The Da Vinci Code

Finally decided to read Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code yesterday. Now I'm done. It's a fast-paced escape thriller. Very reminiscent of the Nicolas Cage film National Treasure, particularly with its Knights Templar reference. Less treasure and more religious belief. Its not the best literature I've ever read, but it is clever and gripping. It's a Novel, not an essay on religous theories. But Brown undeniably has an agenda.

My friend and collegue, Tom Price, at our UCCF Bethinking.org resource has written - Dan Brown: Looking behind the Code. I'll explore some of my own thoughts here - particularly about faith/evidence - in the coming days. But Tom's thoughts are worth a look in the mean time. Dan Brown writes boldly against the Catholic Church. I'm no Catholic, but some of the issues he touches on have bearing for me as an Evangelical. From Brown's portraL of the church you may get the wrong end of the stick.

There are issues of knowledge and the basis of belief. There are questions raised about how to deal with sin. There are questions about the role of women within Christianity. And there are questions about church power-plays. The Bible has honest answers for these questions. Dan Brown overlooks, distorts and dismisses them. His questions merit exploration.

As Al Mohler commented...

"G. K. Chesterton reminded us that orthodoxy is not only true; it is infinitely more interesting than heresy. It is alive and compelling and life-changing. Heresies come and go by fashion. The truth is unchanged and unchangeable."

There is no great church conspirary. Examine the evidence yourself - take hold of one of the gospel accounts of Jesus' life - Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. Read. Examine. Think. Question. See.