Da Vinci Code - A Challenge to Believers

How should the church react to this book/movie/cultural phenomenon?

So far, I have seen three responses:

• Ban it, burn it - This response is self-explanatory. It is the response that the catholic church has been accused of having (in the media...whether this is true or not I do not know). Many evangelicals are taking this stance as well (more specifically the conservative side of evangelicalism). The main thrust behind this argument is that because the claims are blasphemous against Jesus, any support (financially etc.) would be sinful.
• Watch it... but only to dismantle it - Many people have read the book or will go to the movie in order to educate themselves about the whole phenomenon of the "Da Vinci Code". They do this in order to be able to refute all its claims... or perhaps just better understand what the book is arguing so that they can in turn be able to adequately discuss it's claims with others.
• It's just fiction, folks - This response is held by everyone else (especially non-Christians - why would it matter to them? It's just a good show). Perhaps on the far swing of the pendulum in the direction opposite of the popular Christian reaction there are people who hold this book/movie as a victory against the superstitious/anti-intellectual religion called Christianity.

How can we as believers love God and love our neighbors(which I think is the core of our ethical choice-making criteria) in this situation?

Well, my first thoughts are that every response has merit... yes, I know, that's a horrible stance to take! The "ban it, burn it" stance does have merit because as a believer I do think that the claims in the Da Vinci Code are heretical ( which is no surprise... there is a lot of stuff in society that is heretical - we do not live in a Christian nation!). The "watch it to study it" response is a good middle ground approach - admitting that the claims are false (like much of society's claims) but instead of being ignorant about it, educate yourself. The "just fiction" response is understandable - especially if you are not a Christian... you have no clue what is at stake in the Da Vinci Code's claims if you do not hold the Bible as true and infallible.

As a believer in Christ, I plead for consistency! This is the one area where we can use some improvement. If you think that it is sinful for you to spend money on the book or movie, then listen to you conscience (the Spirit convicts us for a reason!). If you want to see the movie so that you can adequately interact with everyone else who has seen it - then watch it. Do not feel ashamed for watching the movie for that purpose... many pastors, priests and teachers purchase literature from the occult and other religions in order to become better educated about those various beliefs.

If you take the "it's just fiction" response - be careful. The beginning of the book gives a "this is actually factual" atmosphere to the book; do not give Dan Brown the benefit of the doubt with respect to his motives for writing the book. Many people outside of the Christian camp see this book as a victory, an evolutionary leap in the direction of truth and relativism. This is not the place for the believer - this is where we need to be counter-cultural.

Most of all, use this whole situation as an open door to discuss the Bible/Jesus/Christianity with your neighbors - redeem this opportunity! When do we ever have such an opportunity as this to bring up the claims of the Bible with almost anyone we come across - now, because of the Da Vinci Code, it is relevant to discuss it. See this as opportunity.

God's Greatest Gift to Me

God's greatest gift to me this side of eternity is Tara! She is the most beautiful person that I have ever met... inside and out! My love for her has grown every single day since I have met her, dated her, married her... I am truly blessed!

This summer will be our 2nd anniversary and we have grown in our love and respect for each other. Marriage is a wonderful thing when you do not fret and worry about whether or not your spouse is faithful or not; divorce is not even an valid option for us.

Tara, I want you to know that I love you with every ounce of my being! I am so excited to experience life with you... and to grow old with you! You grow more beautiful every day! My heart is yours forever!

I love you Tara!

The Christian Worldview and the Separation of Church and State

Although America is conducive for the lifestyle and freedom of the believer in Christ, one must not make the mistake of thinking that to be Christian is to be American, or that to be American is to be Christian.

America, since its inception, has put into policy a separation of church and state. This is both good and bad from different points of view. It is good because the government has no say in religious matters (unless they threaten civil law) - This gives freedom to its citizens.

However, there are negative consequences that come from this policy. The separation of church and state has caused a subtle bifurcation between religion and societal living. This mindset, or perhaps "worldview", has infultrated the Christian faith. Religion has become a personal matter, and tolerance is the prime virtue.

The question is whether the good outweighs the bad, or vice-versa. Is it realistic to pursue a theocracy? How does the Christian relate to government... the world? Here are some negative consequences on the individual Christian and the church as a whole stemming from the "separation of church and state" mindset:

• Syncretism - Essentially, there is a trend of religion "a la carte" stemming from the prime virtue of Tolerance (which is a good thing, but is it really the best and most important of virtues?).
  
• Christian by day, someone else by night - self-explanatory.
  

These are definitely symptoms of "separation of church and state" Christians, but these symptoms are present everywhere and at all times; any elementary history of Christianity would show this. I do not think that the separation of church and state is really the cause of these problems... it might be a catalyst, but not the cause.

On the reverse side of this thinking, there are negative consequences to pursuing a theocratic-like approach to America (trying to infiltrate the government, pass only Christian laws, enforce them on the entire country). Now, don't get me wrong: Christians have the right to vote and they should vote from their convictions about issues. Good, moral... yes, even biblical laws are great to see in governmental policies because they are good for society. But I think that there is a difference between someone who voices their convictions about issues and someone who tries to enforce their convictions upon other people. Here are some negative consequences:

• Legalism - When Christian principles are followed just because they are "the rules", misconceptions about what it means to be Christian follow. i.e. Someone can be a moral person but still not be Christian.... someone who has placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for rescuing them from spiritual death and separation from God - in the simplest of terms, that is initially what it means to be a follower of Christ. However, when someone just follows the Biblical standards of morality, that's great, but it has not saved them and it has not changed their hearts - which is the real issue, isn't it?
• Animosity towards Christians - I'm sure that a lot of us have experienced this in light of certain people in the Christian Right movement that have overstepped their bounds with their words and have really made all Christians look like Christian nationalist terrorists. That is not what it means to be Christian!
  
• Loss of witness - For those of us interested in reaching our neighbors for Christ, enforcing Christian laws on them is an ignorant approach. How can we reach our countrymen for Christ if we make them our enemies? Outward actions only go so far.... Are we not targeting the inner-person? Will not actions follow? It seems to me that the Bible portrays outward actions as evidence of faith... How can they precede it?

Maybe there is a different approach to relating to our government, our country, our world. Conquering them is out of the picture! Did Christ come to set up a political kingdom, or a spiritual one?

Living by Faith

How does one live by faith? Is faith completely blind... or is it more complex than that, or perhaps even simpler? The author of Hebrews seems to indicate that a person who lives by faith is someone who lives out what they believe in, more specifically, what their hope is.

What is my hope? The same as Abraham, Isaac... David... an "eternal city." The concepts of "pilgrim" and "alien" are recurring themes... even so, living by faith is not just hope or belief, but it is actually living out this hope and belief. In Matthew chapter 8, when the disciples were manning the boat while Jesus was asleep, they became fearful and cried out to God. Jesus still reprimanded them though, because they did not believe...(they still cried out to Jesus for help, but it wasn't enough!). They were not living by faith.

One must be convinced of the veracity of Jesus Christ and his promises, even to the point of living it out in word and deed. Jesus, earlier in the same chapter, praised the centurion for his great faith because he truly believed Jesus could and would heal his servant.

It then follows, especially going back to the context of Hebrews, that great faith is not so much about the person (look at Baruk, Gideon, David, etc. - these guys had serious problems... they were weak, cowardly, sinful)... rather it is the object of our faith, the God who is being trusted...it is the object of our faith that is the issue. God does want appropriate faith though - faith that is real and tangible even though the object of our faith is not tangible (right now)... but, it is real!

Wealth and Money

As an American, I know that my thoughts on this subject can become quite culturally tainted (and I hope I can avoid those mistakes) ! Here are some principles that I think need to be considered:

• Am I letting my pursuit of money (wealth, possessions, stuff) become more important than my relationships with... God, my wife, my family, friends, people in general? (Mark 10:20)
• Am I content with what I have even if all I have is necessities? (1 Timothy 6:6)
• Do I spend based on necessity or desire? This question must also ask if "desire" is the answer, is my desire a good one, or is it selfish or prideful?
• Am I giving back to God?

With another perspective:

• Am I putting regulations on myself that are helpful, or are they unnecessary?
• Am I being too frugal to the point of being selfish or obsessive?
• How can I glorify God with my money and possessions?

Being rich is one thing, but being rich in good deeds is another! May we use the gifts God has given to us for good and not for evil!

Imitation

C.S. Lewis provoked my thinking concerning this... there is a secret with imitation (especially with imitating God because He is perfection) in that it begins to become a reality. This is why obedience is so important for us as believers, even though we begin to try to obey God (and very unsuccessfull and wrought with wrong motives and attitudes!), God begins to change us, and the obedience becomes more and more genuine (especially internally!) and we actually become more and more like Christ!

This is entirely God's grace upon us, for on our own we cannot become more like God; we might become moral, but internal changes would never happen.

When we are obedient to Christ in our actions, I believe He helps us (and changes us) internally, which completely alters the person and enables the person to obey Christ even more closely (1 Corinthians 4:16, Hebrews 6:12, 13:7, 3 John 11, Ephesians 5:1, 1 Thessalonians 1:6, 2:14)

Perhaps this further sheds light on the relationship between faith and works... we obey God, not to earn salvation, but so that God can work in us... our motives, attitudes... our attempts at obedience are the evidence of our faith, but the successful obedience (externally and internally) is the grace of God, which even further evidences our salvation!

Practical Theology

What good is Theology if it is not practical and put into practice? The epitome of compartmentalization is treating theology as merely cognitive and intellectual and letting it have little to no impact in your life. What I believe about God should be directly evident in my life. I love how Peter begins his first epistle... He establishes in the first twelve verses the great hope that the elect have that is founded in the amazing grace of our God. He then exhorts the readers with the command to "be holy." What other response could we have execpt to imitate our God and conform to the image of His Son? Any other response is either done in selfish ambition (which is ironically worse for the individual) or done in arrogance ( in that one thinks that he/she knows how to live without the help of God).

In this specific passage, and in general, the dividing line seems to center around the perspective of the individual; is it an eternal perspective or a temporal one? This discussion is difficult, however, because both sides of the coin can be taken to the extreme and severely abused. Obviously, living too much in a temporal mindset leads to antinomianism and materialism: ultimately hedonism. However, living too much with a heavenly perspective could possibly result in the "ivory tower" syndrome: isolating oneself from the world to an extent that leaves no interaction with the world.


Perspective is the key to practical theology. Although "perspective" is a loaded word, it has profound implications for practical living. Humanity is immortal (in one sense), yet most of us do not live as though we are... yes, even those of us who know that we are eternal beings.... even we still do not live with an eternal perspective. Perspective affects little choices we make, and those little choices have consequences, and these consequences become large, and eventually our lives are characterized either by living for this world or the next.... what will I choose?