"What is happening within Christianity is that it doesn't know it needs to promote itself"
About this Quote
The intent feels double-edged: it’s a pep talk to believers and a diagnosis of institutional complacency. “Doesn’t know it needs” implies an innocence that’s almost accusatory. Christianity, historically, is one of the most evangelistic projects ever devised; Baldwin’s move is to suggest that modern Christianity has forgotten its own muscle memory. The subtext is a fear of cultural marginalization: if the ambient default of Christian identity has evaporated in pluralistic, secular spaces, then silence reads as irrelevance.
There’s also a telling shift in language. “Promote itself” frames faith as a product competing in the marketplace of ideas and lifestyles. That phrasing reveals the influence of late-capitalist communication: causes trend, identities are curated, and institutions that refuse the tools of visibility (media, influencer logic, spectacle) get outperformed by those that embrace them. Baldwin isn’t just asking for louder preaching; he’s asking for sharper storytelling - a Christianity that understands the modern attention economy and stops acting surprised when it’s not automatically center stage.
Quote Details
| Topic | Faith |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Baldwin, Stephen. (2026, January 16). What is happening within Christianity is that it doesn't know it needs to promote itself. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/what-is-happening-within-christianity-is-that-it-116746/
Chicago Style
Baldwin, Stephen. "What is happening within Christianity is that it doesn't know it needs to promote itself." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/what-is-happening-within-christianity-is-that-it-116746/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"What is happening within Christianity is that it doesn't know it needs to promote itself." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/what-is-happening-within-christianity-is-that-it-116746/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.





