Actor, author, speaker and Christian Kirk Cameron discussed his time on Growing Pains, fame and his inspiring faith journey.
Many people probably know Kirk from movies like “Fireproof,” “Lifemark” or the “Left Behind” series. He has also written several books about faith, including some for children. However, he’s best known as Mike Seaver from Growing Pains, a beloved sitcom from the mid-80s to the early 90s.
Growing Pains completely changed Kirk’s life, turning him into a star at the young age of 14. In a clip posted on YouTube, Kirk explains his start in the entertainment industry and how he got the part on Growing Pains.
“I started doing McDonald’s commercials, 409 cleaner commercials, Froot Loops, Fruit Roll-Ups, all this stuff,” Kirk said. “And then I auditioned for a part on a TV show called Growing Pains, starring Alan Thicke – the talk show host from Canada – and I got the part and the show took off.”
Today, Kirk is one of the most outspoken Christian celebrities. He commonly speaks out about his faith, Jesus Christ and the Bible. However, as he explains, that wasn’t always the case. Kirk was an atheist before coming to Christ. In the clip, Kirk describes how his journey to faith and accepting Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior started because of a young woman he was interested in at the time.
“It wasn’t until I was about 17 years old that I met a really cute girl on the set of Growing Pains. And she was one of three identical triplets, and I was struggling with which one I wanted to ask out on a date because I couldn’t tell them apart,” he said. “They’re identical, so I was like, ‘Door No. 1, Door No. 2, Door No. 3.’”
Kirk adds he eventually asked the young woman out. But the address she gave him was not to her house but to a house of worship.
“And I asked this girl out, and she invited me to come to meet her family, sweet girl, sweet family, and the address she gave me on a Sunday morning, I found out, was a church.”
That Sunday morning’s message caused Kirk to reassess his atheism, raised questions in his mind and eventually led him to become a Christian.
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”