Perry has fallen short of the Christian imperative for a loving justice.  He has yet to explore the true evils of patriarchy and structural oppression, and he has yet to present a substantive exploration of the complexity of black womanhood. 

Perry could very easily address issues of a living wage, health care or black-on-black violence by examining the structural conditions that under gird these features of daily life. Since he clearly has a gift for comedy, it is quite possible that he could even wrestle with these more broadly contextualized themes while remaining funny. This would be a justice crusade in the most Christian sense.  Given his track record, however, the chances for this true leap of faith seem slim.

Box office triumphs aside, Perry longs for acceptance from Hollywood. But even as the titans of the entertainment industry acknowledge his success, as long he continues to preach his narrow brand of conservative evangelicalism, they will likely hold him at arm's length. Perhaps Hollywood is, in this regard, is being more responsible to black people than Tyler Perry.

Andre C. Willis is an assistant professor of the philosophy of religion at Yale Divinity School.

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