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.