DaVinci Code

[Chad]

The DaVinci Code: article here

Dear friend in Christ,

This spring, millions of people will be talking about Jesus-but not the Jesus you and I know.

This Jesus never claimed to be God, never resurrected from the dead, was married and had a child, and founded a church based on lies.

This is the "Jesus" of the "The Da Vinci Code" movie-due to be released this May. Amazingly, Sony Pictures is marketing this film-with these claims-with the phrase "Seek the Truth."

Obviously, this could be viewed as an assault on our faith. But it also opens up a tremendous opportunity to talk about Jesus while He is on the minds of millions. Now is a critical moment to rebut these lies about Jesus and show people how they can not just seek the truth ... they can find it in the true Jesus Christ of the Bible!

In The Da Vinci Code book, the Bible is presented as an essentially unreliable document-a claim that is "supported" by a number of scholarly-sounding sources that are, in fact, completely false. According to key characters in the book, the Bible was put together to suppress women and conceal the "truth" that Jesus was married and had a child. God's Word is portrayed as a propaganda tool, Jesus Christ is portrayed as being much less than God, and religious people are portrayed as misguided at best, calculating liars at worst.

Such a portrayal of Jesus and Christianity in a major film-with the lead character played by Tom Hanks and a marketing budget upwards of $100 million-is obviously alarming. The 30 million Americans expected to see it will hear a distorted viewpoint about Jesus-presented in a way that sounds surprisingly plausible-which could imbed itself in their minds. The line between fact and fiction may very well blur, and many men and women will leave theaters with very wrong ideas about Christ.

Thus, building on the buzz already being generated by the massive marketing campaign for "The Da Vinci Code," it is the goal of Campus Crusade for Christ to use this film as an opportunity to share the Truth of the Gospel with millions of Americans at a time when Jesus is on their minds!

To this end, Josh McDowell (author of the apologetics classics More Than a Carpenter and Evidence that Demands a Verdict) has completed a new book entitled The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers. Written in an easy-to-understand yet meticulously researched format, this book follows the dialogue of a group of three fictitious college students as they investigate the claims put forth in The Da Vinci Code and put them to the test of real scholarly research. The result is clear-The Da Vinci Code and its assorted claims about the Christian church are fiction, but the real evidence shows that Christ truly is God.

Now is a critical time to reach out ... to rebut the lies put forth in the movie before seekers become skeptics, to tell people the Truth about Christ, and to share how men and women might know Him personally. Will you be a part?

Campus Crusade for Christ is currently mobilizing our U.S. staff and thousands of trained volunteers across the country—college students, high school students, young professionals, lay people, and others-to distribute these books to communities to help reach many for Christ. They will do this at movie theaters and special outreaches, as part of summer missions projects, and more in the days leading up to and after the film's release. But in order to accomplish this effort, 250,000 copies of the book are still urgently needed.

In addition, in order to reach as many as possible and build on the media stir already being paid for by Sony, we also desire to use different forms of media to offer this book directly to seekers. We are currently working on television ads to air on channels like The History Channel (which will be showing several specials on The Da Vinci Code related issues), "pre-trailer" ads to run in movie theaters, and web advertising. The ads will point to a website where seekers can request a free copy of The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers. Also included will be links to more information about the falsehoods in the film, a clear Gospel presentation, information on getting follow up, etc.

Because this outreach involves large quantities of the book, the cost per copy is only $1.50-including the printing, shipping, postage, etc. That means that your gift of just $63 would help reach 42 people with the real truth about Jesus; $126 would help reach 84! If God has blessed you financially and you desire to counter lies about Christ with the real story, perhaps you could consider a greater gift of $504 to reach 336 people, or $1,500 to reach 1,000 with the Good News.

As a special thank you for any gift of $25 or more, and as an encouragement for you to read the book so you can rebut the lies in the movie, we would love to send you a copy of The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers.

Millions are about to hear about Jesus, but what they will actually hear are lies and distortions. Please prayerfully consider how you might help present them with the Truth while people are thinking about Jesus, helping to lead them to know the real Jesus of the Bible.

Thank you so much for your prayerful consideration. May God bless you.

Yours in Christ,

Steve Sellers
Vice President of the Americas.

PLEASE DONATE NOW! click here

 

[Fellowservant]

Jud 1:17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Jud 1:18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

Can't stop bible prophecy, but we can pray about it all...thanks for posting this brother Chad, i didn't know they where making a movie on this myth.

God bless

 

[jiggyfly]

Good post Chad, and Amen Fellowservant.

1Corinthians 2:1-8
1*Dear brothers and sisters,* when I first came to you I didn’t use lofty words and brilliant ideas to tell you God’s message.* 2 For I decided to concentrate only on Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. 3*I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4*And my message and my preaching were very plain. I did not use wise and persuasive speeches, but the Holy Spirit was powerful among you. 5*I did this so that you might trust the power of God rather than human wisdom.
6*Yet when I am among mature Christians, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world, and not the kind that appeals to the rulers of this world, who are being brought to nothing. 7*No, the wisdom we speak of is the secret wisdom of God,* which was hidden in former times, though he made it for our benefit before the world began. 8*But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would never have crucified our glorious Lord.

God please forgive us for trying to communicate the Gospel with enticing words instead of Your Power. Father help us to change this paradigm, give us the same attitude and thinking of brother Paul so we can share the gospel message in the power of Your might and for Your glory only.

 

[the new justin]

I have already seen the documentary on the Da vinci code before I was a believer and by not knowing the full truth about Christ, it gave me alot of mixed emotions. What im saying is that it lead me to believe that, HEY, this sounds believable and looks believable, maybe it is real.

The scary thing is, is that I could have never of found Christ and been preaching against God and the truth to many people about this false Da Vinci code. And to think millions of people who were just like me (unbelievers and unaware of the real Christ) will be making the choice, that may be the choice of their life, about weather they will accept Christ for a lie, or for our lord and savior that he is.

I think it is worse to know Christ as a lie than to not know about him at all. This can be the moment of truth for many on what they are going to believe and how far they will take this movie to heart. I hope people will look at this movie as just a movie and not take it seriously. To not know the real Christ because of a movie is a sad thing and a scary thing to know that they might have to find out the truth when their face to face with Christ him self.

The good news is that Chad has given us a way to help, along with many other christian volunteers. Thanks for the Info Chad.
Lets pray this doesnt lead people down a path of lies. Jesus is lord, savior, and truth. Nothing can change that!

Peace and bless out.

 

[sunshine307]

Praise the Lord the new justin. It's good to hear the viewpoint of someone who has seen it from both points of view - as an unbeliever and now as a believer. I praise the Lord that you did find the truth, but as you say many are going to see this film and make up their minds about Christ from it. We need to be praying that people do find the real truth in Christ, and not listen to the lies of the enemy. Jesus is Lord.

 

[Chad]

Article from gotquestions.org (for a simple quick understanding of the davinci code)

Is there such a thing as Da Vinci Code truth? It is important to remember that The Da Vinci Code (The DaVinci Code)is entirely fictional. As much as author Dan Brown would like you to believe, The Da Vinci Code has no solid basis historically, Biblically, or theologically. The Da Vinci Code is essentially an attempt to "humanize" Jesus Christ by inventing a story of how His true identity was distorted and hidden for nearly two thousand years. In The Da Vinci Code, Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had children. Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ descendants were the “holy grail” that carries the blood of Christ. The Da Vinci Code states that these facts about Jesus Christ were covered up by the early church in order to protect the idea of Jesus’ divinity. All the Christian books which told of Jesus’ relationship with Mary Magdalene were destroyed. Any evidence of such a relationship was covered up.

Again, The Da Vinci Code is fiction. It has no basis in reality. It is a well-written, entertaining book – but that is it. Dan Brown, the author, is of the persuasion that these ideas about Jesus are true. Since there is no historical, Biblical, or theological basis for his beliefs, Dan Brown presented them in a fictional account. Jesus was not married to Mary Magdalene or anyone else. Jesus did not have any children. Yes, the early church attempted to destroy many “gospels” about Jesus, but they did so because they were almost universally recognized as heretical, not to cover anything up. Even these “gospels” only give hints of a relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The church did not cover up the truth about Jesus being married to Mary Magdalene. Rather, the church protected the truth about Jesus being God in the flesh (John 1:1,14).

The Da Vinci Code is in reality an attack on the Person of Jesus Christ. People do not want to believe that Jesus is God, that Jesus is the Savior – so they make up false beliefs about Him in order to create a false Jesus that they can believe in. That is what The Da Vinci Code is all about – presenting a false view of who Jesus Christ truly was…and then explaining why this “truth” has been "hidden" for nearly 2000 years.

 

[Levites10]

Praise be to GOD that we are founded by HIS word and the Holy spirit will not allow those deception shake our faith in Christ.Nothing changes still JESUS is Lord all over the world this is one of the proof that we are in the last days.JESUS is coming soon!!!!GOD bless all my bretheren in Christ.

 

[stephen]

The DaVinci Delusion That Cannot Be Ignored

I may have hoped to ignore this social and spiritual tsunami but we cannot. When "The DaVinci Code" has sold 45 million copies and millions more are eagerly going to enter theatres this summer for the film, cautions must be sounded as many are doing.

There is no name on earth that evokes such instant and blinding hatred than does the Name of Jesus Christ to all enemies of the gospel. And though the book has done its damage, in the coming days, one of the biggest hate crimes against true Christianity is about to open on film with tens of millions more eagerly standing in line.

Author Dan Brown says, "My sincere hope is that 'The DaVinci Code', in addition to entertaining people, will serve as an open door to begin their own exploration." Exploration of what??

The total debunking of all that the Bible has to say, including the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord. As Erwin Lutzer of Moody Memorial Church says, "Dan Brown's agenda is not thinly veiled: This book is a direct attack against Christ, the church, and those of us who are followers and call Him Savior."

 

[Chad]

It is so sad that people will naturally out of their flesh mock Jesus Christ our GOD yet nothing is said about any other false prophets or false gods. What does this tell you? Man has obvious spiritual problems that they cringe at the name of our Savior, but not false gods/prophets.

 

[stephen]

Brown has the audacity to state right up front that all facts in the book are TRUE when, in fact, they are irrational lies. He has introduced to the unsuspecting an alternative form of Christianity debunking the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross.

While dozens of films and books have done this over the years, none have been quite this salacious, filled with lies and distortions, about the One who took our sins upon Him. One should only waste money on the Hollywood Christian haters if you have a genuinely seeking friend or relative who wants the facts to be unraveled so they can hopefully embrace truth.

And no previous Bible/Jesus-bashing book has sold 45 million copies so this has reached the state where the culture must be engaged in a reasonable way.

Brown tries to wipe away doubt in the opening segments of the film. What he's done is exercise his imagination, strung together rumor, myth, and legend. He has introduced to the unsuspecting an alternative form of Christianity. Any doubt these are the "last days" of deception predicted by Jesus Himself in Matthew 24?

The plot includes Jesus NOT dying on the cross, marrying Mary Magdalene, and having a child whose descendents are still alive. A secret society guards this "truth." Yet not a single credible, ancient source substantiates this.

Skeptics, seekers, new Christians, and unstable Christians could end up believing that the Christian faith is founded on a myth, for Brown cleverly mixes some truth with a lot of fiction, something that always confuses and leads people away from truth. And most today do not have the time or will not take the time to really study and find the real truth.

Campus Crusade for Christ says they have gotten notes saying some of the following:

"I read 'The DaVinci Code' and no longer know what I believe." (A missionary in Europe)

"Two close friends of mine in the church lost their faith over 'The DaVinci Code.' "

"I lost my son to 'The DaVinci Code.' "

This apostasy has gotten some fuel from Emergent Church leader Brian McClaren. In an interview in "Sojourner's Magazine," very much to the left but calling itself evangelical, McLaren suggests it is popular because "it is an experience in shared frustration with status-quo, male-dominated, power-oriented, cover-up-prone, organized religion (which is why he created a new, more trendy one called "Emergent.")

McLaren suggests that the standard vision of Jesus is not sufficient to most. "I don't think 'DaVinci Code' has more harmful ideas in it than the 'Left Behind' novels, as they twist Scripture toward a theological and political bend." This leaves me speechless and in more serious doubt and concern for those filtering into McLaren's movement called the Emergent Church.

On the positive side, the book and movie open up a tremendous opportunity to talk about Jesus while He's on the minds of millions. It's an opportunity to engage the culture.

 

[SpiritLedEd]

I don't know if it is true or not, but I just read a post on another site that says that The DaVinci Code isn't doing so well at the box office.


SLE

 

[Snowrose]

Hello dear friends,

As I was reading your posts, the word "shaken" came across my mind. I was trying to remember the verse that corresponded to that thought and I believe it was Hebrews 12. I am not sure but it is close to what I am thinking on.

26At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."

27The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

In the last days, I've heard that there will be a shaking and those whose foundation was not truely built on Christ will fall away. It is sad but true for we are seeing it. Stephen, when I read about what the Campus Crusade for Christ said about the individuals that lost their faith because of this story, it broke my heart.

I will admit that I read this story, I was flabbergasted by this man audacity to say that it was true. But all I can do is pray. Pray for this man to see the truth about Jesus Christ, prayer for those whose foundation is weak, and pray that this movie will cause people to seek the real truth. Which we know is "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life". His name is Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

God bless you all.

Love,
Snowrose

 

[stephen]

"I was flabbergasted by this man audacity to say that it was true. But all I can do is pray. Pray for this man to see the truth about Jesus Christ, prayer for those whose foundation is weak, and pray that this movie will cause people to seek the real truth. Which we know is "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life". His name is Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour."
Snowrose

I agree Snowrose, we keep praying. Some say that we can expect to see "a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit, with people finding Jesus on the sidewalks".

I listened to that being said by a well know preacher and Evangelist, on one of the Christian T.V. channels only yesterday evening. He shared from the scripture that "God will restore" What he said was exciting.

Apart from that I do not think that the majority of people will end up lost in hell. That would be a victory for Lucifer. I am of the opinion that when Jesus cried out on the cross "It is finished" it was embracing a victory such as we have not yet seen or known yet.......

God Bless You

 

[jiggyfly]

"I was flabbergasted by this man audacity to say that it was true. But all I can do is pray. Pray for this man to see the truth about Jesus Christ, prayer for those whose foundation is weak, and pray that this movie will cause people to seek the real truth. Which we know is "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life". His name is Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour."
Snowrose
I agree Snowrose, we keep praying. Some say that we can expect to see "a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit, with people finding Jesus on the sidewalks".
I listened to that being said by a well know preacher and Evangelist, on one of the Christian T.V. channels only yesterday evening. He shared from the scripture that "God will restore" What he said was exciting.
Apart from that I do not think that the majority of people will end up lost in hell. That would be a victory for Lucifer. I am of the opinion that when Jesus cried out on the cross "It is finished" it was embracing a victory such as we have not yet seen or known yet.......
God Bless You

I don't want to see people ignore Christ and determine their own eternal destiny but Jesus told us in Matthew 7.

Matthew 7:13 &14
13*“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell* is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. 14*But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.

If the war against this mindset is fought by argueing over the presence or absence of truth concerning Jesus, the outcome will still be dead religion. "Not by power nor by might, but by my Spirit". The way in which to see the paradigm shift or change is for these people to have an encounter with Christ. Most have only encountered a "plastic Jesus" and a gold emblished cross. There is way to much self in the common and current presentation of the so-called "gospel". We can pray and should pray, but what are we praying for. Are we praying for God to send some Ananias? Or should we be praying for the boldness and obedience of Ananias to be manifest in ourselves? It seems to me that the majority want God to use them without changing them.

There is a scripture that is often partially quoted in the book of Revelation.

Revelation12:10&11
10*And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

This last part of verse 11 has been left off of not only when quoted but I believe in a large way left out of the common gospel message preached today.

Matthew 10:38
"And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."

I think that Leonard Ravenhill "hit the nail on the head" when he said " the only reason we do not see revival today is because we are content to live without it." God has predestined a plan to overthrow His enemies. He is not going to do a big hocus pocus and you will not see His arm shoot out of a cloud waving a magic wand. It is By His Spirit through the Blood of the Lamb and the work of the Cross. If people today are not encountering the Christ it is only because we have refused to die to self. The caranal Church is preventing or better yet obstucting the world's vision of the Christ.

May God help us not to be distracted any longer by the enemy, and empower us to take up our crosses and follow after the Christ.

 

[Snowrose]

Amen Jiggy. What more could be said.

Jiggy's quote: We can pray and should pray, but what are we praying for. Are we praying for God to send some Ananias? Or should we be praying for the boldness and obedience of Ananias to be manifest in ourselves? It seems to me that the majority want God to use them without changing them.

Then I will pray - change me Heavenly Father.........change me so that all who will see me will only see You. All glory and honour to You my Lord God.

Best wishes,
Snowrose

 

[SpiritLedEd]

SnowRose,

I share your anguish over those who lose their faith because of The DaVinci Code, but I'm not surprised that it is happening. Jesus prophesied such things in the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:

"Others, like seed thrown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But, since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away." (Mk 4:16-17).

Those of us who are more grounded in God's Word need to be ready to mentor those who are new in the faith; help them to develop a good spiritual root system. Plus, we must do whatever we can to expose heretical teaching whenever it rears its ugly head, but we need to avoid losing our cool when we do so.



SLE

 

[SpiritLedEd]

The DaVinci Code movie - A Hollywood Alka-Seltzer?

The media reported today that the movie "The DaVinci Code" grossed something like $200 million in its first weekend of world-wide release. That isa blockbusster figure.

On the other hand, movie critics and other media commentators are panning the movie as tedious, poorly written, and somewhat disjointed. One commentator I listened to said that as he watched the film, he began to wonder if it would end before his next birthday came to pass.

On the surface, these two pieces of information seem contradictory. But, that may not be so. They may indeed be intertwined. Consider the element of skillful, widespread promotion of this film.

It may just well be that the great majority of those who rushed to see the movie did so out of curiosity in response to the promotion blitz that preceded its release. Or, they may have been drawn by the star-power of Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard. In other words, a highly effective media blitz piqued their curiosity and drew them to what is essentially a mediocre movie

I don't believe that the average moviegoer takes any philosophical message away from a mediocre film. He is likely to remember the things he disliked and forget everything else. So, the $200 million first weekend take does not mean that the movie is a hit.

Let's hold off judging the movie's effect until the second round of moviegoers, those who are responding to word-of-mouth advertising, have weighed in.

It may just be that this film is an "Alka-Seltzer" film - lots of fizz for a short while, then nothing.

SLE

 

[jiggyfly]

I don't want to see people ignore Christ and determine their own eternal destiny but Jesus told us in Matthew 7.
Matthew 7:13 &14
13*“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell* is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. 14*But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.
If the war against this mindset is fought by argueing over the presence or absence of truth concerning Jesus, the outcome will still be dead religion. "Not by power nor by might, but by my Spirit". The way in which to see the paradigm shift or change is for these people to have an encounter with Christ. Most have only encountered a "plastic Jesus" and a gold emblished cross. There is way to much self in the common and current presentation of the so-called "gospel". We can pray and should pray, but what are we praying for. Are we praying for God to send some Ananias? Or should we be praying for the boldness and obedience of Ananias to be manifest in ourselves? It seems to me that the majority want God to use them without changing them.
There is a scripture that is often partially quoted in the book of Revelation.
Revelation12:10&11
10*And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
This last part of verse 11 has been left off of not only when quoted but I believe in a large way left out of the common gospel message preached today.
Matthew 10:38
"And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."
I think that Leonard Ravenhill "hit the nail on the head" when he said " the only reason we do not see revival today is because we are content to live without it." God has predestined a plan to overthrow His enemies. He is not going to do a big hocus pocus and you will not see His arm shoot out of a cloud waving a magic wand. It is By His Spirit through the Blood of the Lamb and the work of the Cross. If people today are not encountering the Christ it is only because we have refused to die to self. The caranal Church is preventing or better yet obstucting the world's vision of the Christ.
May God help us not to be distracted any longer by the enemy, and empower us to take up our crosses and follow after the Christ.

I just re-read my post and wanted to make an apology to Stephen. I hope I didn't offend you brother. I quoted your post and then posted my reply . I read it again and it sounded like I was disagreeing with you, I really wanted to add to snowrose and your posts. Again sorry if I offended anyone and if I have please forgive me.

 

[Fellowservant]

Those of us who are more grounded in God's Word need to be ready to mentor those who are new in the faith; help them to develop a good spiritual root system. Plus, we must do whatever we can to expose heretical teaching whenever it rears its ugly head, but we need to avoid losing our cool when we do so.
SLE

Amen brother i agree: knowledge can puff up, but charity edifys...the flesh needs to be stomped out, the carnal mind destroyed with the spirit of Christ. Faith hope and love, needs to be our prayer...in Christ.

I was reading here one day.. and the spirit said to me, in his service for his glory. The truth must be told in love... or it will more than likely fall on deaf ears. We are not Christ, who spoke with such authority men would fall backward when he spoke...we are required to be wise as serpents, but harmless as doves...im not saying we have no authority when we speak, but it must be by the holy spirit, or the lord in not building the house. But only if we are speaking to Gods humble tools, and lumber will the hearer hear.

God bless

 

[Irishmaestro]

No serious follower of Christ can take the Da Vinci Code seriously. It's as simple as that. It is a badly-written piece of faulty literature that threatens to turn many people away from God. It is (apparently) an even worse film, but I can make a judgement on the dangers of the film tomorrow after I see it.

The Da Vinci Code, by the way, has had its parallels in history, all of which have faded away into obscurity. Just remember these very comforting words which our saviour spoke:

"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24:35)

Though that dreadful book\film may assert the Bible's unreliability, that does not take from the importance, nor from the truth of the words of Jesus. Despite who it says our saviour married or had carnal relations with (such an assertion utterly sickens me), the truth as revealed to us in him through the Scriptures still remains unchanged. I assure you all, my friends, the Da Vinci Code will pass away, as will its author, and the hype surrounding it, but the words of our saviour Jesus Christ shall never pass away.