Shopacalypse Now

Peace and blessings,

My Fiancee' put me on to this movie,

What Would Jesus Buy?

back in December and we decided to check it out. The premise of the film is that the

Church of Stop Shopping,

led by Rev. Billy decides to embark on a nationwide tour hitting up major retailers and malls throughout the country trying to convince people to stop and think before they purchase something. They acknowledge in the film that it is nearly impossible to ask people to stop shopping completely, because frankly speaking, we have to purchase some things. Instead their message is that we should not get into the habit of purchasing things (especially during Christmas) excessively or in ways that suggest that an item purchased at a store is more important to human relationships (e. g. parent-child, friend-friend) than human love and affection within those relationships. In addition, their message is that excessive purchasing during Christmas brings us one step closer to the "shopacalypse" and further away from appreciating and representing Christ's birth (and subsequently His life and resurrection). I don't think there is anything wrong with getting and receiving gifts because I frequently engage in both (lol). I just think our focus in doing so needs to be on the relationships we are thankful to God for, and not because we add unnecessary value to those things we purchase. Below is a pic from the film (hilarious) and a trailer for the movie. It's comedy with social commentary but at times there are some pretty serious parts to the film (like when Billy's wife is discouraged because she doesn't think their campaign is effective).












What do you think? Take care, God bless, and speekonit...