Author of 'What Would Jesus Buy?' to speak at NCSU

Billy Talen, aka Rev. Billy, will speak at N.C. State University at 8 p.m. Nov. 28. Rev. Billy will discuss his book “What Would Jesus Buy?” at Stewart Theater in Talley Student Center.

Rev. Billy leads the Church of Stop Shopping, an activist performance group based in New York City. Using the form of a revival meeting, on sidewalks and in chain stores, Rev. Billy and his gospel choir exhort consumers to abandon the products of large corporations and mass media; the group also preaches a broader message of economic justice and anti-militarism, protesting sweatshops and the Iraq war.

Though Talen does not call himself a Christian, he says Rev. Billy is not a parody of a preacher, but a real preacher; he describes his church's spiritual message as “Put the Odd back in God.”

"What Would Jesus Buy?" talks about the “Shopocalypse,” starting your own stop-shopping church, and retail interventions.

Before the day of show, tickets are $10 for the public, $5 for non-NCSU students and free for all N.C. State students, faculty and staff. For more information or to order tickets, contact Ticket Central at (919) 515-1100, TTY: (919) 515-7371 or on the web at http://ticketcentral.ncsu.edu. The event is being sponsored by the Issues and Ideas Committee of the Union Activities Board, Honors, Caldwell Fellows, First Year College and the Inter Residence Hall Council at NCSU.