What would Jesus Buy?
Recommend on Google+
Reverend Billy Talen, a preacher from America, is launching his UK tour “The Shopocalypse” with his gospel choir called the Church of Life After Shopping.
Talen is anti mono culture or globalisation. Through homilies entitled “The Shopocalypse” and “Consumerism has shut us down”, Talen plans to alert us to our “unwitting submission to corporate agendas through song and dance” He has also been known to conduct exorcisms on tills and giving sermons in shops one of which led to his arrest in 2003 during a previous visit to the UK. He was lecturing against ‘the commodification of childhood wonder’ in the Disney Store.
Interestingly Talen refers to preaching “an American vocal tradition. Its like hip hop, its like auctioneering, its like talking and singing at the same time. Talen believes that by impersonating a tele-evangelist he can make a connection with people’s spirituality and portray a very different message.
Many people consider Rev Billys work to be blasphemous. It appears he has almost hijacked the religious guise to deliver an entirely different message. Some would argue that this is akin to how Hitler behaved in the lead up to the Second World War. Hitler used the elements of mass meetings, chanting, rituals and procession in order to connect with peoples spirituality. He had a very different over all message. Perhaps linking Talen to Hitler is a little extreme; Talen seems to make a fairly localised impact and his message is, on balance, far more positive.
However, there are those who would argue that Talen and the Church are trying to push a similar message. After all Christianity is pro free trade, fairness and good business ethics. Both are trying to get people to live their lives more responsibly. As Spurlock (of Supersize Me fame) says “Billy’s core message and the core message of Christians is the same: ‘Things can be better; we have lost track’,” he says. “It’s a moral belief.”
I think I would question whether that interpretation of the Christian message is entirely correct but if you are at a loose end over half term then the tour dates are - .
The UK shopocalypse tour May 20th -June 2nd
click here for the complete article from the Times
blog comments powered by Disqus
RELIGIOUS STUDIES TEACHER RESOURCE NEWSLETTER
Sign up for tutor2u's free Religious Studies Teacher Resource Newsletter
