The DaVinci Code

I have not read The DaVinci Code. I have read very little about what others are saying about the book and the movie (other than the movie was poor). I do know that all of the hoopla surrounding this piece of fiction centers around what conservative Evangelical Christians are calling blantant heresies. This afternoon we received another piece of mail sent from an American conservative Christian group, boldly emblazoned with these words the front of the glossy envelope: The DaVinci Code - Harmless fluff or dangerous stuff?" The letter starts like this:

"Dear Mr. Jenkins,

Don't believe everything you read... I believe this book and ever more so the movie, could do irreparable damgage, especially to non-Christians and those who are young in the faith. Let me share briefly the three major dangers of 'the gospel according to Dan Brown'...

1. Jesus is not who he claims to be...
2. The Bible is not God's word...
3. The entire Christian faith is a fraud..."

The purpose of this post is not concerning this letter, but there is one question I would raise of it. Concerning young believers, it seems that the Apostles and Elders sent this message to the fledgling faithful during the Jerusalem Council: For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well( Acts 15:28-29).

I just wonder if we are going to be up in arms about popular literature and film, our time would be better spent concerning the smutty magazines displayed in our supermarket check-out aisles and the perverse HBO shows that constantly bombard our people? Just a thought.

Is the DaVinci Code a book to be feared by the Western Church? Will it create a great falling away that most Evangelicals are concerned about? Only time will tell. To get to the crux of the matter, and perhaps a more worthwhile question we must ask ourselves is if the Church needs to spend so much energy in making a case for our people against worldly literature, theatre, or art? Rather, I must personalize it. Do I need to worry about the world? Granted, the Church must have men who defend the faith from heretical insiders, but I wonder what business, if any, we have in judging outsiders? Concerning this issue, the Apostle Paul writes forcefully: For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).