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(RNS) — Media mogul Tyler Perry’s new movie, “Tyler Perry’s The Gospel of Christmas,” draws on some poignant parts of his faith and family life — and features some of his favorite gospel music stars — to tell a story about a struggling Black church and a man who is asked to take it over.
“The Gospel of Christmas,” released on Netflix on Wednesday (Nov. 11), tells the story of Isaac (Durrell “Tank” Babbs), who tries to fulfill the deathbed wish of his father (Fred Hammond) and lead his late grandfather’s troubled church in a rundown New York City neighborhood. After moving there from Georgia with his wife (Fantasia Barrino-Taylor) and sons, Isaac is weighed down by unanswered prayers and a cast of characters in the neighborhood — two played by gospel musicians CeCe Winans and Yolanda Adams — who are at first uninterested in attending the church.
“What I wanted to do was just make sure that I could tell a story that a lot of people today could relate to and understand,” Perry, 57, told Religion News Service in an interview on Monday about the movie he wrote, directed and produced. “And I think the loss of faith, the loss of prayer in your life, the loss of just believing is so prominent now that I thought that it was important to do at this point, especially with so much calamity and horror and terror going on in the world.”
Perry, who is known for films including “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” one of a series in which he played the feisty grandmother, Madea, said he was raised in Baptist and African Methodist Episcopal churches and continues to attend worship services. “When I can, I’m there for sure,” he said.
He spoke with RNS about the gospel stars who acted in his musical movie, the state of Black churches and whether he believes in angels or the devil. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How difficult was it to get the cast filled with gospel music stars that you got for this movie?
The great thing about it is, when I made all of these phone calls, everybody made themselves available. It was wonderful to see people who have inspired me and whose music has touched me my entire life say yes to be a part of this. So I’m just really thrilled about that.
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Was it the first time acting for any or many of them?
Yes, for the most part, this is their first time acting or they’ve done small roles here and there. So yeah, I didn’t want to push them too far outside of their comfort range, but no, they did a great job.
You have some of them seemingly playing roles that people might think were quite out of character for them.
Yeah, especially CeCe Winans being mean to somebody. I mean, who can imagine that? CeCe is not a person who can be mean. And every day, every (laughs) time she would do a line, she would just say, “She’s just so mean.” I’d say “Well, it’s not you, CeCe. It’s not you.”
Your movie depicts the struggles of a fictional inner-city Black church at a time when today’s Black churches and other congregations often are experiencing a decline in attendance. Are you aware of real-life examples of comebacks like the one the pastor and congregation were hoping for in the movie?
I’m watching this church in Atlanta — 2819 (Church) — there is definitely a revival that’s happening. And I think that just because I’m aware of 2819 doesn’t mean that there aren’t a lot more. But I think that where we are in this country, I think people are starting to either lose faith or starting to seek God, and it’s my hope that by seeing this movie, more people will start to seek God.
The movie prominently features a large family Bible stuffed with mementos and memories. Do you have one in your family, and if so, how would you describe it?
It’s so funny you should ask that. I had my mother’s Bible. It’s the only thing I wanted after she died, and we cannot find it. I’ve been looking for it for years. That’s why I wanted to show it in this film. But she had this beautiful Bible with all these handwritten notes in it, and it has just been driving me crazy that I cannot find it.
One of those notes in the Bible expressed concern about the slickness of the devil, requiring people to rely on the presence of angels. Do you personally believe in angels and/or the devil?
I absolutely do. I believe to everything on this planet, there’s an opposite. There’s good. There’s bad. There’s up. There’s down. There’s in. There’s out. Yes, so I absolutely believe that there are angels and demons. I believe that there is a devil, and I definitely believe that there is God.
Kirk Franklin was the music producer for your movie, and it included a wide range of genres — from Eartha Kitt’s “Santa Baby” to Winans’ “Goodness of God.” Why did you choose those songs to undergird the movie, and do they also undergird you?
All of these songs that these artists have done, this is my homage and my thank you to them, because these songs took me through some very, very difficult times. And to hear CeCe sing “Goodness of God” was just something that was a dream of mine to have in this film, and for her to say yes, and for Kirk to do the music, and Yolanda (Adams), and everybody else that’s in it, is just wonderful.
Through “The Gospel of Christmas,” are you hoping to entertain, evangelize or both?
I didn’t set an agenda. All I wanted to do is to speak to whoever it’s supposed to speak to. So, if it evangelizes, great. If it entertains, great. And if it does all of them and at the same time encourages people to pray, then I’ve done exactly what I’ve set out to do without even having that agenda.
What’s next for you in entertainment or beyond that may be related to either faith-filled characters like this movie or work with communities of faith?
I’m actually working on a faith-based television series right now, and that’s about all I can say about it. But I’m actually writing one that’s more centered on faith.
You were at the Good Soil Forum with Bishop T.D. Jakes last month. It seemed like it had some of the same themes as your movie of having people speak to their pain instead of hiding it.
That’s exactly right, because anything that’s hidden and covered doesn’t get any sunlight, and sunlight is what sanitizes and heals. So I think it’s very important that people have an opportunity to be able to have a safe place to land when they’re going through things.
And the safe place is what?
For me, the safe place is in prayer and understanding that God is there and throughout every bit of it.
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