Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping

I haven't heard this guy myself, but my wife took part in one of his "happenings" and came back with a favorable report. Reverend Billy is a sort of pseudo-evangelist. His message is that malls and chain stores, especially big-box stores, like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, etc., are bad for you. He presents his message with lots of humor and satire.

Last weekend's event began with a sort of pep rally at a community center in Minneapolis, after which they passed out choir robes to anyone who wanted to join them in a demonstration at the Mall of America. (This part was not mentioned in the advance publicity.) Chartered buses were standing by to transport the believers to the Mall. The "choir" filed in, and security guards ignored them, assuming they were really a church choir that had been invited by the management to sing Christmas carols. They did sing, but they sang parodies: "Pack the Malls" instead of "Deck the Halls." It took the management a long time to figure out they were victims of a prank. Finally they were asked to leave, and they did leave, peacefully, having made their statement. A good time was had by all.