Week #14: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Fact: This is a novel. Fact: You should read it as such. Fact: Don’t get hung up with the symbolism. Fact: You shouldn’t critique any work until you have studied it firsthand. OK punny sermon over… you’ll only get the laugh if you’ve read the book.

This is an unbelievably engaging drama. Brown is a brilliant writer who intricately weaves this 2-day story together. The characters he employs are captivating and make you want to know their stories. Every time I had to take a pause this week I really wanted to keep reading. I was at a conference in Oklahoma this week and brought several movies with me for evening entertainment… I watched one in 5 days. All I wanted to do was read this book.

So why are so many Christians in a huff over Da Vinci? Should they be? Many Christians seem to take the historical references in The Da Vinci Code as literal. There are entire books written to make sure that people know the facts of Christian history vary greatly with the accounts found in this book. My first caution (the one I mentioned earlier) is to remember that this is a work of fiction. As I was traveling this week the overwhelming feeling I had through casual conversations with people was that they understood that this book is a story. Thankfully the fact that it is about to become a Hollywood movie will likely help others to understand that this is a fictional work.

The other reality is that Dan Brown and others may well believe that there are conspiracy theories of church history. This gives Christian people an opportunity to have intellectual discussions with people on the truths of history. This demands that those of us who follow Christ must know those truths. So Da Vinci Code can be a reminder to know. Know why the New Testament scriptures are reliable. Know who Mary Magdalene and other Bible characters mentioned really were. Be able to use the questions of others as an opportunity to talk about truth.