And so began Cameron's spiritual journey of coming to know God.
Thwarted by Spiritual Growing Pains
Despite the excitement and joy of his new-found faith, committing his life to Christ during the prime of his career as a teen icon meant hard days were ahead, especially on the set of Growing Pains.
When Cameron's conversion took place about three years into the show, "It caused some trouble on the set because I wasn't joining in the same kind of sinful things I used to," he explained.
His fellow cast and crew members were perplexed over the change in Cameron and were concerned about what it meant for him, themselves and the future of the show. Cameron explained that being a Christian in Hollywood is often a mere self-implied label while being a real born-again Christian is unacceptable.
"But if you're not born again, you're not a Christian," he explained.
Although Cameron knew this, it was very difficult for him to share it with the cast. As a young believer, he didn't know how. The show continued despite some twists and turns that led to a series finale in 1992 when the show was cancelled after a seven-season run.
"A lot of those old things have sort of healed over [now]," Cameron said. "We've had two reunion movies that we've filmed and both of those times ... we've had a really good time together."
Impacting Hollywood and Beyond
While his beliefs are an awkward subject of conversation for the fictional Seaver family, they now understand Cameron is a Christian set on sharing the Gospel with all he meets.
"My motivation for making a difference is the fact that if someone doesn't come to Christ, they're going to be in hell for eternity," he explained. "That is why I pour so much into The Way of the Master because I know it is affecting people for eternity.
"People are going from enemies of God to [being] adopted into God's family and being a child of God if they understand and embrace the Gospel," he added. "[So] I am grateful to be a Christian in Hollywood," Cameron wrote in an online column. "God is doing great things here."
> Rebecca Grace, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a staff writer for AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association. This article appeared in the March 2005 issue.
The Way of the Master (www.wayofthemaster.com )
(c) 2005, Agape Press. Used with permission.
