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Da
Vinci Code overload?
It's
an action-packed bestseller about early Christian history. What's
all the fuss about? Ken Joynes explores...
 he
history of the early Christian church may not seem like the most
obvious subject for a bestselling book
of any kind,
let alone an action thriller. But that's the case with the 'The
Da Vinci Code', which since its publication has sold anything
between 40 and 100 million copies (depending on which article
you read) - and generated a storm of controversy in the process.
In
case you've just come back from a three-year spell in a cave in
Outer Mongolia, 'The Da Vinci Code' is a thriller by author Dan
Brown based on uncovering hidden 'truths' about early Christianity.
These include secrets such as (i) the (Catholic) church knows
that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had had children
by her, and has resorted to murder to suppress that knowledge,
and (ii) most early Christians believed only that Jesus was a
merely mortal prophet - the idea that he was the Son of God was
'voted in' three hundred years later as a political ploy by the
Roman emperor Constantine.
None
of this would be worth a mention if the book had been marketed
as pure fiction. What's upset many people (and not just Christians)
is Dan Brown's claim that the version of Christian history given
in his book is well researched and historically accurate.
Now,
this article isn't a critique of 'The Da Vinci Code'. I'm more
interested in exploring why it's caused such a fuss. Is it just
Christians wringing their hands and complaining (again)? Or is
there something else going on?
I
think the book has kicked up two fundamental questions - what
do we really believe? And, in the area of faith, does it matter
what we really believe? (Not bad for an airport paperback!)
The
answer to the second question for many in our materialist secular
Western society is 'No'. There's no evidence (they would say)
for the claims of any religion. By its very definition, you can't
prove matters of 'faith'. (If you could prove it, it wouldn't
be faith any more; it would be knowledge.) Therefore even discussing
faith issues is a waste of time.
This
argument assumes that 'evidence' and 'proof' are the highest standards
of objective truth; that something is ultimately true if human
reason can measure it and 'understand' it. Personally, I think
this position is itself one of faith (with plenty of 'evidence'
to the contrary: Whenever we humans try to improve a situation,
we often make it or something else worse in the process).
 urthermore,
is there a 'provable' statement that tells me that, morally, I
should behave in a certain way? Is there a scientific statement
that 'proves' that it is, for example, better to give than receive?
(I'm genuinely curious, by the way - if you know of one, feel
free to contact me via the details on page 2.) For all the comforts
and conveniences and wonders it brings us, science doesn't seem
to 'scratch us where we itch'. But where are we itching?
The
answer, I believe, is this - deep down, we all know that God exists.
We sense Him at times in the amazing wonder and beauty of nature,
or at the times when our consciences tell us we've done something
wrong, even when we don't want to admit it. We sense Him at those
times when we feel that amazing glow that can come from doing
something good for someone else.
Trouble
is, we also sense that He isn't too happy with us; that if we
were suddenly pulled in front of Him and had to justify all our
actions, words and thoughts, He wouldn't be impressed. In fact,
we have a sneaking suspicion that He'd be downright angry with
us, and He'd have a right to be. And it's not a very nice feeling,
so we push it to one side and avoid thinking about it.
believe both those things are true - we know God exists, and in
our natural state we avoid Him and hope He'll overlook
us. The bad news is that sooner or later, each one of us will
have to come before Him and give an account of everything
we've said and done. And our own explanations of what we did and
why just aren't going to hold up in His presence.
Which
is where the good news of Jesus comes in. By his death on the
cross, Jesus took the punishment of God's anger that we deserve.
The message of the Bible is that there is a God, and He loves
us, and He offers us not only forgiveness for our sins but also
eternal life if we believe in His Son. It's a great and glorious
message. And it's true, and it's available for everyone.
Can
I 'prove' it? No. But I know it. For many in our society, the
message of God's love and forgiveness may not be as 'interesting'
as the idea that Jesus was married and had kids. But if you genuinely
want to know God, but have that sneaking suspicion He doesn't
want to know you, it's wonderful news. He knows you, and He loves
you, and He wants you to enter a relationship with Him that will
bring peace, joy and wisdom not just for this life, but for eternity.
How
about it? What do you want to hear?
What
do you think? Drop
us a line and let us know!
If you're interested,
'The Real Da Vinci Code' (Channel 4 DVD & video) is an entertaining
and somewhat irreverent dismantling of some of the key claims
of the book, headed by Tony Robinson from 'Blackadder' and 'Time
Team'. For a far more comprehensive and academic overview, check
out www.historyversusthedavincicode.com,
which supplies a chapter-by-chapter analysis of 'DVC's version
of church history from an atheist historian!
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