A Christian Response to "The Bible Code"

The Da Vinci Code is, at its fundamental level, 
an assault on the assumptions of the Church disguised
as a mediocre thriller. It spreads lies about the
Son of God and His Gospel, and portrays
all attempts to discredit its sources (such as the Gnostic Gospels)
as blind, misguided faith. If you disagree, you are to be
pitied for not having an open mind.
Woelke Leithart (credenda.org)

Christians for Truth  includes the following article and, at the bottom of this page, are suggested links: CFT recommends that Christians protest in a godly way (including participation in media debates and writing letters to editors) and not in the riotous manner of the Islamic world's reaction to the Danish cartoons.

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Thank you, Dan Brown

The Da Vinci code, the bestseller by Dan Brown, is about to be released as a major Hollywood film. Some of the film’s promoters have been inciting these boycotts, knowing that any form of controversy will spark curiosity and higher ticket sales. While I do agree that one should stay away, our money is better spent elsewhere and not supporting in a fictitious (and blasphemous) movie that is presented as fact on a topic as serious as history and faith, we should be viewing this as a wonderful opportunity.

Mr. Brown was capable of passing his fiction as fact to many readers because Christians don’t know their faith – what and why they believe - and are abysmally ignorant of history. That’s not Mr. Brown’s fault.  Admittedly, the bait they take is a good one. Brown writes his truth claim after the title page: "All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals are accurate." Art and archaeological historians have taken Brown to task for the inaccurate and unprofessional nature of such a claim. But he has refused to recant, preferring marketing savvy over integrity.

In the ambiance of pseudo-historic accuracy, Brown uses his fictional characters to call into question fundamental issues of the Christian faith: 1) The divinity of Christ 2) the validity of the four Gospels, and 3) the beliefs of the early Christian church.

He does this by claiming the Gospels are part of a conspiracy theory by the apostles to create a male-dominated, patriarchal Church that would stamp out the "sacred feminine." Brown says Jesus’ true intentions were to leave the Church under the charge of Mary Magdalene, with whom he maintained a romantic relationship (and had children by her). In Brown’s pseudo-religious historical novel, the emperor Constantine seconds the Apostles’ selfish quest for power by outlawing competing gospels to avoid revealing the true story of who Jesus was and what he taught. None of this is true.

If only the millions of readers and viewers of "The Da Vinci Code" knew the Christian faith, Dan Brown would be unable to muddle fact and fiction in the irresponsible way he has. However, the film will be released (probably without a disclaimer) and many will go out of curiosity or shallow entertainment. Whether we buy tickets or not, our response as Christians will be a peaceful one. Nobody will burn embassies, or assassinate nonbelievers, and in our peace we will shine.

For Christianity, I believe the response will be a positive one, despite the evil intentions of the author and filmmakers. In the hype, we must ask ourselves what and why we believe. The movie will confuse lots of people, but Jesus will become the centerpiece of many conversations. For those who are prepared to explain that Christianity rests on solid foundations, the opportunity will be tremendous – we can proclaim with confidence that Christ was God on earth, the Gospels are true and history proves it! So let us not forget to say, “Thank you, Mr Brown.

For answers to Dan Brown’s blasphemous claims, visit www.go.family.org/davinci/, for in-depth historical facts to disprove the skeptics, and strengthen your faith.

written by Eugen Olsen (eugen@dfl.org.za)

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Recommended websites for more info:

http://www.evangelicalresources.org/davinci.shtml for Evangelical resources

http://www.gty.org/resources.php?section=articles&aid=230901 (an article from Dr John McArthur on how Christians should be ready to respond)

A Biblical Response to The da Vinci Code, by Brian Guinness

http://thetruthaboutdavinci.com/

http://www.khouse.org/articles/2004/527/

http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/DaVinciCode.htm

http://www.baptiststart.com/special/davinci_code.html

http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=2747

Excellent critique, "Not InDavincible," by James Patrick Holding http://www.answers.org/issues/davincicode.html

Excellent and thorough article, "Dismantling the Da Vinci Code," by Sandra Miesel http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-religion/974643/posts

Brief article by Al Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY
http://www.crosswalk.com/fun/1212187.html

Article by Collin Hansen, "Breaking the Da Vinci Code," that addresses the issues of the deity of Christ and where the canon of scripture comes from -- issues raised in The Da Vinci Code
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/144/52.0.html

"The Da Vince Code -- Seriously" by Jim Snapp II points out 30 inaccuracies in Dan Brown's book, with helpful links www.curtisvillechristian.org/DaVinciCode.html

Article that especially discusses the historical errors in Brown's book: Fantasy, Faith, and History, by Viola Larson http://www.naminggrace.org/id65.htm

Helpful page loaded with information and resources on The Da Vinci Code http://www.apologeticsindex.org/d50.html

A good link to a lot of info on the errors of Dan Brown's book from a site for teens on how to defend the faith http://www.davinci-code-breaker.com

If you want to know what the book and the issues are about, and its impact, read this brief overall view http://www.arcapologetics.org/da-vinci.htm

Materials from Campus Crusade (includes a companion movie guide) http://www.campuscrusade.com/DaVinciquest/

From the Research Center for Theological Resources, a list of Christian books and other resources http://www.rctr.org/davinci.htm

From Leadership U.  http://www.leaderu.com/focus/davincicode.html

Addresses the deity of Christ, whether Jesus was married, the "lost books of the Bible," and the Sacred Feminine (these are all topics from Brown's book) http://www.thetruthaboutdavinci.com/is-jesus-god.html

Errors in the Da Vince Code from Defending the Faith site: http://www.davinci-code-breaker.com/davincicode-errors.htm

The New Testament, can I trust it? http://www.leaderu.com/offices/rusty_wright/newtestament.html