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Confronting The Da Vinci Code
Part
1: Books, Movies and Controversies
“Have you read The Da Vinci Code?”
Normally, you may not pay attention to things like the New York Times
bestseller list, but no one can ignore these statistics – topping that
list at number one or two for well over a year, seven million copies in
print (at time of the original writing of this article, 25 million by
the end of the summer of 2005) with new editions and spin-offs also now in print and on the way.
It is being translated into some 40 languages. And the movie
version is being filmed for release next year.
It has
not even been a year since The Passion of the Christ hit the
movie theaters. Christians everywhere welcomed the release
enthusiastically, bought tickets in bulk, rented entire movie houses for
select showings, and bussed in their friends. Except for the remaining
sales of the DVD in time for Christmas, the hype and excitement is all
but gone. (Mel Gibson is appreciative, I’m sure, for a profit of over
600 million dollars, some of which bought him a nice, private, island
getaway.) But now, the same is about to happen again – people are going
to flock to movie theaters, bring their friends and be absolutely
entranced and educated with yet another version of events, but this
time, the focus and influence will be in the opposite direction – a
direct and insidious attack on history and on truth persuading audiences
that the “other history and truth” is actually a big sham and deception.
Now
books and movies all come and go. And if you have been unaware of or
unimpressed with all the attention of the book, The Da Vinci Code,
and upcoming release of the movie version, you might just think that it,
too, is just a fad that will pass as well. Perhaps. But I keep
envisioning the last wave in the movie, The Perfect Storm.
Some movies just cause a stir in culture and society for a time and are
gone. The Passion of the Christ was one of those movies.
It had the same impact that Titanic had - hugely popular and
momentarily awe-inspiring. Other movies change forever the landscape upon which they crash.
Inherit the Wind was just such a movie. Filmed and released
in the '60s, It's deceptive message and deliberate portrayal are still
defacto doctrines in people's minds in areas of history, science
and perception of the southern American Christian community.
This time, the movie in question will, indeed, have great impact.
And it will contribute, in an amazingly effective way, to the
formulation of worldview of the ever-increasing number of people who look to entertainment for their theology, their
understanding of history, the way they choose priorities and their way of life, even,
if you will consider it, the value they ultimately will place on their
own bodies, minds and souls.
I feel
I can be so confident about the movie’s effectiveness because I have
already seen how effective the book has been. Some public schools and
colleges make it required reading. Religious and secular book groups
alike have been reading it and discussing it - many times without
counsel or objective information. The historical sites mentioned in the
book are inundated with tourists and visitors looking for the signs and
symbols that “point the way” and “decode the mystery”.
To put
it in the words of historian James Hitchcock “People who do not read
serious books are reading The Da Vinci Code, and for many it is
the closest to a ‘real’ book they will ever come.” I think it is worse
than that. I think people who do read serious books are also reading
The Da Vinci Code. Sharp, intellectual minds who cannot be easily
fooled on subjects like politics, the sciences, and economics are taking
the arguments and innuendos of Mr. Brown on face value. And by it they
are being absolutely confirmed in their suspicion and criticism of the
Christian faith and are convinced this not only closes the case for them
but also adds fuel to the fire of their aim to overthrow the remaining
influences of Christianity on Western Civilization. And they are
teaching their doctrine – directly and indirectly - in classrooms all
over America to those who “do not read serious books”.
Should
you read The Da Vinci Code? I don’t think it is for everyone.
But that is just the problem – many you know, work with, go to school
with, perhaps even worship with are reading it and are being persuaded
into skepticism and denial by it. Mature Christians should read it*.
They need to be able to engage others with it. But whether or not you
read it, you should and can be prepared to respond concerning it.
To help
you prepare for such opportunities of dialogue, I will, Lord willing, be
presenting monthly articles this year on some of the historical and
theological points of which you need to have a decent grasp. If you
know only these things with confidence, you will be much more able to
represent the true Christ in your life and in your defense of him to
others.
David G.
Barker, 2005
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If you do decide to
read it, my suggestion is that you not buy it. Don’t contribute
monetarily to Mr. Brown’s efforts. Borrow a copy, or buy it used.
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