Stephen Baldwin is rapidly becoming a household name in the church today. As a famous actor who suddenly and surprisingly became a Christian after 9/11, he's gotten both good and bad press from the secular media - and mostly good press from the Christian media. His new books, films, and projects have mostly been geared toward youth, and the Christian market has responded overwhelmingly.
What concerns me is that, apparently, no one has really taken the time to carefully weigh Baldwin's teachings and ideas before thrusting them upon youth and youth ministry. The general consensus seems to be, "He's popular, he's 'hip', he's Christian, he'll work. He's a little over-the-top, but I think we can risk it." No, we can't risk anything where the souls of young people are concerned. In your youth ministry, never use any teachings without making one-hundred-percent sure that they line up with the Bible.
So, let's take a closer look at what Baldwin is saying. First of all, he has recently begun publishing a series of "Christian comic books" called "Spirit Warriors", aimed at preteen and teen age groups. I have personally read these books, and I can say with complete certainty that they do not promote the kind of Christianity we want to teach to youth. The books are rife with violence on the part of the characters who are supposed to be Christian, and they present God's power as something that Christians can harness and use against their enemies. If one takes the time to read what Baldwin says about faith and Christianity elsewhere, the content of these books is no longer surprising. Baldwin's entire approach is excessively bold, angry and "in-your-face". But there's more to it than that.
Baldwin is a major promoter of the "make the church look more like the world in order to attract youth" approach to youth ministry. "If you bring the kids dorkville they don't listen," he once
First of all, how can normal, unaltered Christianity patterned on a Biblical paradigm be called "dorkville"? Is Baldwin calling Christians who don't use "contemporary" Bible paraphrases and don't dress in black, Gothic-style clothes with Christian symbols on them "dorks"? As I am one of these people, I find Baldwin's comment offensive and completely un-Christian. If he thinks Christianity has to be offered in the context he defines as "really cool" in order to appeal to youth, his theory is wrong both empirically and biblically. Also, why did he define the Son of God as "a man named Jesus Christ"? Aren't we supposed to tell youth that Jesus is something far more than that?
The other cause for concern in Baldwin's teachings is the way he talks about his life before his conversion. I'm not trying to condemn him in saying these, but there are quite a few things in his past that he has reason to regret and feel some sense of shame over. I am not judging him; I say this based on what Baldwin himself has freely admitted. He led a life full of sexual sin and starred in many movies with blatantly immoral scenes. As Baldwin is now a Christian, these things should no longer be held against him - that is, if he has sincerely repented of them. But when he talks about them now, it is with more pride than regret. He spends nearly half of the first chapter of his new book, "The Unusual Suspect", talking about how he knew which steps of the staircase to the basement of the Playboy mansion triggered a silent alarm. He is not at all graphic in his descriptions of what he did or saw in his former life. I'm not accusing him of that. I merely object to the tone in which he discusses these things. As a Christian, his attitude toward his past should be one of abhorrence and repentance. That is not what one finds in his book. You can read the first chapter at his web site, stephenbaldwin.com, and see what I mean.
Here is the most offensive quote I have found from Stephen Baldwin so far. I hesitate to post it here, but I feel my readers need to understand fully why I am rebuking Baldwin. He speaks of his book, "The Unusual Suspect":
“Well, I jokingly call it 'The Gospel According to Stevie B.' I said some things in the book that I’m getting a lot of flack about—people are saying, 'Well you can’t talk about sex and you can’t talk about this.' Well, as long as it’s sex with your wife and as long as it’s within a decent taste [it’s ok]. I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired of the Christian movement being so stuffy and farty. The whole thing’s gotta relax. It’s the reason why people are so against it here in
If Baldwin objects to the status of the Christian movement, must he condemn it in such an excessively blunt and even profane way? It would be more to his advantage for him to logically present his objections and then discuss, with courtesy and respect, what the Christian response to the problem should be. And no, it is not correct to talk about sexual intercourse - something that God has meant as a private, beautiful thing between a man and a woman - in a flippant manner, even if it is between a man and his wife. As for "The Gospel According to Stevie B.", wouldn't it be better for him to talk about "The Gospel According to Jesus Christ"? To use such a phrase borders on irreverence.
In your youth ministry, do not make the mistake of using Stephen Baldwin as an example of someone who has made a complete turn-around and is now following Jesus with his whole heart. His actions, words, and attitude are not befitting a true Christian. Give youth a better role model if you want to make headway in leading them to Christ.
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