Theological Thoughts for Thursday - Dahmer's Salvation

I was reading an article on the conversion of Jeffrey Dahmer, who became a Christian through the ministry of a certain Rev. Ratcliff after Dahmer's father sent him evangelical literature:

"Yet the tenets of his faith do allow for someone to be washed clean in the eyes of God once faith has been proclaimed. No matter who might criticize this, Ratcliff is following what he genuinely believes. ...Throughout Dahmer's lifetime, he was an accomplished liar, and there's no indication in his discussions with Ratcliff that he has arrived at any profound insight about what he did. The appearance is this: Dahmer killed seventeen young men, kept body parts around, cannibalized human remains, and enjoyed sexually violating the dead. He deprived these victims of their lives. He deprived families of their loved ones. And with baptism, he learns, he can undo all of that and still get to heaven. What a deal!"

What a deal, indeed.

Now, the conversion of Jeffrey Dahmer is quite a scandal for a number of reasons.

First, we wish for all the world that someone as sick and twisted as Jeffrey Dahmer lives on a different plane from us, a different planet than the human race, and a with a different set of rules governing salvation and spiritual experience. We are angered when movies try to humanize Hitler. When the Biopic on Dahmer's life aired in the city that suffered under his murders, the people rioted because it "humanized" him too much. What does that mean?

Second, the argument has been advanced, and history has shown, that if a serial-killer is convinced of the depravity of his own deeds and brought to the realization of what he actually accomplished he will invariably kill himself. Given the counceling required to show them the immensity of their crimes they will kill themselves.

So, if Dahmer really and truly repented of his sins he either didn't fully understand what he had done or he had the fullest understanding of grace any Christian has ever understood. I don't question other people's salvation. I make it a practice to take people at face value when it comes to their personal faith experience. So I believe Dahmer. I believe that Dahmer is in heaven now.

This is a paradox of the Christian faith that I love. Terrible, terrible people end up in heaven thanks to a last minute prayer while wonderful, lovely people end up in hell because they refuse to believe. Now, this is a paradox, a theological stumbling block that most liberals can't abide with - and I have my own issues (namely what of those who have never heard, sincere members of other faiths, etc) to be sure- but I think this paradox is central to my understanding of the Christian faith.

It's not about me. It's not about the good things I have done, the bad things I have done, it's about God's grace. It's about the offer and the acceptance. Surrender, lordship, discipleship. Faith, hope, and love.

It's about all of these noun/verb/adjectives. It's a paradox, a struggle, a faith.