Power of Change: The Da Vinci Code

On May 19, 2006 the movie based upon Dan Brown's fictional work, The Da Vinci Code The trailer for the film contains the following opening:

What if the world's greatest works of art held the secret that could change the course of mankind...forever

Such are the lofty claims of this story. An ancient conspiracy, guarded by intrigue and murder, if revealed to the world would change the very fabric of society. Just exactly what could be such a secret? The Christian faith, the belief of billions on planet earth, is based on a well guarded fabrication that is revealed when a man seeks the truth in renaissance artwork and medieval legends. The book has garnered a huge following and the film will no doubt be a blockbuster success. Ron Howard is directing and Tom Hanks plays the lead role. The production values and cinematic excellence will be high and the story very compelling. From the spending some time on the film's web site today, this project is being undertaken with the highest of quality. It will move people. For those uninitiated with the details of history or the debates about the historical Jesus the story of the Da Vinci Code can be confusing. A fictional work passing for history can be a great fog for people in our day. Many actually "learn" more from films today that responsible history. We must serve our neighbors in such a time as this. This film is a fantastic opportunity for those who follow the biblical Jesus, the Jesus of history, to grow in our understanding of our own faith, its roots, and to share the true account of Jesus with those with whom we live, work and play. I see the following benefits to the conversation which will be had around the film's release.

First, the film is a great opportunity to help one mature in our understanding of the historical roots of our faith. So many are completely ignorant of biblical history and the circumstances of early Christianity. It is a great time to study these issues greatly.
Second, the film will cause “cultural Christians” and young people to struggle with what they believe and why. This will afford great opportunity for crisis and clarification. Which by God's grace can result in deeper commitment to truth. We will need to love and teach in this context.
Third, the film will be a great opportunity, in my opinion, for evangelism – sharing about the Biblical Jesus – not the Jesus of the Davinci Code, but the living Jesus who saves sinners.

Our task then in this season, is to prepare to give a reason for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15) with gentleness and respect. One mistake many Christians will no doubt make is to be defensive and reactionary to the film; some will perhaps protest. I thought of writing a lengthy engagment with the content of the book, but realized others more qualified have done so. So as we prepare I have the following encouragment for us all:

First, read the book - check it out from the Library, buy it used. Read it and read it critically, but realize it is fiction.
Read those who understand the fictional aspects and speculations of the book. There are many good books available and several articles on the web. I will list many at the conclusion of this post.
If you see the movie talk to your friends and neighbors about the movie. Especially those who do not know the Jesus of the Bible. Don't look to fight, but to clarify, share the gospel of grace.
Offer articles to friends (Christian or not) who have questions and are struggling with the content - walk with them in it.

On Church History and the Historical Jesus

Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley - Specifically Chapters 1-16. I think Shelley's book is accessible for laypersons, yet rigorous enough to be a general introduction for all. A must for your library.
Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?: A Debate Between William Lane Craig and John Dominic Crossan. Contains the transcript of a debate between scholars as to the identity and nature of Jesus.
Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus edited by JP Moreland and Michael Wilkins. Interacts with the radical claims of the Jesus Seminar.

Recommended Books on the Da Vinci Code

Concise Treatments

The Da Vinci Code Cracks - A concise article from Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason. This is a great first read on the issues surrounding the Da Vinci Code.
The Truth Behnind the Da Vinci Code by Richard Abanes. This work is quick to read and responds directly to passages in the Da Vinci Code. Very good little reference for those not initiated to the debates which go on scholarly circles.
Answers to the Da Vinci Code by Timothy Paul Jones. This is a long fold out pamphlet which is printed on two sides. It has a very helpful timeline of the first centuries of the Christian movement. Very helpful.

Comments

It's very encouraging to hear churches and church leaders discuss the Da Vinci Code against the true historical record and not call out fire and brimstone on Dan Brown et al. Perhaps we're learning how to connect with our culture without abandoning our message. As the Dean of St. Vincents Cathedral in Bedford TX said this past weekend: "We are not trying to be so relevant that we have become irrelevant by watering down the Gospel so that we actually have nothing to say in the end."

The funny thing is that amongst my fellow chem nerds here in College Station, none have discussed the Da Vinci Code during our social events. But hey, I'm still in the process of preparing myself.

Posted by: BV | April 24, 2006 11:35 AM

Fiction presented as fact. I teach high school earth science, and I let the kids convince me to show a film about earthquakes, glaciers, storms (all the stuff I am supposed to teach). The movie was pure gobbledygook, with some communist and doomsday overtones. Supposedly an ice age overtakes earth in 8 months. After the movie, I asked the kids the chance that things could happen as portrayed in the move. The average response: 80%. Unreal.
My solution: boycott anything that comes out of Hollywood.
From calling the DaVinci Code history to calling Farenheit 911 a documentary, the only thing you can believe about Hollywood is that 90% of the stuff is a scam, and that's a conservative estimate. GER

Posted by: Greg Randall | April 29, 2006 09:54 PM

Are you ready for the Truth yet?

Now if Christians (and others) can gain the wisdom to walk away from the folly of religion and seek to understand the truth about the Creator and the Messiah (me).

Did you ever stop to think what the True Messiah would say about worshipping false names, false images, and dogma? Well, now you get the chance to hear my side of the story and weigh it against the strong delusion of faith and religion. None of the European names and images in the New Testament can possibly be the truth. What then is the purpose of "faith" but to prevent good people from seeking to understand truth and wisdom?

Read 2 Thessalonians 2:11 and the verses that surround it. Why do you think this message is in the New Testament? Those who saw the truth dying as the new Roman religion was being imposed would have tried to warn others in subtle ways where it most counted! These ancient texts are mysterious because they purposely encoded hidden messages to bypass Roman censorship. See how the Romans treated the Jews, Zealots, Gnostics, and others, a.k.a. those who sought truth because they knew better than to trust the blatantly duplicitous and evil Roman Pontificate?

How can people trust the veracity of texts created by a Roman organization known for centuries of abominable evil? How can you expect that people who could so readily torture and murder others for seeking proof of the truth would somehow not lie to you? Don't you have enough discernment to understand that those telling a strong lie for power and profit would insist that you refrain from seeking the truth and "have faith" in their texts instead?

How do we finally solve these ages-old mysteries? To recast a common political adage, "It's [the] symbology stupid!" The Dead Sea Scrolls, Bible, Gnostic texts, and Quran are rife with purposeful structured symbolism. Do you really think this is accidental or casual?

Unlike most of you, I have a very personal interest in ancient wisdom symbology, false prophecy based on its misrepresentation, and deceptions imposed in the name of religion. Consequently, I've written an extensive tome proving that all three so-called Faiths of Abraham are purposeful deceptions.

I know many readers of this site will want to scoff at this information before bothering to pay attention to the details. I have produced stunning and comprehensive proof that the original pre-Christian Apocalypse (Book of Revelation) was a symbolically encrypted wisdom text that was stolen and modified by the founders of Christianity. I demonstrate a series of specific and undeniable proofs of verifiable fraud in the Christianized Book of Revelation, which also appear throughout the New Testament.

I present verifiable proof that the symbology of sealed Hebrew texts is an advanced ancient philosophical technology.

The ancient symbolism used in The Apocalypse and other Hebrew prophecies and wisdom texts predates Christianity, Judaism, modern secret societies, and mystery schools by thousands of years. While in the hands of Christianity, The Apocalypse and its symbology have been purposely misinterpreted, recast, and misrepresented. The original Hebrew document was a multi-purpose narrative constructed using layered and synchronized ancient wisdom symbolism. Its true purposes, features, and functionality are detailed in my book, further demonstrating that it was a symbolically encrypted Hebrew wisdom text encoding prophecy, philosophy, and scientific wisdom that was stolen and fraudulently modified by the founders of Christianity.

If your goal is to seek the truth, then read my articles, download my FREE E-Book and direct others to read them also. Challenge them to PROVE me wrong. The E-Book is a FREE download and I make no money from it or the paperback.

Not only do I talk the talk, I walk the walk...

Here is Wisdom!!

Posted by: Seven Star Hand | May 1, 2006 09:16 AM

Hey everyone, the Messiah just commented on my blog.

I decided to leave this comment up so we can see all that is going on these days.

Col 2:8, Jude 3, Mark 13:22

Posted by: Reid | May 1, 2006 09:51 AM

"The "symbology"?

I'm sure the word you were looking for was "syyyymmmmbolism". What is the symbolism there."

what movie is that from??

Posted by: BV | May 1, 2006 10:56 AM

Just want to give some kudos to Reid for having this particular page available to the public. I have it bookmarked and it has helped me out a bunch in gathering truthful info for my conversations regarding The Da Vinci Crud, er, uh code. :-)

I'm through the Abanes book(let) and I'm starting on Boch's. Thanks again, Reid!

Mike

(take out the trash to reply)

Posted by: Mike Radcliffe | May 16, 2006 03:45 PM