November 26, 2009 CNN

REV. BILLY TALEN, "THE CHURCH OF LIFE AFTER SHOPPING": Well, we celebrate buying nothing day. Black Friday changes. It's a miracle to buy nothing day. We urge people to slow down their shopping.

JOHNS: A lot of people are going to buy nothing this year, given the economy and all.

TALEN: Well, sadly, there's a lot of pain and suffering out there. But some of those people that are jobless and broke and so many of us are finding new ways to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza this year.

JOHNS: And, you know, there are people out there who would say the responsible thing to do would be to tell people to go shopping, go ahead, spend your money. I think the president sort of has suggested that before. Why not tell people in a bad economy, spend your money, get the economy revved up and going again.

TALEN: I agree with what you just said. It is a bad economy. It can't be a shopping economy. Not 70 percent. And that's what it's been for the last several years. And that's just not working. We're trying to shop our way out of this economy to a new level of shopping. That's not working. We can't just be a debtor nation anymore. We can't just be full of cheap stuff everywhere made in sweat shops thousands of miles away with fossil fuel everywhere, plastics everywhere, and credit cards and everybody in debt. We can't continue that. So we're looking for an alternative.

JOHNS: So what's the relevance, though, really? If you're telling people stop shopping, and they've already stopped, what's your point, I guess?

TALEN: You stop shopping, but start giving. That's what the holidays are for. The good way to do that is to find your gift locally. Walk to your gift this year and buy it there. Buy it from an independent shop on your main street, in your neighborhood, in your community.