On September 21st, Netflix launched a documentary entitled "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story". This became controversial, however, as the show was originally tagged as LGBTQ. As one lesbian put it on TikTok, "Why the (expletive deleted) did Netflix tag the Jeffrey Dahmer documentary LGBTQ? Like I know it's technically true, but this is not... this is not the representation we're looking for." But personally, it's exactly the kind of representation I, as a Christian with a history in the LGBT community, am looking for. But not for the reasons you would expect.
In our modern world, in which the slightest hint of disagreement is viewed as hatred and bigotry, you'd think I want Dahmer to represent the LGBT community because he was an evil psychopath and I want gays to look bad. But actually, my favorite aspect of the Jeffrey Dahmer story isn't that he was a gay psychopath. What interests me, and what I want all gay people to eventually come to know, features in the last episode of the Dahmer documentary: Jeffrey Dahmer, in the last 7 months of his life, came to know Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior.
Dahmer's sins stack as high as Heaven itself, being so gruesome that even most of his fellow sinners recoil. Murder, homosexual necrophilia, and cannibalism, are certainly not things most people have on their rap sheet, nor would most of us want it there. But as Dahmer would come to find out, Jesus doesn't want it there either.
There are many people out there who believe Dahmer could never be forgiven for what he'd done, including, apparently, his fellow inmate, who eventually killed him in the name of God. But there are also those who believe God cannot save them. Indeed, this is a common theme in the LGBT community, which isn't helped by a genuinely homophobic minority within the Church, upon whom the world shines a spotlight. May I simply say as a side note, just as LGBT people don't really want Dahmer representing them, the Church should likewise not be represented by the likes of Steven Anderson, or the Westboro Baptist Church, simply because it's inaccurate.
So inaccurate, in fact, that not only can God forgive homosexuality, but He so loves the entire human race that He wants us all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4). We know this, at least in part, from the chief of sinners in the Apostolic age. The Apostle Paul wrote "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen."
When Jeffrey Dahmer came to know the Lord, he followed the pattern set by Paul. In his own words, "If a person doesn’t think that there is a God to be accountable to, then what’s the point of trying to modify your behaviour to keep it within acceptable ranges? That’s how I thought anyway. I always believed the theory of evolution as truth, that we all just came from the slime. When we died, you know, that was it, there is nothing, and I’ve since come to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is truly God, and I believe that I, as well as everyone else, will be accountable to Him."
From his testimony, we see that, of course minus the physical manifestation of Christ, Dahmer's experience mirrors Paul's in a number of ways. Like Paul, Dahmer's sin reached an unacceptable level (even for humans). Like Paul, Dahmer did it in ignorance. But like Paul, Dahmer received mercy, coming to know the Lord Jesus, and shortly after, entering into His presence.
But there is more to this than simply "God can save the worst of sinners". See, while Netflix sees fit to brand Dahmer as a monster, distinguishing him from his fellow man, the fact is Dahmer is no less a man than you or I. You do not have to be the chief of sinners to be a sinner. And we all are. It may be that you feel like the chief of sinners, even like a monster yourself, at which point I can assure you, the mercy that found Paul, the mercy that found Dahmer, can find you too.
But it may also be that you consider yourself not so bad. "I'm not perfect, but at least I'm not like Jeffrey Dahmer". Maybe you even consider yourself a good person, simply because you keep your behavior "within acceptable ranges". But are those ranges acceptable to God? "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23).
Regardless of how much we resemble Jeffrey Dahmer, we have all failed to resemble God. Therefore, we are all due His wrath. But in His love, He has no desire to deliver it to us. Rather, it is His will that all be saved. Therefore, He sent His Son to die on the cross, receiving in Himself the due penalty for our sin. Scripture says "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore, by confessing Jesus as Lord, Dahmer's sins were nailed to the cross, and Jesus' righteousness was credited to him. In like manner, you also can receive Christ's reward by believing He rose from the dead.