Kirk Cameron Excited to 'Spread Light Through Hollywood's Moral Filth and Darkness'
Former child star Kirk Cameron, who is currently on an evangelical tour around the country working on new projects promoting Christian belief, said in a recent interview that the opportunity to share the Gospel with Hollywood is "exciting."
"No, because my friends aren't in Hollywood," Cameron said in an interview published on June 6 by the Naperville Sun, responding to whether he feels lonely or not. "When I look and see the opportunities I have here in Hollywood to spread some light and some life in a place that is notorious for exporting so much moral filth and darkness, it's exciting."
Cemeron, who has a scheduled speaking engagement at The Compass Church in Naperville, Ill., on Friday as part of his "Love Worth Fighting For" tour, added in the interview that he regularly prays not only for his former 1990s sitcom "Growing Pains" co-stars, but for everyone.
"I pray for everybody that I know. I pray for people that I don't know. I pray not just for my family but for my TV family. Who couldn't use blessings from heaven?" the actor said.
In 2012, Cameron stirred debate when he defended traditional Christian views on homosexuality on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight," which provoked the criticism of a number of Hollywood stars.
"Marriage was defined by God a long time ago," Cameron said. "[It's] almost as old as dirt, and it was defined in the garden between Adam and Eve – one man, one woman for life till death do you part. So I would never attempt to try to redefine marriage."
In response, actress Roseanne Barr tweeted: "kirk or kurt or whatever Cameron is an accomplice to murder with his hate speech. so is rick warren. Their peers r killing gays in Uganda."
Other Hollywood stars like Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Craig Ferguson, Debra Messing and Kristin Chenoweth all criticized Cameron, with Alan Thicke, who played Cameron's on-screen father in "Growing Pains," tweeting: "I'm getting [Cameron] some new books. The Old Testament simply can't be expected to explain everything."
At the same time, many people online flocked to social networking sites to praise the actor's convictions.
"Cameron is thankful for the thousands of emails and comments that he's received from those who value the freedom to express one's beliefs," said the actor's rep in a statement.
The evangelical speaker is currently working on a film project set at tackling life's toughest questions, in collaboration with Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.
Cameron shared with The Christian Post in March that the film, which is to be released this fall, "tackles the faith wrecking question that has turned Christians into atheists: 'Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?'"
"This film answers a universal question that must be answered by every thoughtful person – both religious and secular," Cameron explained. "Young and old wrestle with suffering and death, and all are in need of hope, faith and love. So I'm making this movie for adults and teenagers, old and young. I want both my grandparents to be inspired and my children to be captivated by this exciting new film."