Tyler Perry Encourages Parents to ‘Teach [Your Children] About God’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Tyler Perry recently encouraged parents to take their children to church and give them something to turn to in hard times.
“If you don’t teach your child how to deal with trouble, they will turn to something,” he said in a video posted to TBN’s Facebook page. “We’ve got an opioid crisis. We’ve got drugs — major drug issues. So, if you’re not going to give them God and faith and Christ and believing and teaching them about the Bible, where do you think they’re going to turn?”
Perry then addressed parents who might not be “big on faith or church,” telling them to take their children anyway.
“Teach them about God. Even if you don’t know, let somebody else teach them, but take them to Sunday school,” he said. “So, especially at an early age, because the Bible says, you know, when they’re older, they won’t depart from it if you train them in the way that they should go.”
Perry continued, “I think it’s very important, and it is so selfish of those of us who have God, who know God, to not invite others to bring their children to learn the same thing. It’s really, really selfish because I promise you, if you don’t give them God, they’re going to turn to something.”
Perry has previously spoken about his faith and even worked as a minister before entering the entertainment industry.
“When I was in my late teens, early 20s I went to seminary school,” he said during a 2018 speech at Lakewood Church. “I was a minister in my church. I actually preached and prayed for people.”
Perry continued, “I remember doing my first sermon and the pastor got up after I was finished. It was so bad all he could say was ‘if God called you, he’ll qualify you.’ So I prayed and I said ‘God what is that about?’ And the Lord’s voice spoke to me and said ‘your ministry won’t be in a pulpit’ — I said ‘Oh, Thank God’ — but through television and films. And even though sometimes, I’d do movies that are not Christian movies, I am still a Christian but I’m also an artist who wants to do a lot of things.”
READ MORE: TYLER PERRY SAYS TURN TO JESUS WITH ANXIETY: ‘PRAY AND WORSHIP’
Last year, it was announced that Perry and DeVon Franklin had signed a multi-year, multi-picture first-look deal with Netflix to create faith-based movies.
“I’m so excited to be working with DeVon on this and future projects,” Perry said in a statement about the deal. “I think in this polarizing world, and at a time where the world seems to be growing colder everyday, we both share the common goal of wanting to spread some good. And there’s no better place than Netflix.”
READ MORE: NEW DEVON FRANKLIN MOVIE TO RETELL THIS BIBLICAL STORY
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