Exposing The Da Vinci Code Deception

EXPOSING THE TOP 10 LIES OF THE DA VINCI DECEPTION

(By Pastor Chris Jordan – April 2009)

OPENING TEXT: "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." (1 Peter 3:15).

The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 movie directed by Ron Howard, which is based on the 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. When this movie hit the theatres a couple of years ago, the front page headline of The Province newspaper in BC read: “Is Da Vinci Code Winning the Battle?” The article declared, “A poll shows 17 per cent of Canadians now believe author Dan Brown’s premise that the crucifixion was faked and Christ had a wife and children.” How should we as Christians respond to this novel, and the movie that is based upon it?

The author Dan Brown claims in the introduction: “All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.” Even though this is a fiction book, the author is trying to convince people that the details contained within the novel are true. Erwin Lutzer says, “If The Da Vinci Code were billed as just a novel, it would be an interesting read for conspiracy buffs who like a fast-paced thriller. What makes the book troublesome is that it purports to be based on facts.”1

Brown does little to hide his true malicious intentions towards the church when he writes, “Almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false.” (Brown, page. 255). From the beginning of this novel until its very end, Brown sets out to attack and discredit the Christian church and the Bible at every turn. The purpose of this article is to expose the Top 10 Lies of The Da Vinci Deception, and to arm the Christian with the true facts from the Bible and history.

#1: THE ROLE OF WOMEN:

Da Vinci Lie: “Powerful men in the early Christian church ‘conned’ the world by propagating lies that devalued the female…” (Brown, pg. 133).

The Truth: One of the earliest lies in the novel, perhaps this one is the most easily disproved by anyone who has an elementary knowledge of the Bible. From the stories of the Old Testament heroes of Deborah, Ruth, Esther and Hannah, to the New Testament women of Mary (the mother of Jesus), Mary Magdalene, Mary and Martha, and Phoebe, a deaconess in the church (Romans 16:1), the Bible is full of many women who did mighty exploits for the Lord. In fact, the Bible declares in Acts 2:17 that God calls men AND women to His service: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.” If that wasn’t evidence enough, consider the clear teachings of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” There is nothing in either the Bible, or the true Christian church, that devalues women.

#2: THE PRESERVATION OF THE BIBLE:

Da Vinci Lie: “The Bible is a product of man… Not of God… Man created it as a record of tumultous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the Book.” (Brown, pg. 250-251).

The Truth: Second Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” The Bible, which is actually a collection of 66 different books, written by about 40 different authors over a period of 1500 years is indeed the very Word of God. Second Peter 1:20-21 says, “no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” As Christians, we have an absolutely certain promise from God Himself that He will preserve His Word to ALL generations! “But the word of the Lord endures forever.” (1 Peter 1:25). Jesus Christ Himself declared, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” (Matthew 25:35). One of the factors that Dan Brown takes out of the Bible equation is the reality of the existence of God. Because there is a God, and because the Bible is His own Word, we can trust that the same God who inspired the Scriptures over two thousand years ago will also preserve that truth wholly intact and without error to our generation today.

#3: THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE:

Da Vinci Lie: “More than 80 gospels were considered for the New Testament, and only a relative few were chosen for inclusion.” (Brown, pg. 251).