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THE DA VINCI CODE FILM vs. "THE PASSION"

What opportunities does this book (and the forthcoming film) provide for meaningful conversation?

The Da Vinci Code may be one of the most talked about books in recent history. After all, 47 weeks on the top of The New York Times best-seller list is nothing to sneeze at. Sony Pictures' executives are hoping that the book's hype will help them cash in on a movie version in May 2006. They've signed a solid team to the task: Ron Howard to direct and Akiva Goldsman to write the screenplay, with Brian Grazer and John Calley producing. (Howard, Goldsman, and Grazer previously teamed up to make the 2002 Oscar Winning Best Picture, A Beautiful Mind). To date, the film will star Tom Hanks, Jean Reno, and Audrey Tatou in the lead roles.

It's unfair to comment about a film that has yet to be made. But it's interesting to note that while Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ was taking so much heat for painting a more biblically authentic portrait of Jesus' suffering, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code was hitting the bookstores. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, one thing is obviously true: Even after 2,000 years, Jesus Christ is still the premier pivotal figure of history who garners the attention of both Christian and non-Christian audiences.

For those who have read the book, the reviews are mixed. But the popularity of the novel plays to the skeptical trend of our postmodern culture to cast aspersion towards anything traditional. The thriller/conspiracy genre of the novel has been crafted with such a scholarly ring of truth about it that the less-learned reader could be naively seduced into believing it's all based on facts. However, that's not the case.

The fact is that Brown's book—for all the cloak and dagger, power brokering, and mystery that is woven together with historical events and real times and places—is still a novel. A cleverly written story that weaves truth with falsehood, and does so with a specific purpose. Stories are not just for entertainment. They teach.

The Passion of the Christ and The Da Vinci Code, each have a purpose. They both tell a version of the story about Jesus Christ. The film affirms the historicity of the New Testament gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The book undermines not only the historical accuracy of those same accounts, but casts aspersions on the 12 closest followers of Jesus (the apostles), and the motives of the church that grew as a result of the good news of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus' life, death, divinity, and the church that bears His name are not only called into question, but misrepresented in such a believable way as to cast doubt on anything about Christianity being true or good.

But what is truth? That's the real question. Brown's tale plays well in a postmodern world of skepticism toward anything claiming to be unilaterally true, let alone someone who claimed to be "the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6). Ours is a world that is fragmented and insecure. And that insecurity breeds a chronic suspicion of everything that is authoritative, where everything linear and propositional in nature is questioned and often deemed untrustworthy before it can even be proven truthful.

The Da Vinci Code, like The Passion of the Christ, provides an unusual opportunity to talk about important spiritual issues. Although many people find it difficult to discuss issues of personal faith, this book has give an occasion for honest discussion about the most pivotal person in all of human history—Jesus of Nazareth. News media, publishing houses, talk shows, the Internet, and the entertainment industry have already given widespread coverage to the images, stories, and rumors about this book. It all opens the door for healthy conversations concerning the reality of the New Testament, the person and work of Jesus, and the work of the church.

Like any other controversial issue, this book impacts people in a variety of different ways, but each of us will find ourselves challenged to listen to and respect those who hold different spiritual beliefs than our own. With that challenge will also come the opportunity to help one another think through our spiritual conclusions about who Jesus was and is, His ministry, His deity, and the veracity of the New Testament record.

The following questions can be part of such honest and friendly conversations:

• Was the book what you expected?
• Do you think Brown's portrayal of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the church was believable?
• Did the book change your understanding of who Jesus was and what He was all about?
• Was the book consistent with what you believe about Jesus?
• Did the book make you want to read the gospel accounts to check out the other side of the story?

Too often when we ask questions of one another, we don't take the time to really listen to the other's response, especially if we have an opposing agenda. We need to genuinely listen to people's responses. Listen especially for their hearts, for their mood after reading the book.

Finally, this book's content is controversial and compelling for both Christians and non-Christians. Be sensitive and respectful of what may be stirred spiritually in others who have read the material. Be open and aware that God may want to use the content and themes presented in this book to invite both Christians and non-Christians alike to reckon with who Jesus really was, why He came, and why He died.