Pictured above is the Reverend Billy Talen, whom The New York Times calls an "ersatz clergyman" and a "self-anointed preacher." Talen and his "Stop Shopping Choir" are featured in a Times' article that appeared in the August 1, 2024, edition of the paper: "Have You Sinned Against Earth? Reverend Billy Wants to Save You!" That title is, to be clear, the headline that appears in the print edition. The online headline isn't quite as engaging.
The message, however, in print and online, is exactly the same: "We're all aware at some level in our bodies that the Earth is off the charts," Talen says. Talen and his "Earthchxrch" are quite serious that "we are living inside of the time right now that they have been warning us about."
I am not a member of "Earthchxrch," or a follower of Reverend Talen, and in fact knew nothing about Talen's church and the "Stop Shopping Choir" until I read the article in The Times. The message delivered, though, by Talen and his congregation, is one that I have been trying to deliver myself.
The future of our human civilization will depend upon us recognizing that the physical Earth - the "World of Nature," as I often call it - imposes both limits and affirmative requirements, and these limits and requirements are binding upon us.
When the upcoming elections are over, that would be a good time to start making serious plans for changing our behavior. "Less," rather than "More" might be a pretty good way to think about one of the necessary first steps. The "Stop Shopping Choir" is singing the right tune!
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