The DaVinci Delusion That Cannot Be Ignored [Excerpts]

Author Brown has the audacity to state right up front, in his book, "The DaVinci Code", that all facts in the book are TRUE when, in fact, they are nothing more than irrational lies. He has introduced to the unsuspecting an alternative form of Christianity debunking the sacrifice that the Lord Jesus made for us on the Cross of Calvary. While dozens of films and books have done this over the years, none have been quite this salacious, filled with lies and distortions, about the One who took our sins upon Him. One should only waste money on the Hollywood Christian haters if you have a genuinely seeking friend or relative who wants the facts to be unraveled so they can hopefully embrace truth. And no previous Bible/Jesus-bashing book has sold 45 million copies so this has reached the state where the culture must be engaged in a reasonable way.

Brown tries to wipe away doubt in the opening segments of the film. What he's done is to exercise his imagination, strung together rumor, myth, and legend. He has introduced to the unsuspecting an alternative form of Christianity. Any doubt these are the "last days" of deception predicted by Jesus Himself in Matthew Chapter 24?

The plot includes Jesus NOT dying on the cross, marrying Mary Magdalene, and having a child whose descendents are still alive. A secret society guards this "truth." Yet not a single credible, ancient source substantiates this hypothesis!

Skeptics, seekers, new Christians, and unstable Christians could end up believing that the Christian faith is founded on a myth, for Brown very cleverly mixes some truth with a lot of fiction, something that always confuses and leads people away from truth. Most people today do not have the time, nor the will to make the time to really study and find the real truth for themselves.

Campus Crusade for Christ says they have gotten notes saying some of the following:

"I read 'The DaVinci Code' and no longer know what I believe." (A missionary in Europe)

"Two close friends of mine in the church lost their faith over 'The DaVinci Code.' "

"I lost my son to 'The DaVinci Code.' "

This apostasy has gotten some fuel from Emergent Church leader Brian McClaren. In an interview in "Sojourner's Magazine," very much to the left, but calling itself evangelical, McLaren suggests it is popular because "...it is an experience in shared frustration with status-quo, male-dominated, power-oriented, cover-up-prone, organized religion (which is why he created a new, more trendy one he has called "Emergent."  McLaren suggests that the standard vision of Jesus is not sufficient to most. "I don't think 'DaVinci Code' has more harmful ideas in it than the 'Left Behind' novels, as they twist Scripture toward a theological and political bend." This leaves me speechless and in more serious doubt and concern for those filtering into McLaren's movement.

On the positive side, the book and movie open up a tremendous opportunity for truth to be presented by talking about the real Risen from the Dead, Lord Jesus Christ (who was "God manifested in the flesh" - see Colossians 1:19; 2:9), while He's on the minds of millions. It's a great opportunity to engage the culture (Markell, "The DaVinci Delusion That Cannot Be Ignored," Olive Tree Ministries, 5/16/06).