Da Vinci

I hope you will be patient with me as I keep on talking like a fool. Please bear with me. I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. For I promised you as a pure bride to one husband, Christ. But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent. You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed. 2 Corinthians 11:1-4

"The Da Vinci Code" was released in theaters this past week. I'm sure you've heard of it. You may have read it - I did. You may have already seen the movie. For those of you who don't know much about it - it's a fast paced conspiracy theory story that makes claims about Christ and the Bible that are, to say the least, very unconventional. Here are a few examples of the claims as I remember them:

1. Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and their bloodline survives today.
2. The early church did not believe Jesus was divine… that was voted on and forced on the Church some 300 years after His death.
3. To support this notion of a "Divine Jesus", the church left out some of the best early writings when deciding what would be the official bible.

You can see the impact of this book in every media outlet. Just go to the bookstore... turn on the TV… look at the major magazines. I clearly think it's something we need to spend time praying about. Specifically, let's pray for the following:

1. For believers - Many believers will see this movie and for some, it will shake their faith. Let's pray that these believers will investigate the book's claims and actually come through with a stronger faith. There are lots of good debunking the da vinci code books out there. It doesn't take much effort to see through the revisionist's history "The Da Vinci Code" is trying to push. It also doesn't take much effort on our part to be armed to answer questions our fellow believers may have.

2. For unbelievers - I was agnostic for a good portion of my life. Having never read the bible, I assumed it was a collection of rules and fairy tales. Religion was a crutch for the weak - the opiate of the masses. At the risk of over-generalizing, I think the views pushed in The Da Vinci Code are not that far from what the average unbeliever consciously or unconsciously believes already. As such, let's pray that seeing this movie will at least spark curiosity and debate. Let's pray that it gives us the opportunity to talk to unbelievers that we may have never talked to. Genesis 50:20 says You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Our God is big enough to use a film like this to actually save people. Once again, let's be armed to answer questions if and when the opportunity arises.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob