About God's Word for Peace Officers

Email: [email protected]

The mission of God's Word for Peace Officers (GWFPO) is to make available online a free digital copy of this Bible edition for all peace officers, chaplains, and law enforcement administrators. The God's Word for Peace Officers ebook, including Chaplain Lee's Introduction, God's Word translation (used by permission), and GWFPO artwork are copyrighted material, with all rights reserved, intended solely for free non-commercial use and with proper attribution. We pray God blesses your study of His Word!

About Chaplain Stephen C. “Steve” Lee, M.Div.

Rev. Lee began his law enforcement career at age 21 in California in 1973. He has served honorably as both a local and federal law enforcement officer, with broad experience as a patrol officer, corrections officer, sheriff's sergeant, SWAT team leader, major crimes investigator including homicide, and NIS (now NCIS) counter-intelligence special agent. Pastor Lee left law enforcement in 1988 to enter Christian ministry, serving as a church planter and pastor, missionary, and law enforcement chaplain. In his duties, he has responded to assist on-scene at many major national crises including Columbine, 9/11, Hurricanes Katrina and Helene, Mandalay Bay Hotel shooting, California wildfires, and many other natural and man-made disasters. He served as chaplain to the crew that recovered the Ground Zero Cross now on display in the 9/11 Museum. Chaplain Lee has also provided chaplaincy services, training and resources to thousands of officers and chaplains nationwide and worldwide, including book authorship and providing thousands of special law enforcement edition Bibles (with his 97-page introduction written especially for law enforcement, revised and expanded in 2024). Pastor Lee has been married to his wife Elaine since 1977. They have four children and seven grandchildren.

God’s Word for Peace Officers

Reviewed by Dr. Tom Mijares
Professor Emeritus, Texas State University
Detroit Police Department (Retired)

Law enforcement training generally addresses the physical and intellectual needs that are used for the trainees’ next assignment. The training may be in the form of a basic recruit academy, advanced instruction for specialized assignments, or promotional training. Police trainees are expected to master specific knowledge and skills and to demonstrate their abilities. For example, recruits are provided with information about the appropriate and legal use of firearms. They are taught the techniques needed to improve their marksmanship. Finally, they are required to demonstrate their ability to use the various firearms in their agency’s inventory. The appropriate use of their skill is often tested with “Shoot-Don’t Shoot” scenarios using electronically simulated weapon systems and targets.

God’s Word for Peace Officers is an unorthodox approach to training that extends to the emotional, relational, ethical, moral and spiritual needs of officer survival. It is a complete — Old and New Testament — “Tactical Edition” Bible with a 97-page introduction that addresses these added risks officers face. It applies the ancient wisdom of “God’s Word” to a modern peace officer’s professional and personal life. The introduction’s author, Chaplain Steve Lee, has served as both a local officer and federal agent. After leaving law enforcement for ordained church ministry, he has also served on-scene as a chaplain at many major natural and man-made disasters. However, he never forgot his law enforcement roots. For instance, he developed and presented a law enforcement chaplaincy program at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis to teach members of the clergy to serve as chaplains in police departments.

The 97-page Bible introduction is well organized into general sections such as a suggested path to peace, prayers for officers, law enforcement in the Bible and the Bible as an aid for dealing with topics such as integrity, disasters, consoling victims and their family members, and stress reduction. Information for law enforcement chaplains and police administrators is also included. Specific Biblical citations reinforce the material. Coverage of the specific topics flows freely and smoothly and is written in a manner that can be easily understood. However, the material is not meant to be read quickly. The material is intended to be thought-provoking and will require multiple readings.

Although the book is unlike most other instructional resources, a major point to consider when reading it is to regard it as training material. Law enforcement personnel are trained cognitively and physically. However, their spiritual needs are usually ignored. God’s Word for Peace Officers is intended to improve an officer’s resilience by addressing this training need. For this purpose, many departments around the United States have suggested this valuable book for their personnel.

Regardless of a reader’s religious preference and practices, the training will be helpful to all law enforcement personnel. In today’s world of chaos and uncertainty, law enforcement personnel need all the help they can get to remain stable under stress.