Article - Da Vinci Mania

As you know, the Da Vinci Code has been the hottest topic in the entertainment industry for some time now. The book The Da Vinci Code, written by Dan Brown, came on the scene several years ago and has sold over 40 million copies to date. It has maintained a very high profile due to its popularity as a novel, the controversial positions it takes on various elements of Christianity, the recent court case that has just ended in England and an upcoming movie.

The movie with the same title as the book is due out in mid May. Actor Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard are superstars in their fields and their involvement will generate even more interest in the movie.

So what do Christians do with something like this? Is it just much ado about nothing; something to be ignored? Or is it possible that there might be some opportunities made available by the great public interest?

My opinion is simply this: we can either let everyone else do the talking or we can get in on the discussion. First of all, let me say that truth never has to take a back seat in any arena. It doesn't hurt the Christian cause for people to question what is fact and what is fiction. If truth can't withstand critical analysis, then it must not be the truth.

It is certain that Christianity requires faith. And faith involves certain elements that cannot necessarily be ìprovenî in the sense of a scientific experiment. But Christian faith isn't a blind faith. Hebrews 11:1 says that Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen. Our faith is based, not on blind belief, but on ìsubstanceî and ìevidence.î I believe an honest evaluation of this substantive evidence will stand up against skeptical analysis.

I have listened to The Da Vinci Code book on cd and I found it to be a very intriguing, interesting, and captivating story...but just a story. It is not written as a documentary but rather as a novel. Like many other suspense thrillers or mysteries, it is full of twists and turns in the story line. It has elements of CSI, of a mafia-like underworld, of secret societies, of a murder mystery, and of a giant scavenger hunt for the Holy Grail. The search for the Holy Grail is hardly a new plot. That theme has been around for ages and has been the focal point for everything from hilarious comedies to the Knights of the Round Table. Granted, The Da Vinci Code places the Holy Grail in a different framework than is normally offered, but its pursuit is nothing new.

So what do we do about it? I think we're in a better position to discuss the issues brought forth if we know something about it. So I suggest that you might want to read the book or listen to it on cd . Although I have reservations about suggesting any movie because of the potential of offensive scenes or language, you might consider seeing the movie. It is rated PG-13. I would also encourage reading some of the books available which refute errors presented in the book.

I plan to present a lesson or two dealing with issues raised in The Da Vinci Code a couple of weeks following the movie release and hope that we as a church can use this as another opportunity to invite our friends to worship with us. If we want to have an influence on our community, we must have the attitude of Paul who said, ì I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save someî (1 Corinthians 9:22).

Da Vinci Mania

"We can either let everyone else do the talking or we can get in on the discussion."