Stephen Baldwin

Actor Stephen Baldwin was searching for God. After September 11th, when terrorists attacked America, he was convinced that he needed a change in his life. Years earlier, a Brazilian housekeeper had prophetically told him that his family would come to know the Lord and have their own ministry. Stephen’s wife, Kennya, who attended a charismatic church in New York City, eventually came to know the Lord. She then prayed for her husband’s conversion for about two years, and after 9-11, in March 2002, Baldwin committed his life to Jesus Christ. He’s now an active born-again Christian.

Born in 1966, in Massapequa, New York (Jerry Seinfeld’s hometown), to a Catholic family, Stephen Baldwin is the youngest of two sisters and three brothers. His brothers (Alec, Daniel and William (Billy) Baldwin) are all famous actors. Unlike his brothers, Stephen has often chosen more unusual roles, often in indie films. Perhaps his best work was in 1995’s “The Usual Suspects.” He also appeared in the movies “Posse,” “Fled,” “One Tough Cop,” “The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas,” “Bio-Dome,” “Threesome,” and on TV shows like “The Young Riders” and “Celebrity Mole.” He’s a successful, popular actor who came from humble beginnings.

As a teenager, Stephen worked in a pizza parlor. While his older brothers were lifeguards at Jones Beach, Stephen’s less exciting job involved picking up litter there. You probably wouldn’t believe this, but while in high school, he was quite the opera (yes, opera!) singer, winning several competitions. He later studied at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

For a while, before Stephen knew the Lord, drugs and alcohol got the best of him, but his wife helped steer him away from those hurtful substances. It was a slow but steady process.

Now, if you were to read interviews with Stephen during his “pre-Jesus” years, you would find a lot of curse words. It was also during this time when he decided to get a lot of tattoos. The word “believe” appears between his shoulder blades. He also sports tattoos of a tiger, along with Chinese symbols for master and servant, as well as a special tattoo marking his sobriety. There are also tattoos on his body dedicated to his wife and one of his daughters.

Because Stephen has tattoos, and a past that most people would consider “pretty messed up,” he’s able to use those experiences to relate to a lot of people going through what he went through. The difference now is that he has a message of hope for them. He can share with young people the good news of Jesus Christ so they too can clean themselves up and have a brand new start in life.

Once considered a Hollywood “bad boy,” Stephen’s life is dramatically different today. He keeps busy promoting “Livin’ It,” a BMX-biker/extreme sports DVD he co-produced and directed. He helps raise funds for breast cancer research, since his mom, Carol, is a breast cancer survivor. And he even showed up at the 2004 Republican National Convention, much to his brother Alec’s Democratic dismay.

While Stephen is very vocal about his faith, his brothers seem to take a “that’s nice” kind of attitude with him publicly, while, I suspect, privately not understanding his new life in Christ, much like most people who have not had a “born-again” conversion experience. For now, Stephen does pray that his brothers will have a closer relationship with God.

Stephen would like to see more Christian content in the secular marketplace. Since he has many connections in Hollywood, and is consistently making new connections in the Christian subculture, he plans on being part of more and more projects that present gospel values to the masses in a cutting-edge, modern way.

Because he’s less selfish than he used to be, and because he’s open to doing what God wants him to do, expect great things from Stephen Baldwin in the future.

By Mark Weber