Stephen Baldwin Dons 'Boxing Gloves' for Christ
WASHINGTON – Hollywood actor turned outspoken Christian evangelist Stephen Baldwin is not afraid of a good fight.
"I'm putting some boxing gloves on," he told an adoring crowd of more than 2,000 at the Values Voter Summit on Friday.
But don't expect him in a boxing ring anytime soon. His opponent is none other than Hollywood and what he calls cultural terrorism.
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"What I come to understand about Hollywood, and media, and movies, and television, and music, and internet pornography, and video games is that a majority of what it does is evil," Baldwin said.
He quickly added that some people hearing what he said will call him a "Jesus freak," but he doesn't care.
"What are we fighting for?" he asked, repeating the title of his message. "You see, the culture is being terrorized by this evil spirit working and operating through these things (mainstream entertainment)."
"I got to tell you guys something – I'm sick and tired of them," he declared, sparking an outbreak of applause.
Baldwin is the youngest of Hollywood's famous four Baldwin brothers. His breakthrough role was in the highly-acclaimed 1995 crime investigation film "The Usual Suspects."
But his life dramatically changed in 2001 when he came to Christ through the prayers of his wife. Since then, he has surrendered his life to God and preaches the Gospel to the younger generation through his extreme sports outreach, The Breakthrough Ministry.
"Believe you me," Baldwin, a former social liberal, said to the conservative crowd. "I'm the last guy that would ever think I would be standing at this podium today."
Now, he says he believes "the greatest way to ensure a better America in the future is make more Christian."
When he first got saved, Baldwin shared, he had "challenged" the Lord, which he joked was something "really stupid" to do.
"Here's the deal Dude," he had prayed.
"I'm a skydiver, I race motorcycles, I ride bulls – I'm nuts," the extreme sports enthusiast said.
"And if this experience with You isn't greater than anything else I've experienced thus far, You're going to have a problem because I'm Stephen Baldwin," he stated, drawing laughter from the audience.
"It was early on in my walk," he added with a grin. "But I really said that."
The deal was for God to reveal His truth and power and His Holy Spirit, he explained more seriously.
God succeeded and now Baldwin is proclaiming the Word and combating evil in the world.
He denounced the entertainment industry for projecting evil messages that are "terrorizing our culture."
As an example, he pointed to the sexually provocative TV show "Gossip Girl," which reviews have described as "mind-blowingly inappropriate," "very bad for you," and "every parent's nightmare."
However, it was one of the show's marketing posters that pushed him over the edge. The photo had a young male and female character having sex with the bold letters "OMFG" underneath.
"I'm from Hollywood," Baldwin said. "I've been blessed in my career, but I'm telling you, who I am today when Hollywood uses the 'F' word in front of my God I'm not going to put up with that anymore," he declared angrily.
He invited those at the Summit to join him in the fight against the "dark entertainment world."
"I need some help, people," Baldwin said.
He ended by declaring with a fighting spirit, "I look forward to the future to continuing to kick some butts for the Kingdom of the Lord."
The Values Voter Summit, which drew thousands of concerned Americans from across the country, concluded Sunday morning with a worship service.
Hosted by the social conservative group Family Research Council, the three-day summit featured the nation's foremost experts from the fields of politics, media, entertainment, and Christian ministry.
Organizers sought to energize voter participation in the political process by educating and equipping Americans to change the nation's policies on issues such as the sanctity of life and marriage, immigration reform, religious freedom, health care, radical Islam, and judicial activism, among others.
