Growing Pains' Star Kirk Cameron Shuns Hollywood Success for God's Work

Best known as the quick-witted, fun-loving Mike Seiver on TV's Growing Pains, Kirk Cameron has reinvented himself from child star to Christian warrior. The one-time atheist has found peace, happiness and a sense of self that Hollywood fame and fortune couldn't provide. Despite the extreme success of Growing Pains and thousands of adoring fans, what the teen heartthrob needed most teased him with its tantalizing dance of promise but remained out of reach. If Cameron wanted it, "it" being a level of happiness and fulfillment he never thought possible, he'd have to make the first move. It was there for the taking but changes were required.

The smart-aleck boy on TV, who took nothing too seriously and always had a sarcastic zinger waiting to fly, was at a crossroads, facing the choices of a man. Teenage years are always awkward and often full of missteps and poor choices. As any previously, misguided teen will tell you, it's beyond unfortunate to become an adult and realize that a choice made in unwise teen years has cost dearly. When that teen is a heartthrob on TV's highest rated show the ante is doubled. Mistakes are blazed before the masses and stars find themselves labeled "has beens" as they fall from the Hollywood sky.

With everything he earned at stake, Kirk Cameron chose a path rarely, if ever, followed. He cast off his fame to embrace a low-profile life of faith. On the side of a road he turned from his atheist ways, asking God to show himself to be real. It was the first time he acknowledged that there may even be a God. It was a simple request that would alter his life in ways he couldn't fathom. Though he did not yet realize it, he was a new man.

Cameron didn't completely fall from the entertainment radar but he certainly took a step down. Instead of high profile TV roles he turned his attention to a much smaller project. Tim Lehay and Jerry B. Jenkins had captivated Christians and non-Christians alike with their tales of the end times. Though the Left Behind book series was built around fictional characters they were deeply steeped in Biblical truth. A fan of the books, Cameron signed on to play one of the main characters, Buck Williams. The movies failed to receive the attention the books generated but Cameron appeared not to care. He was involved in work that was far more reaching than the world in which we reside.

Foregoing the prestigious and highly sought hills of Hollywood, Cameron gave focused attention to what matters most to him: God. He can now be found on his radio and TV. programs, Way of the Master. The mission of Way of the Master is simple: educate and convert. Subscribing to the theory that when Biblical truth is explained in a manner that can be understood by the one doing the listening, he dived head first into the world of evangelism. The website of the same name boldly proclaims the ability to prove the existence of God and shred the theory of evolution- all within minutes. It's a bold statement that only someone completely sold out to the product they're selling could make. Kirk Cameron may have solicited laughs on TV but in reality it is souls he seeks.

Though, all grown up, it's impossible to look at the man he is and not see the boy he once was. Age has been easy on Cameron and for all of us who lined our bedroom walls with posters of him, we're extremely grateful. Twenty years after his rise to stardom he remains disarmingly handsome. A click to his website, www.kirkcameron.com, will immediately transport you back to the Seiver's loving home with the Growing Pains theme song. "Show me that smile again", the song croons and you can't help oblige as Cameron's face materializes.

Having loved Mike Seiver, I couldn't imagine Kirk Cameron evangelizing. Unable to separate the character from the man, I thought his failure was imminent due to stereotypical attitudes. His passion for God, however, could not be doubted as he fiercely defends man's creation. From the shadows of evolution he brings scientific data and remarks by Darwin himself that are more supportive of creation than evolution. Because I'm already a Believer the question looming on the horizon for me was, can this teen idol shed his sitcom fame and be taken seriously enough to win souls for salvation? To my dismay, I doubted it.

I had little expectations when I clicked over to www.wayofthemaster.com. It was there I was treated to a first-hand account of Cameron's ability to reach others in the cause for Christ. On the website you can find several videos of Cameron and his co-host Ray Comfort in action. From the streets to the studios, the pair debate two atheists on the theory of evolution. It takes only a matter of minutes to reduce the atheist's theories to dust and then leave them sputtering in it.

The must-see video of the website is of Cameron on a pier in Santa Monica where he decides to witness to gang members. As the men pass by it's clear who they are and that they're not accustomed to being stopped. The gang surrounds Cameron leaving him no room to back-out. One gang member takes exception with a Biblical verse Cameron quotes. Cameron ignores the man's comments and the fact that he's closing the gap between them because he has another gang member that is actually listening. Cameron shuts out everything around him, including the increasing personal danger as he zeroes in on the one soul he may be able to reach.

I sat riveted to the computer screen wondering what would happen next. Would the man be saved? Would the other gang member resort to violence? Would Cameron back off in fear? Suddenly I realized that these roaming questions answered my previous one. Kirk Cameron has effectively shattered the stereotypical mold fame placed him in. As I watched him brazenly take on gang members, not once did I glimpse Mike Seiver. All I saw was a man after God's own heart.