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Tuesday, August 15, 2006

The Da Vinci Code

It's been awhile since I've last posted, but after finishing Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, I thought I'd come out of hibernation and give you some thoughts. So, here are my thoughts:
  1. The book is a good read, but the amount of copies it has sold is surprising (it's not that good).
  2. The Church has a lot more to worry about than this book; let's focus on people coming to Christ and not on some piece of fiction.
  3. If you're a conspiracy theorist, then this book will really get you going (just remember that Harvard has no professor of symbology, no one does because it's a made up profession).

Okay, in regards to 1. I think I know why it has sold so many books. People like controversy. That's it, nothing more needs to be said (but will be said anyways). If Dan Brown concludes at the end of the book that the Church had it right all along and isn't hiding the truth about Jesus and his family, then I'm certain it wouldn't have sold as many books as it did. Heck, it probably wouldn't even have gotten published because the writing just isn't that good. In the future I plan to post about the writing itself, some of it just doesn't make sense.

As far as 2 goes, too many people in the Church today have gotten very worried and upset about this book. Guess what, people have been writing this type of stuff for awhile now, just this time it's much better than before. If you're curious about what makes people so upset, go to your local bookstore and read Chapter 55. This is the chapter that causes all the problems with many people in the Church and sets the stage for the rest of the book. Don't worry, reading this before everything else won't ruin it; you won't understand some of the plot but the plot isn't why I want you to read the chapter. It's also the chapter that made the book much less interesting for me. It's like when a movie takes such a terribly unrealistic turn that it's hard to watch anymore, that's what chapter 55 does for me. Some may be convinced that something like what happened in chapter 55 could happen; if that's you, go buy Darrell Bock's Breaking the Da Vinci Code or for something not related to Brown's book, get J.P. Moreland and Michael Wilkins's Jesus Under Fire. (The latter is a very good book, the former I haven't read yet but Bock is one of the foremost New Testament scholars and is sure to be helpful).

Finally, conspiracy theories will never go away. It's why in grade school rumors get started about someone eating his boogers. It's why in high school some guy is always accused of being gay (especially if he is in drama). There is an often insatiable desire for controversy and that's exactly what conspiracy theories are supposed to cover up. Brown has written a book that fans the flames of controversy in people's hearts, especially those that have something against the Church.

Read the book so you can know what the heck is going on in our culture today (that's why I read it). Don't be afraid that your faith will be shattered or that you'll lose trust in the New Testament. If that indeed happens, please let me know and I'd be glad to help out or at least locate some resources to answer your questions.

Grace and peace,