i just sent off an email to dog chapman... you can send emails to him at
comments@dogthebountyhunter.com. i really think this is a good time for the christian community to rally around him and encourage him to walk closer to Christ.
here's what i wrote...
i hope whoever is in charge of weeding thru emails will pass this along to duane and the family.
dog, i saw your interview last night on hannity and colmes, and i just wanted to say my heart goes out to you. you asked for forgiveness from your fans.... i am a fan of yours (although i got burnt out on your show a long time ago), and you HAVE my forgiveness. ok, so i'm about as white as you can get, so maybe that doesn't mean as much.
i'm a christian though. and although many christians pick you apart because of your potty mouth, i've always reminded people that God uses who He chooses, and there is no doubt He has been using you in a mighty way. you are a flawed human whose witness for Jesus Christ, whose unashamed prayers for convicts on national TV, has reached untold numbers of people who may never hear the story of Jesus from someone else.
your apology last night was filled with humility, and humility is always a good lesson, although a difficult one. i've been in your shoes... when i was younger, i, too, thought i was cool enough to use the N word. one of my best friends was black, and his nickname was N... Bill. his friends of all colours called him that, his family called him that, he even called himself that. and then one day i called him that at his family's house... and to this day i'm glad he was standing next to me to protect me from his family, who made it clear in no uncertain terms that i just was NOT that cool.
i pray for you and your family, dog. i hope you come through this with the forgiveness that you ask for. but remember this.... it is our heavenly Father whose forgiveness is most important, and you've already received that. your identity is in Christ, not in your fame. and regardless of how this affects your worldly celebrity status, God is going to use this event in your life in a way far greater than you can possibly know at this moment.
overcoming a lifetime of using offensive language and taking God's name in vain is going to be the most difficult struggle of your life. and your pastor is right... you can't do it by your own power. but you can do it by God's power, and i'll be praying to that end.
sincerely
christie smith
