism. The pastor asks, “When was the Heidelberg Catechism written?” A student answers, “1563.” The pastor asks, “By whom was the Heidelberg Catechism written?” A student answers, “Caspar Olevianus and Zacharias Ursinus.” Along this line of questions, the pastor asks: “Who was Frederick III?” And the answer given by the student would be,...

Bethany Christian Services change in policy Jesus is pleased to gather His elect children unto Himself by giving believing parents in the church the gift of children. It is also His will to gather His elect seed unto His bosom by working in the hearts of Christian parents the conviction legally to adopt a child or children into their family. What a beautiful picture earthly adoption is of God’s saving work to adopt His children into His covenant family. Galatians 4 teaches that God sent Jesus Christ in the fullness of time that He might “redeem them that were under...

This article will reflect on the Ligonier Ministries’ survey entitled “The State of Theology.” Every two years, Ligonier partners with Lifeway Research in order to understand what Americans “believe about God, salvation, ethics, and the Bible.”1 The results are informative for the believer in the church for at least two reasons. First, considering this survey, the believer cannot help but contemplate the end of this present age and the return of Jesus Christ. This research makes very clear the wide-spread departure from the historic Christian faith in the context of America, which paves the way for the coming of antichrist...

I write this “All Around Us” article at the beginning of the new year 2021. The end and beginning of the year is a time of sober reflection for the children of God, pondering especially the end of this present age and the beginning of the age to come upon the triumphant return of our Savior, Jesus Christ. As we meditate upon these truths at this time, our thoughts rest upon the many footsteps of Jesus’ return as they are taught in Scripture, signs that we continue to see with increasing clarity over time. One such sign is the persecution...

In a previous installment for the “All Around Us” rubric (Feb. 1, 2020, p. 204), I considered the progression of sexual immorality in the sphere of the world by focusing on three current developments: the real push to legalize prostitution, the increasingly common polyamorous relationship, and the direction of the pornography industry in utilizing virtual reality technology. The sexual revolution of the twenty-first century has been swift and deep. For the believer who desires and watches for the return of Jesus Christ, these advancements in the realm of sexual immorality come with no surprise. The cup of iniquity must fill...