This page is meant to challenge our thinking and allow for open debate about subjects that are part of our everyday life as a church family and friends of MZ.
So what have you heard about the book made into a movie - The Da Vinci Code?
3 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I thought the book was definitely an interesting read. I am surely not a theological scholar and am not well versed in early Christian history, but I have read several articles along the way to find out at least a bit more. Through my relationship with my husband and his family, I have begun to educate myself a bit more about the Bible and THE Church, though, and one thing that my mother in law says is that the Bible is not a history lesson and we shouldn't look at it as such. My thoughts are, number one, that the Da Vinci Code is a novel, a fiction book, and that a lot of the hype around it presumes that people are taking it as ultimate truth. It's not meant to be, and I don't think Dan Brown meant it to be. I think it's food for thought, at best. Secondly, in terms of the Bible as history--my question is, well, isn't it? Isn't the Bible the word of God, and aside from the presence of Jesus and belief in him as our Savior, isn't the Bible sort of a support structure of Christianity? This is where I go to learn about God, about Jesus, about my faith, and the faith of holy men and women who came before me. So, why isn't the Bible history? These were all living, breathing people who were from places that actually existed and still exist today. At the very least, The Da Vinci Code has gotten people talking about Jesus, and I think that's a good thing--truth or not, God can certainly use lots of different ways to make himself known to us, and if for some it's a fiction novel, who am I to question or complain?
--Erica Snipes (sorry, I couldn't identify myself without signing in to the blogging system...don't know how this all works, but I don't like being Anonymous :-) )
The book was a very readable piece of FICTION. It was not intended to portray truth. The writer included many things which are obvious fallacies, but he also marketed the book under "Fiction" and thus we should read it while bearing that in mind.
Reiterating what the commenter above said: The Da Vinci Code has gotten people talking about Jesus. What we need to do is to arm ourselves with appropriate conversation openers that allow those who have read the book to engage into a conversation about spirituality. For example, even as simple as, "What did you think of The Da Vinci Code?" Oftentimes, you're given the opportunity to say how it may differ from what you believe.
The crucial part of these conversations is allowing the other party to question and comment without feeling attacked. This book is not a Satanic work, and we would all be better off viewing it as yet another tool to open the discussion on spirituality with those who would otherwise be uninterested.
I just posted my reaction to the Da Vinci Code on my website- www.ragamuffinpastor.com, but let me also recap a few things: 1) Many of you rightly pointed out that this book is fiction. That it is. 2) Its danger lies in that it weaves a fictional story and a wacky hypothesis about the nature of Jesus into historical places, people, and groups. And I have to hand it to him, Dan Brown does a convincing job of it. 3) Because the book is so misleading and says patently false things about Jesus, it is playing into the hands of evil. 4) However, I believe our response to it should not just be visceral condemnation, demonization, or just plain apathy. I think we have a historical opportunity to use it as a platform to share the truth of Christ with an audience we would not have had, had it not been for this book and movie. 5) To that end, God is bringing good and truth out of something bad. And hey, God has a history of that. Isn't that what God did with and through the cross?? Think about it...
MZ is a compassionate evangelical church in South Anne Arundel County. We believe the Bible is the Word of God and try to live our lives following God's teaching found in and through it.
3 comments:
I thought the book was definitely an interesting read. I am surely not a theological scholar and am not well versed in early Christian history, but I have read several articles along the way to find out at least a bit more. Through my relationship with my husband and his family, I have begun to educate myself a bit more about the Bible and THE Church, though, and one thing that my mother in law says is that the Bible is not a history lesson and we shouldn't look at it as such. My thoughts are, number one, that the Da Vinci Code is a novel, a fiction book, and that a lot of the hype around it presumes that people are taking it as ultimate truth. It's not meant to be, and I don't think Dan Brown meant it to be. I think it's food for thought, at best. Secondly, in terms of the Bible as history--my question is, well, isn't it? Isn't the Bible the word of God, and aside from the presence of Jesus and belief in him as our Savior, isn't the Bible sort of a support structure of Christianity? This is where I go to learn about God, about Jesus, about my faith, and the faith of holy men and women who came before me. So, why isn't the Bible history? These were all living, breathing people who were from places that actually existed and still exist today. At the very least, The Da Vinci Code has gotten people talking about Jesus, and I think that's a good thing--truth or not, God can certainly use lots of different ways to make himself known to us, and if for some it's a fiction novel, who am I to question or complain?
--Erica Snipes (sorry, I couldn't identify myself without signing in to the blogging system...don't know how this all works, but I don't like being Anonymous :-) )
The book was a very readable piece of FICTION. It was not intended to portray truth. The writer included many things which are obvious fallacies, but he also marketed the book under "Fiction" and thus we should read it while bearing that in mind.
Reiterating what the commenter above said: The Da Vinci Code has gotten people talking about Jesus. What we need to do is to arm ourselves with appropriate conversation openers that allow those who have read the book to engage into a conversation about spirituality. For example, even as simple as, "What did you think of The Da Vinci Code?" Oftentimes, you're given the opportunity to say how it may differ from what you believe.
The crucial part of these conversations is allowing the other party to question and comment without feeling attacked. This book is not a Satanic work, and we would all be better off viewing it as yet another tool to open the discussion on spirituality with those who would otherwise be uninterested.
I just posted my reaction to the Da Vinci Code on my website- www.ragamuffinpastor.com, but let me also recap a few things:
1) Many of you rightly pointed out that this book is fiction. That it is.
2) Its danger lies in that it weaves a fictional story and a wacky hypothesis about the nature of Jesus into historical places, people, and groups. And I have to hand it to him, Dan Brown does a convincing job of it.
3) Because the book is so misleading and says patently false things about Jesus, it is playing into the hands of evil.
4) However, I believe our response to it should not just be visceral condemnation, demonization, or just plain apathy. I think we have a historical opportunity to use it as a platform to share the truth of Christ with an audience we would not have had, had it not been for this book and movie.
5) To that end, God is bringing good and truth out of something bad. And hey, God has a history of that. Isn't that what God did with and through the cross?? Think about it...
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