What Would Jesus Buy?

You may have heard about Morgan Spurlock's (Supersize Me!) newest Documentary, entitled WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY?, this time about Reverend Billy, a New Yorker who dresses up as a preacher and travels the countries Walmart, Target, and other bigbox retailers parking lot with his 'Stop Shopping Gospel Choir.' The documentary follows him and his choir around the United States, engaging in sometimes shocking, often
ridiculous acts of exposure. I became aware of his work a few years ago in regards to my research on tricksters confronting globalization within our contemporary society, and did a brief write up on him in my book, "Of Divine Economy." I had sent him the book and a card thanking him for the inspiration he provided me in thinking about tricksters unveiling the fallacies of consumerism and the quasi-religious acts of worship involved in consumption. He emailed me back, thanked me, and a few months later I was able to meet Rev Billy, Bill Talen one summer in New York a few years ago.
As it turned out, Bill Talen is an engaged lay Episcopalian. At the time I met him, he was the Senior Warden of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in downtown NYC. After the sunday service we sat down in front of the front steps of that same church and chatted about his particular form of living the baptismal covenant and the form of activism he engages in as part of his call as a Christian. His actual faith commitment came a bit as a surprise to me, as he is hardly ever out of character when in front of the camera or in his writing. http://www.revbilly.com/ I simply never saw it coming, but I was excited to see that this, too, can be a way engaged faith looks like. I was able to be present at one of the choir rehearsals and walk the streets with him, whereupon multiple members of the 'congregation' of the 'Church of Stopshopping' greeted him and offered his support. (A casual observer might have been rather surprised by hearing Bill call a garden variety of twentysomething punk, goth, tattooed bodies part of this particular church body. A new ministry???) Whether you agree with the particular expression of his performances and activism or not, I recommend seeing this film, as it challenges so many unquestioned assumptions and idolatries exactly by hyperbole and poking fun at our own obsessions. Watch one of the most compelling coyote/tricksters of our time in action.

Trickster's Greetings!