A good friend of mine on FreeRepublic posted an article today by Allison Kugel at PR.com called Stephen Baldwin and the Extreme Sport of Jesus Christ. I figured it would be an article focused primarily on "The Breakthrough Ministry," an extreme sports ministry Baldwin is involved in, but much to my surprise and enjoyment it focused more on Baldwin's conversion to Christianity as detailed in his new book, The Unusual Suspect.

While I would certainly not describe Baldwin as a "theological heavyweight" by any stretch of the imagination, what I enjoyed most about this interview is his unwillingness to compromise the Gospel as truth. Reading the interview I was very quickly reminded of what happens when Larry King interviews Christians, and was afraid I would see Baldwin succumb to the same unwillingness to stand fast. I'm very happy to be wrong in this case as Baldwin did a great job (albeit in his own cryptic, goofy way) of standind firm. My favorite response was that given to the question if, after his children are raised as Christians and later decide that "This isn't really for us," it would be OK with him (my emphasis):

"Of course it wouldn't be ok, but everybody has a choice to make and everybody is free to do whatever they want. What would be ok, is the hope I would have, that God would represent in their lives."

In a day when "Christian celebrity" is practically an oxymoron, it's wonderful to see a celebrity convert and then stand steadfast in his faith under public scrutiny.