A Great Obstacle to Overcome ~ Is
Jeffrey Dahmer in
Heaven?
"Dark Journey, Deep
Grace"
A book by
Rev. Roy Ratcliff
Book reviewed by Guy
Adams
At
first, I did not want to read this book because it is
not my usual area of interest, but I did it as a favor
to a friend of mine, David Gibbs III, who wrote
Fighting For Dear Life – The Untold Story
Of Terri
Schiavo and One Nation
Under God. I waited a month to even read the book.
It is an awesome book.
I recently
finished Rev. Roy
Ratcliff’s book “Dark Journey, Deep
Grace” about a week ago. It details the
hard to grasp, yet true, story of how one of the most
monstrous killers in our history was touched by God and
as a result, became a Christian.
The book
details the story of how Pastor Ratcliff became involved
in Jeffrey Dahmer’s life and the story is one of great
interest. Pastor Ratcliff and Jeffrey Dahmer had what I
call a Divine Appointment – one set up by God Himself.
Chapter One begins
by saying “Jeff
confessed to me his great remorse for his crimes. He
wished he could do something for the families of his
victims to make it right, but there was nothing else he
could do. He turned to God because there was no one else
to turn to.” Indeed.
Pastor Ratcliff
answered the phone in 1994 when another minister asked
him if he could visit and preside over the baptism of a
convicted killer in prison. He asked who the man was and
the answer was Jeffrey Dahmer. Imagine hearing
that! What
do you do? Jeffrey had
engaged in torture, murder,
homosexuality, necrophilia and cannibalism. It is in
that light of these awful things that Pastor Ratcliff
still accepted the offer to minister the Gospel of Jesus
Christ to this man, Jeffery Dahmer, one of
America’s
worst serial killers. It is definitely a book worth
reading. It gives great insight into the kindness and
sincerity of Pastor Ratcliff and of the unlimited
forgiving character of the God who called him to baptize
one of the worst killers in American history. I have
been asked a number of times: could Hitler have been
saved? I cannot answer that wisely enough except to say
that it is God who makes these decisions in concert with
the repentant consent of man.
Similarly, can
Jeffrey Dahmer, one of the worst serial killers in
history; one of the biggest monsters that humankind can
produce, be forgiven and rescued by God? To our senses,
that seems unimaginable and even impossible. It certainly
seems unjust.
Jeffrey Dahmer does not deserve salvation. He deserves an
eternal Hell.
Yes, he does.
But according to
the Gospel, Jeffrey Dahmer is now in Heaven, and that
greatly offends our sensibilities. It seems to breach
our sense of justice -- our sense of right and wrong.
How could God
possibly forgive him? That completely goes against
our grain. But I ask: how could God possibly forgive
me? How
could God possibly forgive you?
Jeffrey does
deserve Hell, but so do all of us. Who among us has
not broken the law? Who among us has
not given the finger, so to speak, to God? Who among us has
not resolved at some point or another, to violate God’s
laws and do our own thing?
My pastor is fond
of saying that “A
man is going to do what a man is going to do.” How true. Dahmer
did what he was going to do and yet God forgave him.
Dark Journey, Deep Grace tells the amazing story
of how God’s light reached into the core of a very dark
heart and changed him from the inside. You will not
regret reading this book.
Jeffrey was one of
those, who for whatever reasons, magnified his own
wickedness. He tortured, abused and murdered, seventeen
men. Jeffrey did not contest that. How ironic is it that
some of his victims might actually be in hell, yet
Jeffrey is now in Heaven? It doesn’t seem
right, does it? But an innocent
Jesus dying on the cross was not right either.
God traded one man
(His Son) for another, even though the trade was not at
all equal.
In the end, how
could a God of justice and righteousness come to reach
out to and save a monster of the likes of Jeffrey
Dahmer? Good question.
But He is
also a God of love and forgiveness. Dark Journey,
Deep Grace also shows how one man can accomplish so
much. I highly recommend it.
The original title
of the book was to be called “I Called Him Jeff”
because Pastor Ratcliff insisted on calling him Jeff and
not Mr. Dahmer, and even in conversation about him, he
always called him “Jeff”. He mentions that some people
have said “If Dahmer goes to Heaven, then I don’t want
to be there.” Really? What if God holds them to that
remark?
Jesus said
“He who is without sin among
you, let him cast the first
stone.” Jeffrey
committed the most horrific and unspeakable string of
murders in recent memory. Should he not
deserve to rot in prison for the rest of his life or to
burn in Hell forever for it? Yes. He does.
Fortunately, we serve a God of immeasurable and
unlimited grace.
His capacity to forgive is not bound by human
understanding. Somehow, beyond the ability of our minds
to comprehend, the all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus is
at times, an affront to our sensibilities.
As
Star Trek's Dr. Spock said, “it is
illogical.” And so it seems to be.
Star Trek III said
“The One for the
many.”
Jeffrey Dahmer going to Heaven is illogical to
us.
But
then again, so is my own salvation.
Guy
Adams
Book
Title: Dark
Journey, Deep Grace
Author: Roy
Ratcliff with Linda
Adams
Publisher:
Leafwood
Publishers (June 2006)
ISBN-10: 0976779021
ISBN-13: 978-0976779025
Also available on
Amazon.com