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PR.com (Allison
Kugel): So, I read your book…
Stephen Baldwin: You read
The Unusual Suspect? Did it suck, or what? (joking)
PR.com: I loved your
book but I had a love/hate relationship with it, and here's why: I
love the overall message and philosophy of your book…
Stephen Baldwin: Right…
PR.com: What isolated
me a little bit was that, I'm Jewish, I grew up Jewish, and I
don't know that much about Christianity. The things I loved about
your book are finding your humanity, focusing on spiritual things
rather then material things and trying to serve the world and your
community as best as you can. The thing that made me feel almost
left out was the part about Christ being the only path to finding
that sort of peace.
Stephen Baldwin: Right.
Let me respond to that by saying this. According to what I
believe, which is found in the bible, and obviously the chasm
between the Jew and the Christian is pretty significant.
Understand, I say what I'm saying now only as a messenger, so to
speak. And I say that loosely. If what I believe is true, that
Jesus was the messiah, and if I believe that my faith is true,
then every word in the bible's true, and if all that's true…and
again, if it's true, Jesus is the only way and really what's
become…the part of the purpose of the book for me is, God and my
experience that I'm having in my faith. I really feel God speaking
to me, and I don't mean I'm hearing some audible voice. I just
mean in my spirit I feel God saying, "Stephen, you're a radical
dude. Go be a radical for me, but don't sugar coat it. A lot of
the Christian movement today is going to speak to whoever doesn't
believe. Doesn't matter…Jew, Buddhist, Kabbalah…whatever it is.
But these Christians today, they're kind of watering down what
it's supposed to be all about. You're supposed to lovingly,
gently, as heartfelt and warmly as you can in most cases…and in
some cases there's quite confrontational moments that I have with
people. I just say, "Look. Don't shoot the messenger." I'm just
saying that based on what I believe this is what God says is the
truth. It wasn't until I personally started to embark on the
experience that I came to believe that it was true and real. It's
very interesting that you say, "I felt kind of left out." That's
the point. I want you to feel left out. I want you to feel like
you're missing something, because if what God is telling me about
my faith and my experience is true, then you are missing
something.
PR.com: Ok. That's an
interesting point.
Stephen Baldwin: It's not
like, "My faith's better then your faith." That's not the point.
The point is, I'm a guy [who's] been around the world, I got a hot
wife, made millions, hung out with movie stars, really have been
blessed! Then, as a result of a plan that God had for my life all
along, I turned around and said, "Ok God. I'm gonna pursue you now
and do this thing according to the way in which your bible
teaches, which is to read your word every day, pray to you every
day, seek you every day." And the guy just blew my mind!
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