Kirk Cameron--TV's Greatest Preacher

[dshentertainmen2]

A lot of these preachers, both on TV and in Churches across the World, are PHONIES--some, like Pat Robertson, age 81 (born March 22, 1950 in Lexington, Virginia as Marion Robertson, with Pat being his nickname), I feel sorry for; others, like 54-year-old Rod Parsley (born January 13, 1957 in Cleveland, Ohio), are downright frauds.

Some, like Jim Bakker (born January 2, 1939 in Muskegon, Michigan), have served time in federal prison for embezzlement in company funds.

The only exception, however, to this Golden Rule of Evangelism is 41-year-old Kirk Cameron (born October 12, 1969 in Panorama, California).

Most teenagers of the 1980s remember Kirk as a television actor through TV's "Growing Pains." However, between ages 14 and 17, Pastor Kirk was a devout Atheist until one fateful day, in Summer 1987, during a break from filming "Like Father, Like Son" opposite the late British actor Dudley Moore.

That Summer night, he was invited by his then-girlfriend, aspiring actress Leanna Creel (born August 27, 1970 in Los Angeles, California), to attend the Church where her father was Pastor--just to impress her--but that night, while sitting in his parked car, Kirk asked himself (pertaining to his parents' recent separation and impending divorce after nearly 18 years of marriage), "If there's a God, I need to know." Within 6 months, soon after his 18th birthday, just prior to graduating from high school, Kirk Cameron gave his whole self to Christ--a road that, even by his own admission, was bumpy.

For starters: according to the "Growing Pains: E! True Hollywood Story" episode, Kirk refused to do a scene involving his character in bed with a girl--even if it was a so-called fictional Stage Production, with his character by this time an aspiring actor struggling to make it in show business.

In 1989, 2 years after converting to Christianity, Kirk Cameron, just shy of age 20, met aspiring actress/model Nancy Mueller (known professionally by her stage name, Chelsea Noble), born on December 4, 1964 in Buffalo, New York, who he would marry in Nancy's hometown of Buffalo, New York on July 20, 1991 in a private ceremony with only immediate family in attendance.

In April 1991, during the show's summer hiatus, Cameron, according to the "E! True Hollywood Story," called from his house the President of the ABC Network, stating his employers were all "pornographers."

That Fall, new writers & directors were hired, along with a 16-year-old kid named Leonardo DiCaprio.

By Spring 1992, ABC canceled "Growing Pains," not due to poor ratings (though it was #27 out of 102 prime-time network shows that season), but due to the network's tiring of Kirk Cameron and his religious beliefs.

In 2000, soon after filming wrapped on the 1st "Growing Pains" reunion movie (a 2nd reunion film, "Return of the Seavers," was made 4 years later and broadcast in October 2004), Kirk, by this time 30 years old, retired from acting and started a new career--that of a famous evangelical preacher, sharing his faith via open-air preaching on the streets of California.

Except for the "Left Behind" trilogy and the 2008 independent movie "Fireproof," Kirk is STILL retired from acting--and in early 2002, 18 months after beginning his career as an open-air preacher, 32-year-old Kirk teamed up with New Zealand-born minister Ray Comfort (born December 5, 1949) to combine their ministries together, Ray having been a minister since 1972.

Today, still married to Nancy, Kirk is the proud father of 6 kids--4 oldest adopted and 2 youngest biological--all of whom reside in Southern California.

[AKA]

Can I ask what your obsession is with Kirk Cameron's birthdate? Frankly, it's kind of weird, and this is at least your third Sitcoms Online screen name on which you've posted about it - multiple times.

Your obsession with Candace Cameron's "nude scene" is equally weird. Please stop.

[Mr. Television]

ABC did not cancel GP because of Kirk's religion and the show was not ranked #27 during that season. I think the last episode might have been but most of that season GP was ranked near the bottom of the ratings. It was mainly because ABC had moved it to Saturday night that season. It had run it's course anyway.

[Sterling Holobyte]

I never liked Kirk Cameron when he was on Growing Pains. I felt him to be a selfish person with an overblown ego(not just his character either).
But he really does seem to have turned around and done a lot of growing up, and I have a lot more respect for him now, and I respect him putting himself out there witnessing to people. That's not an easy thing to do.

[Sophia's Wrinkles]

Greatest peacher? Kirk Cameron is a joke.