in the year 2036

May 27, 2006

Watch it or watch out?

A week has passed since the release of the much-anticipated movie, The DaVinci Code, the controversial Dan Brown New York Times bestseller that has been adapted into a film. And an interesting week has been.

The reviews have been underwhelming [see Rotten Tomatoes; movies.com], yet the movie is an early summer blockbuster. Some have even said that because of the eruption of discussion about the controversial plot, it has actually given the movie a spike in the box office, where it otherwise might have not [see Mark Lee]. Intriguing��

Not since The Passion of the Christ [except for maybe The Last Temptation of Christ] has a movie spawned so much discussion in the Christian community and society at large.

Books have been written to refute its claims [see this]. News programs have been done [see this]. A website has been created for noted evangelicals to dialogue [see this]. And the internet and blogosphere has been a flurry of discussion about whether we should boycott [see this], �other�cott [see this], or actually watch it [see this].

Who cares, right? It is just a movie. Movies are meant to entertain, not educate. We watch many movies with subtle and overt historical and religious revisionist theories.

Remember Raiders of the Lost Ark with Indiana Jones and the Ark of the Covenant? Remember National Treasure and the fine print of the Constitution? And in the end, we just simply enjoyed those movies instead of changing our minds about the past.

So what�s the big deal? And further, what else can or should be contributed to the conversation?

It�s a little presumptuous to join into the discussion when folks like Paul Maier and Lee Strobel are involved. But really, presumption is what gives the blogosphere its power. Let the audaciousness begin…

Why is this entertaining book and mediocre movie all the rage?

According to Mike Gunn, associate pastor at Mars Hills Church in Seattle, in the 05.07.06 edition of their publication, Vox Pop:

The culture has bought into a poorly written book because Dan Brown has fed a ripe crowd with Gnostic pabulum. His prosaic book is nonetheless exciting because it challenges the status quo that the western church represents. The time is ripe for such a book because the �rational� gospel of the 20th century has tilled the soil.

We live in a postmodern world that questions authority and truth, yet the church continues to see themselves as the bastion of truth, in spite of their shallow gospel; we have failed to call people to repentance and challenge them to live out the gospel.

So is Gunn saying we, as Christians and the Church, should not be the Truth-tellers? No. He is saying we should be, but we have been giving Christians half-truths or watered down truth, resulting in a subculture of Christians living the gospel �halfway.� And our shallow apologetic isn�t hitting home.

In other words, The DaVinci Code has been met with acceptance, in many ways, because of what Christians and the Church have not done to engage with culture and �fill in the blanks� for them. As we have retreated, so has the truth.

There is nothing wrong with saying, �This is a great opportunity to engage with culture when they start asking questions,� because it is true. But in reality, we are educating Christians, many for the first time, about historic Christianity [the resurrection of Christ; divinity of Christ; how the canon of Scripture came about; etc.]. There is something terribly wrong with this.

So where does this leave us? [again, this may seem a little presumptuous]

First, we need to inform ourselves about the book and movie. And yes, that means reading the book and seeing the movie. How can we effectively respond to something we haven�t read or seen for ourselves? [Now this is not an argument to see and read any art form so we can �understand� it. The movie is PG-13; nothing wrong with that]

Second, we should acknowledge where the book makes accurate critique of the church. For instance, over the course of history, the Church has sought power rather than living and proclaiming the gospel of grace.

Third, we should be concerned about the false things in Brown�s book and let that be a catalyst for learning for the purpose of engagement for culture BUT understand we are only mouthpieces for God-He does the work of �heart-redemption.�

I understand the fear that individuals won’t separate the fiction from fact. Any book that that can alter one or more theological views among two million people is not to be dismissed lightly. That�s more people than could change any of their beliefs as a result of exposure to the teaching offered at all of the nation�s Christian churches combined during a typical week.

But the fear that individuals will be �sucked in� to this new line of thinking about Jesus and the Bible isn’t backed up by data.

According to George Barna of the Barna Group:

Before reading The Da Vinci Code people had a full complement of beliefs already in place, some firmly held and others loosely held. Upon reading the book, many people encountered information that confirmed what they already believed. Many readers found information that served to connect some of their beliefs in new ways. But few people changed their pre-existing beliefs because of what they read in the novel. And even fewer people approached the book with a truly open mind regarding the controversial matters in question, and emerged with a new theological perspective.

The book generates controversy and discussions, but it has not revolutionized the way that Americans think about Jesus, the Church or the Bible

Granted, Barna is talking about the book, not the movie. But the movie is, according to producer/director Phil Cooke, “…really too convoluted to be clear for most people, which is why I really don’t think the fears of church leaders will be realized. I have a Ph.D. in Theology and I had a tough time with the twists and turns, so I think most people will walk away dumbfounded. It’s just too much information to cram into a film - even a long one like this.”

Here is my bottom line: I believe God is working in the lives of men and women all over the world, wooing them to Himself. No book or movie is going to stand in the way of the perfect will and sovereignty of God. [By the way, this does not mean do nothing; it just means that we need to be careful not to overact]

In the 80�s a book called, Holy Blood, Holy Grail did what The DaVinci Code is doing in the 2000�s. It �revised� some of the century-held beliefs by Christians and was much met by much resistance, particularly the Catholic Church. And in the 70�s, the book was released in a society that wasn�t saturated with television and the internet.

But it came as a blip and went away as a blip.

In the cycle of history, we should expect another book or movie that revises historic Christianity and causes an uproar. With the rash of conversation going on now over The DaVinci Code, may we be prepared in about thirty years to take a breath, slow down, and ask and react with appropriateness.

Posted in books, movies