What Would Jesus buy

Found at Home is Where Your Story Begins~


Consumerism is rampant in our country. Everywhere you look you are bombarded with ads telling you that you need this gadget or that one to make your life complete or to be important. Are "things" really what we need to be happy? Would Jesus be happy with how we buy anything and everything we "need"?

What Would Jesus Buy? (2007) follows Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they go on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse: the end of mankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt!

From producer Morgan Spurlock (SUPER SIZE ME) and director Rob VanAlkemade comes a serious docu-comedy about the commercialization of Christmas. Bill Talen (aka Reverend Billy) was a lost idealist who hitchhiked to New York City only to find that Times Square was becoming a mall. Spurred on by the loss of his neighborhood and inspired by the sidewalk preachers around him, Bill bought a collar to match his white caterer's jacket, bleached his hair and became the Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping. Since 1999, Reverend Billy has gone from being a lone preacher with a portable pulpit preaching on subways, to the leader of a congregation and a movement whose numbers are well into the thousands.

Through retail interventions, corporate exorcisms, and some good old-fashioned preaching, Reverend Billy reminds us that we have lost the true meaning of Christmas. What Would Jesus Buy? is a journey into the heart of America – from exorcising the demons at the Wal-Mart headquarters to taking over the center stage at the Mall of America and then ultimately heading to the Promised Land … Disneyland.

Will we be led like Sheeple to the Christmas slaughter, or will we find a new way to give a gift this Christmas? What Would Jesus Buy? may just be the divine intervention we’ve all been searching for.

The Shopocalypse is upon us … Who will be $aved?
This movie was amazing and hilarious. It really captured the way our culture has become so ingrained to buy the newest, next best thing or our lives won't be complete. Although I don't necessarily agree with the methods to encourage people to buy less the message in the movie is one that we really need to hear.

Some facts from the movie:

3/4 of consumers view Christmas with dread
We will spend 1/2 trillion on Christmas pushing ourselves further in debt (which is already past 2.4 trillion total)
Christmas has become so commercialized that people now spend under 1 hour per week in a house of worship and 5+ hours shopping
We also spend on average less than 40 min in meaningful conversation with our kids. But they watch on average over 40 hours of tv
As we move into this holiday season I encourage you to check out the movie. It will be eye opening and may just encourage you that your kids don't really need that new ipod.

*Disclaimer: In my opinion, the man seems to be making fun of church, especially the really charismatic ones. But my husband checked out his website and said that they actually seem like they really respect Christianity and probably are Christians. Just wanted to give everyone fair warning.