Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping

Abstract

This article argues that the religious thought and rituals of Reverend Billy Talen are a form of dark green animist religion and function as a response to perceived human destruction of the biosphere. An overview of environment-centered religions mobilized by concerns over planetary metrics is presented, followed by a case-study analysis of Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping. It is argued that the religion espoused by Reverend Billy is an example of how contemporary concerns for environmental and social health are influencing contemporary religious thought and production. The religious activism of Reverend Billy and his church, aimed at liberating life from “consumerism” and fundamentalism, presents an “ideal type” example of the development of Earth-centered protest religions that may be found at the margin of capitalist society. As evidenced by Reverend Billy, aspects of this religious development will be predicated upon anti-globalization discourses and concerns for ecosystem health and sustainability.