The DaVinci Code – Fact or Fiction
Thrilled by a Thriller – 1 Pt. 2:1-3
Insert: Unlocking the DaVinci Code Intro Video Clip
Intro: Treachery, religious fanaticism, murder, an ancient conspiracy, secret societies, erotic spirituality and feminism are just a few of the plot lines in the 2003 bestselling novel the DVC. Dan Brown’s masterful piece of fiction has become one of the most intriguing, yet disturbing books to ever hit bestseller list. This former English teacher has sold over 40 million copies of his religious thriller and has been on the New York Times bestseller list for 148 weeks. And now, opening on May 19th this bestseller will become a blockbuster movie directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks. And most of our family and friends are likely to see the film. So you might ask, “So what’s the big deal, it’s just a movie? Yes, but it is a movie that calls into question the claims of our faith and has already caused millions of people to raise numerous thought provoking questions targeted at the claims of Christianity.
Note: You might be thinking, “That’s silly – it’s just a novel!” Yes, but it is unlike any other novel. First, b/c Dan Brown is a great writer – one of the better fictional writers I’ve ever read. Second, b/c he has an uncanny ability to weave just enough truth w/ conjecture to raise questions about what is true. And he is convincing, especially to those who don’t know the doctrines and history of Christianity.
Trans: Needless to say, this book soon to turn movie has created quite a stir. But I think it is a good stir as it challenges all of us to seek the truth to determine fact from fiction. In fact, I think Hollywood has set a ball on a tee and asked Christians to take their best swing. If you’ve seen the trailer – they’ve challenged audiences to “seek the truth.” This is where we step in. People will be seeking for truth and Brown’s fiction can’t deliver the goods, but we can. We have the facts to debunk the fiction. But don’t be fooled. This work of fiction has the ability to undermine your faith and the faith of others. It already has!
Why: Even though it’s a work of fiction, not everyone thinks that it is fiction. I was talking w/ a church member who read the book and told me that they got so mad at the heresy that they slammed the book shut only to see the word “novel” on the front cover. They said, “Oh yeah, it’s just fiction.” Sadly, some people missed that truth.
Insert: Barna – 52% of readers said the DVC provided helpful insights to their faith.
Outreach Magazine says that 32% of Canadians believe the book is accurate.
Quote: I think Dan Brown makes a lot of sense, especially the part about Jesus just being a mortal. I’d always kind of thought that way, but the facts in the book back it up. 21 year old female from San Diego – she is one of many who think this way.
Insert: In fact, nearly every reviewer has parroted this line. USA Today, for instance, referred to the novel as “historic fact w/ a contemporary storyline.”
Quote: Counterculture called the book “a good yarn w/in a richly factual context.”
Quote: Charles Taylor of salon.com described the novel as “a fast-paced romp through 2000 years of Christianity’s darker secrets… of which the most amazing thing about this novel is that it’s based on fact.” But there actually is very little fact.
Insert: Recently named one of the world’s most influential people by Time, Brown was quoted in the Washington Post – “I was skeptical, but after a year and a half of research, I became a believer.” He’s been quoted on several occasions saying the info in his book is factual. In fact, on the very first page he writes, “All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.”
Note: Now to be fair, to spread one’s views via fiction is a freedom guaranteed to all. And most critics would acknowledge that Brown has the right to say whatever he wants. The problem is the way he, his publisher, and the media have been presenting the book as a fact-based expose wherein the characters reveal truths long hidden from or ignored by the general public. To use the author’s words, “When you finish the book – like it or not – you’ve learned a ton.”
Note: And Brown keeps stoking the fire. In a recent interview he made comments that paint his work as far more factual than fictional: One of the many qualities that makes the DVC unique is the factual nature of the story. All the history, artwork, ancient documents, and secret rituals in the novel are accurate – as are the hidden codes revealed in some of DaVinci’s most famous paintings.
Insert: On the Today Show w/ Matt Lauer Brown was asked, “How much of this is based on reality in terms of things that actually occurred?” Brown replied, “Absolutely all of it. Obviously Robert Langdon is fictional, but all of the art, architecture, secret rituals, secret societies—all of that is historical fact.”
Insert: Actually – as you’ll see over the next few weeks, little is factual and much is fiction.
Note: Before I go any further I want to express my excitement about the DVC. It is a ready made opportunity for us to intentionally engage our friends, family, and associates about the truth of God, the Bible, and Jesus. We’ve been handed a ministry opportunity on a silver platter. Thus this isn’t a time to stick our heads in the sand and act like the book and movie are meaningless. This is a time to read the book and watch the movie so that we can intelligently and w/ integrity talk w/ others about Jesus and the faith. Certainly though as Christians, we need to identify this work for what it is – a work of fiction. And we need to prepare ourselves to help others understand the truth of history. We also need to recognize the times.
Verse: You received Christ Jesus the Lord, so continue to live as Christ’s people. Sink your roots in him and build on him. Be strengthened by the faith that you were taught, and overflow w/ thanksgiving. Be careful not to let anyone rob you of this faith through a shallow and misleading philosophy. Such a person follows human traditions and the world’s way of doing things rather than following Christ. All of God lives in Christ’s body, and God has made you complete in Christ. Christ is in charge of every ruler and authority. Col. 2:6-10
Note: There are thousands of manmade beliefs and religions attempting to discredit Christianity and elevate themselves – but they are vain philosophies. The DVC is just another attempt in a long life of pretenders – yet what an opportunity we have.
Trans: This AM I want to set the stage for the next few weeks. We’re going to review the storyline, consider the impact, and unmask the obvious. Then, starting next Sunday, we will begin to look at the major claims and heresies of the book.
Note: As we begin this series, the series of messages will be presented in a different manner that usual. I’m not going to preach about the movie as much as I’m going to prepare you to address your faith w/ others in the face of the false claims presented by Brown in the book.
I The CONSPIRACY
A The CLIFFNOTES
Recap: The DVC begins w/ Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor of Religious Symbolism being drawn into a murder investigation of Lourve curator Jacques Sauniere. Through a chain of events, Langdon finds himself in a partnership w/ Sauniere’s cryptologist granddaughter Sophie Neveu attempting to understand the peculiar clues Sauniere left for them to decipher. What they gradually realize is that Sauniere was the Grand Master of an ancient secret society – the Priory of Sion – charged w/ protecting a dark secret concerning Jesus and the Catholic Church.
In particular, the Priory holds documents inherited from the Knights Templar which reveals many astonishing secrets including that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and that she was the “Holy Grail” who carried the bloodline of Jesus in her womb which ultimately connected Jesus w/ early medieval rulers in France. It also suggests that Mary was the apostle Jesus intended to build his religion upon and not Peter as the Catholic Church teaches.
DaVinci is woven into the story b/c as a former Grand Master of the Priory, he supposedly painted clues into a number of his masterpieces to reveal the sacred truth. In an attempt to extinguish the Code forever, the Catholic Church, employed the services of Opus Dei (an extreme right sect of Catholicism) to murder the (4) men who know the whereabouts of the Code. Only Sauniere was able to keep the so called truth alive in the clues he left for Sophie and Langdon.
This is where the book accelerates as Robert and Sophie seek to uncover the truth of the Code will running from the police who suspect their involvement in the murders and running from Opus Dei who is trying to kill them. But as they make their discoveries, they single-handedly destroy the beliefs of Christianity bringing into question the reliability of the Bible, the deity of Christ, the history and practices of early Christianity and much more. Let me illustrate some of this conjecture.
B The CONTROVERSY
Quote: The Bible is a product of man my dear. Not God… Over 80 gospels were considered for the NT, and yet only a few were chosen. (231)
Quote: Constantine… held a gathering known as the council of Nicea… (325 A.D.) Until that moment in history Jesus was viewed by his followers as a mortal prophet… not the Son of God. (233)
Quote: I shan’t bore you w/ the countless references to Jesus and Magdalene’s union… Magdalene was recast as a whore in order to erase evidence of her powerful family ties. (247,249)
Quote: The NT is based on fabrications… every faith is… based on fabrications… Jesus was not born of a literal virgin birth…. Those who truly understand their faiths understand the stories are metaphorical. (341-342)
C The CLAIMS
Trans: Thus, according to the DVC, true Christianity was started by a Jesus others viewed as just another prophet. Brown claims that Jesus made no claims of divinity. But that isn’t what the Bible says. Moreover, Brown claims that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and was supposedly handpicked by Jesus to lead his followers, but after the crucifixion was forced to flee Jerusalem for fear of the apostle Peter who was incensed that Jesus had chosen Mary over him to lead Jesus’ followers. Preposterous! Jesus built the church on himself and not Peter or Mary.
Nonetheless, according to Brown’s imagination virtually everyone knew this “truth” during the early years of Christianity so they decided to recast Mary “as a whore to erase evidence of her family ties.” Brown continues his deception explaining that w/ Mary out of the way, male church leaders were able to begin “the greatest cover-up in human history.” . And although Mary survived, she did so only through the loyalty and support of Jewish protectors, w/ whom she found refuge in France. It was there she gave birth to Jesus’ daughter. Sadly, these two outcast women had no choice but to remain in hiding for the rest of their lives, thus avoiding certain death at the hands of those who had gained control of the increasingly patriarchal church. These religious villains also changed the originally pagan, goddess-worshipping church into a Jesus-worshipping, power-crazed den of evildoers who perverted Christ’s teachings to further their own political agenda. Again, this is what Brown claims, but history nor the Bible support his claims.
Nevertheless, according to Brown, the Church relentlessly sought to annihilate the evidence relating to Mary’s identity and “her family’s rightful claim to power.” By the 5th century, long after Mary’s death, Brown says that Roman Catholic authorities sought to kill her by destroying the records that told “the true story of her life.” These documents according to Brown were secretly stashed beneath the ruins of Herod’s temple in Jerusalem, were buried not only along w/ other important documents but w/ Magdalene’s bones too. Searching for this treasure was “part of what the Crusades were about. Gathering and destroying information.
Brown further imagines that Church officials failed in their diabolical quest to extinguish the truth but were foiled b/c of a group of truth-honoring knights known as the Knights Templar. The Knight Templar was created by Priory and charged w/ protecting the truth of Mary and passing it on to the next generation.
II The CONFUSION
Note: It is an understatement to say people have been outraged by the claims of the DVC. Beyond being a page-turning thriller, Brown’s novel seems to be a cleverly written attack against Christianity and the Catholic Church. The DVC launches repeated attacks against Christian beliefs, the Bible, early church leaders and Jesus. Brown writes, “Almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false.”
Note: Right or wrong, the DVC has clearly struck a spiritual nerve and deserves special attention from those interested in religion. The primary issue it raises is whether or not Christianity is true. Other questions relating to the novel are far more basic:
A Claim 1 – Is Jesus really deity?
B Claim 2 – Were Jesus and Mary married?
C Claim 3 – Is the Bible reliable?
D Claim 4 – Did Constantine manipulate history?
III The CARELESSNESS
Note: Brown starts the book w/ a declaration to the accuracy of the content and yet he muffs a few meaningless facts diminishing his own integrity. He carelessly make great claims, yet he can’t support even his simplest ones.
A The Pyramid at the Lourve
Note: The book claims the pyramid outside of the Lourve was constructed of 666 panes of glass (21). According to the Louvre’s official website, there are 673 diamond-shaped panes of glass.
B The Olympic Games
Note: Next he claims that the Olympics were a tribute to the Greek goddess Venus and were to be held once every 8 years. In actuality, they were in honor of the Greek god Zeus and were to occur every 4 years.
C Sunday Worship – A Pagan Holiday
Note: Sunday worship was borrowed from pagan religions in the 3rd century. In particular, Constantine made the shift to coincide w/ the pagan veneration day of the sun (232). Truth is Sunday worship began in the 1st century commemorating the resurrection (Acts 20:7).
Point: If Brown can’t get the facts straight on the insignificant things in his book, how far off is he on his major claims?
IV The CHOICE
A Run and HIDE
Trans: The way I see it we have one of (2) options – stick our heads into the sand and pretend that the DVC didn’t happen or stick to our faith and stand up to be counted.
B STAND and DELIVER
How? Think of ways you can use this movie to talk about the truth of Jesus.
Idea: You might invite a group of friends to go watch the movie and then go for coffee afterwards to discuss it. You might enter into discussions about the false claims of the book. I like the idea of your small group going to see the film together and taking friends and skeptics along w/ you followed up w/ a time to discuss the movie’s claims.
Note: Girl who is taking friends to the movie on her birthday and giving them Licona’s DVD w/ a bag a popcorn and a promise of coffee.
RESOURCES
Sermon: Ken Baugh – The DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction
Hal Seed – The DaVinci Code – Faith, Fact, or Fiction. www.sermoncentral.com
Books: Dan Brown – The DaVinci Code
Darrell Bock – Breaking the DaVinci Code
Richard Abanes – The Truth Behind the DaVinci Code
Timothy Paul Jones – Answers to the DaVinci Code
Josh McDowell – The DaVinci Code: A Quest for Answers
Lee Strobel – Discussing the DaVinci Code
Article: Outreach Magazine – The DaVinci Code Intrigue – Lisa Ann Cockrel
Seminar: Mike Licona – North American Mission Board
PREACHED
Date: 4/30/06 @ FBC White House
