Thoughts on the Da Vinci Code

Let's all welcome my husband to the blogging world. It's his first post!!!!!

The "Da Vinci Code" movie comes out today and deserves some form of response for my part. Becky & I both read the book since we've been here and did find it to be an intriguing and entertaining novel. This engaging best seller has now made it from the book stands to the movie screen. It is likely to be somewhat popular as it is directed by Ron Howard and staring Tom Hanks. The book has certainly made a stir among many evangelical and historical groups in these past couple of years. As I feel many of you have already gotten some form of overview of DVC's historical and biblical errors that are likely to be displayed in the movie, I will try to be brief. For those who have not be made aware of misrepresentations in DVC, then I will point you to some articles that display where Dan Brown errs. Aside from this, I wish only to say a couple of things as they refer to spiritual matters.

First, is saddens me to know that many of DVC readers blindly accept the book (or the movie as of today) as fact. Brown writes a wonderfully engaging fiction novel, but that is all it will ever be. Our society widely accepts DVC with open arms, like a long lost relative who after a painstaking journey has finally made it home. Many take in the DVC as an answer to the Jesus, despite historical and theological errors found within the book. Many seem to be jumping on the DVC bandwagon with enthusiasfervorrver, smiling as they are now headed in the right direction with regards to the church, Christians, and more importantly Jesus.

Secondly, Jesus is far greater than the Jesus portrayed by Brown. The good news of Jesus according to the DVC boils down to nothing more than lies laid down to promulgate the authority of the Catholic Church. However, as we read the earliest narrative documents of Jesus's life and teachings (also known as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), we are left with a completely different understanding. Jesus was more than an amazing leader or great teacher. He was the greatest representative and substitute for men who have fallen infinitely beneath the standard of a perfect and righteous God. God, who is perfect and right, will not discard justice and thus he must punish every person who has acted in opposition to his standard. Those who believe and follow Jesus will have him as a representative and substitute before God. Jesus will substitute for their punishment and we will receive his righteousness and upright virtue. This is an awesome, wonderful, and biblical view of Jesus and sharply contrasts the DVC Jesus paraded around the best seller list and the "big screen."

To all my readers. I believe that you are likely to fall into several categories. There are those who disagree with the DVC portrayal of Jesus and historical events. You will likely read the book or see the movie and be able to identify inaccuracies without evidential support of their error. There will be some of you who, upon exposure to the plot, will be intrigued by the beauty of how it all fits together. You will hear the same remarks and think that BrownÂ’s suggestions could be possible and be content with that, but you won't really be any more educated than the other side. My suggestion is that it might be worth the time to go do a little research: go read the four gospels, find out the background to Jesus and the early church. Whether you believe them or not, let's make efforts to be educated and thoughtful in the contruction of our worldview.

www.bethinking.org
www.mbts.edu/Resources/worshop_davincicode.htm
Books for knowledge of Church history-Story of Christianity, Gonzalez, History of the Church in the Middle Ages, Logan.