What Would Jesus Buy? (PG)

Maybe it’s a little embarrassing that it’s taken a fake minister to start the Church of Stop Shopping and deliver a real Christian message about anti-consumerism, but as long as somebody’s doing the work, we can probably let it slide.

“Reverend Billy”, or Bill Talen as he is known when he is out of garb, wears a tight white suit, a high, bleached quiff and preaches gratingly about the “Shopocalypse”.

He is accompanied most places by his dutiful gospel choir, a devoted team of about 20 other performance artists who have written hymns about the waste we produce when we buy things we don’t need and halting our zombie-like consumer trance.

“Change-eluia!” punctuates most statements as they roam the country on a bus, documenting the reaction they get when they confront as many shoppers as possible.

Their mission: to save Christmas from consumerism.

At first glance it’s easy to get the impression that Reverend Billy’s over-the-top evangelism is an attempt to mock Christianity — until you take a listen.

He’s annoying, but he’s actually well-aligned to the causes of Christianity and is doing a lot to bring the message to the people, both on the street and in mainstream media — perhaps more than many who have a legitimate theology degree.

His modes of communication may not be sophisticated (we see him in Starbucks and Victoria’s Secret yelling at people and exorcising cash registers and merchant facilities) but they certainly get attention.

It seems a little anti-climactic at times that, unlike other funny-man documentary-makers with a heart like Michael Moore, Billy doesn’t reach the high folk to confront them with the human consequences of their hard work.

His efforts to exorcise a Wal-Mart sign at their head office end up looking a little pathetic.

But it’s the habits of everyday pedestrians he is trying to influence and he confronts them in parking lots, malls and chain stores.

What’s more, he is actually getting in the churches, touring chapels from town to town across America, telling people that Christmas is a time for shaking things up and making people think, not maxing out your credit card.

And he does put across some valid and disturbing points, like: why do we let companies market to children before they have learnt to differentiate between advertising and entertainment? Why do people, including many Christians, spend more time each week shopping than nurturing their spiritual side? Why, when you try to speak peacefully against commercialism in Disneyland, do you end up in jail?

Reverend Billy believes that people can’t be expected to just stop shopping; they need strategies to help them along.

The Church of Stop Shopping suggests carrying a card along in your wallet containing the questions: Why am I here? Do I need this? How will I pay? What if I wait? Where will I put this?

While admitting that people can’t stop shopping altogether, the church is passionately advocating buying with a conscience.

Reverend Billy wants more public spaces that don’t involve commercial enterprises and more support for local businesses and locally-made produce.

The joke doesn’t stay fresh the whole way through and it wouldn’t hurt if a good half an hour was cut out of it.

This pony does strictly one trick ... and it’s not hard to figure out the message.

But that’s good marketing, isn’t it?

Lyndal Irons

This DVD is not currently available in Australia but can be ordered from amazon.com.