Dog the Bounty Hunter on Sharing His Faith: ‘I Am Not A Preacher, But I Have A Message’

Published: May 11, 2022

Dog the Bounty Hunter on Sharing His Faith: ‘I Am Not A Preacher, But I Have A Message’

By Movieguide® Staff

Duane Chapman, or “Dog the Bounty Hunter” as he was known on his reality TV show from 2003 to 2012, recently shared details about his faith journey.

Chapman, who spent time in prison in the 1970s for being in an illegal biker gang, said that his mother and grandmother provided examples of Christian living.

“My great, great grandmother was a Christian,” he said on The Prodigal Stories Podcast. “She was a pastor. My mother … all day long, her whole life, all she did was pray for us.”

“We had to go to church, or [my mom] took the keys away from my motorcycle,” he added.

However, it was not until after his time in prison that Chapman began to look into his faith in God.

“I was committed, and then, I thought, ‘God’s really busy in Vietnam, so He’s not going to care really what I do as long as I say the blessing and keep God kind of first,'” Chapman said.

“After going to prison in the 70s in Texas for 18 months, I realized right then that, at the end of this rainbow of crime and all that, is not a bucket of gold, it’s a cell,” he continued.

Even when Chapman was in prison, he said that his mother prayed for him and recited scripture to him.

“As I slept, my mom put on a recording of the Bible, and every morning, when I woke up, I’m like, ‘Mom, why did you?’ She’s like, ‘I don’t know who turned that on.'”

Chapman said that his road to faith was gradual, but eventually, God transformed his life.

“I started acting nice. I’m an Indian outlaw, so I started acting like I wasn’t,” he said. “Then I started thinking, ‘What would Jesus do right now?’… I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to slap [someone] or something, and I’d think, ‘Jesus would not do that.'”

“I started pretending to be good and, all the sudden, I started being good,” he said.

Instead of spending time behind bars, Chapman became a bounty hunter who claims to have captured 8,000 fugitives. But Chapman did not view them as far gone criminals.

“I would capture guys and tell them, ‘Listen, man, I’ve been there, done that … we need supernatural help,'” he said. “I am not a preacher — never will be, but I have a message.”