The Davinci Code

Last night Nick and I went to see the DaVinci Code and we loved it. I had read the book a while ago, before all the hub-bub and Nick is in the middle of it right now. I have to say that the movie definitely does the book justice, and that all the characters were well played and the actors chosen to play them were perfect for the role. I know that a lot of critics had been bashing it after the Cannes Film Festival, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I have a lot on my mind to say about how the Christian community is reacting to the Davinci Code, the same lot I had on my mind after certain influential Christians claimed Hurricane Katrina was God's way of wiping the sin out of New Orleans, but I'm not going to get on my soap box. All the hullaballo has me thinking how incredible it would have been for Christ if the Christian community had said NOTHING. Many people may say it slanders our faith and we have to retaliate, but I'm not sure we're doing any good with the words we're saying. Since Christ first was born there have been people who believed things that were not in Scripture and we handle it the same way every time. Sure, our crusades no longer spill the same amount of blood, but I think someone famous once said that the tonque is mightier than the sword.

The thing that sums it all up for me was in the movie, near the end, when the person who is the supposed blood heir of Christ and Tom Hanks' character (Robert Langdon) are having a discussion about whether or not she will reveal herself and who she is claimed to be. Tom Hanks says, it all depends on what you believe. Would the blood heir of Christ destroy faith or renew it? I choose to believe that this book calls us to renew our faith. To read our Bibles and know what it says as well as what history says about Jesus Christ. It calls us not necessarily to stand up and dispute the claims the book has made, but to do our research and be ready that should someone ask us what we think we can intelligently answer.

I think Dan Brown's book makes a strong point. Are you secure enough in your faith and what you know about your faith? I do not believe that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married, nor do I believe that they conceived a child. But if someone came to me and said that they believed that I would say "So what? What is the real issue that brings about for you?". The last time I checked marriage and the conception of children within marriage are not sins. Therefore claiming that does not question the divinity of Jesus, because he still has not commited a sin. And the ULTIMATE truth of Christianity, (that Jesus is God's son, the sacrifice for our sins and the only way to heaven and right relationship with God), has not been questioned or tarnished. So what's the real issue? Does it make Christ too human for you? Does it make the church shady because they're hiding it?

What an awesome opportunity this book is to share the Scriptures and what the Bible says. Too bad no one's going to ask us because the Jack Vin Impes of the world are calling down fire and brimstone on Dan Brown and Ron Howard, telling them to "prepare to stand accountable for their sins when they meet their maker".

I guess I did get on a soapbox a bit. But it just makes me so sad when we have an opportunity to be "in the world but not of the world" and instead of being radical for Christ, we play right into the Devil's hand.