Dog the Bounty Hunter, whose real name is Duane Chapman, is mostly known for tracking down criminals and bringing them back to the law. But, while that is for what he is best known, he is also a Christian who is using his live to help bring people to God.
Such is what Mr. Chapman told Christian Broadcasting News (CBN) when speaking about his new book, which is about his life and faith, and how he turned around his life of crime and found God after an early life of petty crime and even some time spent in jail.
“I knew more than most people did, right from wrong, miracles of God — I knew all that,” he said, adding, “I went to prison in the 70s.” That is in reference to the 18 months he spent in prison after breaking into a home alongside three accomplices while searching for drugs. After serving those 18 months of a five-year sentence, he decided to turn his life around and become a bounty hunter, focusing on justice rather than committing crime.
Continuing, he spoke about God and knowing that God is real, saying, “I know God is absolutely real.” Continuing, he went on to add that God has shown him miracles after promising to do so, saying, “I know that God told me years ago … ‘I’m going to show you miracles beyond [anything] that you could imagine, think, or want.”
Building on that, he went on to note that his faith in God has strengthened, not weakened, after his wife Beth tragically died in 2019, leading him to remarry. He said, “My faith has grown ever since Beth passed away about five years ago and I met Francie.”
He went on to add that his book, “Nine Lives and Counting: A Bounty Hunter’s Journey to Faith, Hope, and Redemption,” is one that he hopes to use to reach hearts and minds and turn them toward Christ as he was turned toward Christ.
The book’s description provides, “Go behind-the-scenes with Duane “Dog” Chapman, star of the hit reality show Dog the Bounty Hunter and two-time New York Times bestselling author, as he shares new stories about his faith in Jesus, family, and the discovery of God’s grace at work throughout his life. From being in a motorcycle gang, to being incarcerated, and then becoming a widely-know TV personality, Duane’s life has been anything but ordinary. But, through every success and failure, the one constant has been his faith in God. For the first time, Daune is sharing how his faith has brought him through life’s greatest difficulties, giving him renewed purpose and meaning.”
It adds, again focusing on God, “With all the plot twists of a page-turning novel, Nine Lives and Counting is a real-life chronicle of God’s amazing grace and restoration that have marked Duane’s journey of faith. You will be inspired.”
Featured image credit: Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639975