Published in The Post-Star (D1)
5/22/06
"The Da Vinci Code" seems to be everywhere these days, from bookstores to box offices -- and pulpits.
The novel, by Dan Brown, weaves religion, history and politics into a tense thriller that has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.
Brown's work caused a stir in both mainstream and Christian culture by proposing that the church has been keeping some very large skeletons in its closet -- such as Jesus's wife and kids.
It may be fiction, but many Christian leaders are fighting back with facts. Several local pastors are planning to tailor their sermons around "The Da Vinci Code" this weekend, to coincide with the release of the film based on the book.
"I want to give people a balance to some of the ideas that the movie is presenting," said Rev. John Tether, pastor of Northway Christian Family Church in Queensbury.
Tether said he had no idea what to expect when he read "The Da Vinci Code" a few years ago.
He was a schoolteacher at the time, and his principal gave him a copy of the book.
"I think it was kind of a setup, because he knew I was a minister and he wanted to, I don't know, test my faith," Tether said. "It definitely did."
The book questions traditional church doctrine about the origins of Christianity, suggesting that Emperor Constantine came up with the idea of Jesus' divinity in about 300 A.D., and that the Bible's compilation was heavily skewed by politics.
"Very few people have ever researched anything that happened in the early church, including myself," Tether said. "But when I went to some other sources, I realized that ... all of (Brown's) presumptions are just that -- not statements of fact."
One of the sources Tether went to was a book called "The Case for Christ," written by Lee Strobel as a journalistic investigation of the historical claims of Christianity.
"I presented this to my congregation as kind of an antidote, if anyone felt their faith was poisoned by Brown's book," Tether said.
At Life Christian Center, a small, newborn church that meets at Saratoga Springs high school on Sunday mornings, pastor Dave Shacket is devoting five weeks of sermons to "The Da Vinci Code."
With the movie opening soon, Shacket said he's already been fielding questions about the novel's more controversial elements.
"What does the church say? What is historical, what is true? I figured our people would be asked those kinds of questions, too, so I wanted to spend some time equipping them with the answers," Shacket said.
Although he understands why Brown's story upsets some Christians, Shacket said he enjoyed the novel when he read it last year.
"Boy, it's a page-turner!" he said. "I plan to see the movie as soon as I possibly can."
He's turned to a book by evangelical apologist Josh McDowell, called "Evidence that Demands a Verdict," to counter Brown's version of church history. McDowell has also written a booklet specifically addressing "The Da Vinci Code," which Shacket is giving away to anyone who's interested.
"I think there are people being led astray by the book, because Brown's done an incredible job of wrapping fiction around the truth, and the dividing line is kind of difficult to see for someone who hasn't researched it," he said. "On the flip side, I think it's a phenomenal opportunity for the church to say, 'great, let's talk about why we believe in the Bible!' "
Tether said he "wouldn't encourage or discourage" people from seeing the film, but he has some advice for those who do:
"Go with the knowledge that there are going to be some things that are presented that are not factual," he said.
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