Roy G. Ratcliff (born 1947) is an American

Christian minister In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance ...

and author. He is best known for ministering to

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

Jeffrey Dahmer Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (; May 21, 1960 – November 28, 1994), also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, was an American serial killer and sex offender who killed and dismemberment, dismembered seventeen men and boys b ...

at the Columbia Correctional Institution in

Portage, Wisconsin Portage is a city in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 10,581 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in Columbia County. It is part of the Madison metropolitan area. Portage was named for ...

Personal life

Ratcliff grew up primarily in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. After graduating from high school in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

, he graduated from

Oklahoma Christian University Oklahoma Christian University (OC) is a private Christian university in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was founded in 1950 by members of the Churches of Christ. History Oklahoma Christian University, originally named Central Christian College, ...

in 1970. He and his wife Susan have two grown children. He currently resides in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin.

Ministering to Jeffrey Dahmer

Ratcliff first visited Dahmer in prison in April 1994 and baptized him as a Christian on May 10 in a whirlpool originally meant to treat injured prisoners. After this, Ratcliff visited Dahmer on a weekly basis, providing him with spiritual counseling and leading him in Bible study sessions. Six months later, Dahmer was murdered by a fellow prisoner Christopher Scarver. Ratcliff conducted his funeral service on December 2, 1994, and eulogized him: Ratcliff later wrote a book about his experiences titled ''Dark Journey, Deep Grace: Jeffrey Dahmer's Story of Faith'' (2006). Since ministering to Dahmer, Ratcliff has discipled prisoners in a number of Wisconsin prisons.

Bibliography

*Ratcliff, Roy; Adams, Lindy (2006). ''Dark Journey, Deep Grace: Jeffrey Dahmer's Story of Faith'',

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

Leafwood Publishers Leafwood Publishers (founded in 2000) is an American imprint of Abilene Christian University Press located in Abilene, Texas. History Leafwood Publishers was founded in 2000 by C. Leonard Allen in Orange, California. By 2004, it was moved in ...

. .

References

External links

— features a review of Ratcliff's book about Jeffrey Dahmer 1948 births American Christian writers Ministers of the Churches of Christ American members of the Churches of Christ Living people Jeffrey Dahmer People from Matador, Texas Oklahoma Christian University alumni {{US-Christian-clergy-stub