Vatican Tries to Break "Da Vinci Code"

Yahoo! News: "... Monsignor Angelo Amato, the number two official in the Vatican's powerful doctrinal office, has urged Catholics everywhere to boycott the upcoming Tom Hanks film [The Da Vinci Code] on the basis that it patently 'offended' the Christian faith. In his proposal to boycott the would-be blockbuster film, Amato expressed bafflement as to why church followers failed to be outraged about the book in the way that, say, Muslims were about the recent Mohammed cartoons. He claimed a similar book about that religion would have sparked a 'global rebellion.'"

Once again I come across a knee-jerk reaction to a thought provoking book, and that reaction is that someone stops thinking. At no point in this book -- and I've just completed my third reading, the first without stopping every page or so to research something -- does the author make a judgement regarding the validity of God's Word. Many of the characters question the familiar Biblical story of Jesus of Nazareth, but neither they nor the author dispute that Jesus was the Christ, our Savior.

By many means throughout Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code questions are raised about the historical accuracy of the texts that make up the Bible. I can see where this would trouble many, particularly those that believe the Bible is a word-for-word truth. But I think that they and those that try to discredit faith in Bible miss the point of the Gospels. There may have been some intent to use the content as an historical record, but the primary purpose has always been to serve as "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth -- B.I.B.L.E.," a guide to spirituality, faith, and God's love.

If absolute, letter-perfect communication was a requirement then why is the Bible so full of parables, allegories, and varying accounts of the same events? Code readers (and non-readers who go to the movie) can think through any supposed rhetoric if they choose and see that in its sum the story is about the quest to be closer to God, to know Him better, and to make sense of why we are on Earth anyway. In each reading of Brown's book I felt my faith grow as I reasoned through what I feel is the true meaning in the book (though the author may claim no such thing exists, as far as I know) -- it is fiction written to make the author and his publisher some money.

Yes, it is that simple. Take away the fantastic claims that some of the characters make and you wouldn't have much of a story and a much, much shorter book. But if one looks at said claims with a critical eye it can become a potent tool for discovering Christ and growing in His love. Then the book becomes something more. And I believe it is more than what the Catholic church and other well-meaning Christians propose. My advice it to read it if you are inclined to do so, or go see the movie if that is more your style, but don't fall for it. There are sufficient articles and essays on the Internet, on TV, and published on good-old paper that take many of the book's "facts" to task that even cursory research reveals that only the uninformed could take the story as a "gospel" itself.

Disclaimer: I belong to the Pocket Testament League, a wonderful group who is among many that ardently "fight" The Da Vinci Code. Ray Comfort's Living Waters site and teachings are also a favorite of mine but it is very clear from recent newsletters that he feels we should go see The Chronicles of Narnia one more time rather than see Code. And that is fine with me because each of us minister's Christ's Word in a different way.

Those that know I am a Christian and a Freemason have already approached me regarding issues raised by Brown's book/movie and I've use this as an opportunity to share my faith. They ask if all this is true. Was Jesus married to Mary Magdalene? Did they have a child? Am I part of the conspiracy to hide the truth (that from my Catholic aunt who first told me about the book)? To all of which I reply that this is simply a story and that the real truth is that Jesus is God's only son and he died for our sins. Everything else is immaterial.

The Easter Message

For Easter I visited the Free Grace Brethren in Christ church in Millersburg, PA and Pastor Kessler's message 1 Corinthians couldn't be better:

¹²But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. ¹⁵More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. ¹⁶For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. ¹⁹If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

²⁰But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²²For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

The Easter story is the crux of Christian faith. Without it the Word is anything but the truth. It is a good thing we know better. Before his sacrifice, Jesus clearly promised His Resurrection and we now know that He kept this promise.

A fabulous song of fatih

My secular blog, Musings in Search of a Muse, usually catches all my writings about music, but the song "Fake" from Joy Whitlock sticks in my head as a fabulous piece of music and a deeply thoughtful prayer. Consider these lyrics and how they apply to all Christians, no matter how strong their faith or how new they are to God's Word.

Come to me,
That I may live,
I've scattered into pieces,
Will you gather them,
I've put my hope in your word,
I've got nothing left to give of any worth,
Make me real.

I don't wanna be a fake,
I don't wanna be a phony,
What lies behind this face,
So close so far away.

Oh weak knees,
Why can't you stand,
Why do I feel so stupid,
Always giving in,
I curse your name forsake your love,
As if those splinters in your back wasn't enough,
What have I done.

I don't wanna be a fake,
I don't wanna be a phony,
What lies behind this face,
So close so far away.

But He's a light unto my path,
And a lamp unto my feet,
For these I don't have to ask,
For thou art with me.

Shattered dreams,
And wasted years,
Silent screams,
And nameless fears,
I've put my hope in your word,
This world's got nothing left to give of any worth,
Make me real.

I don't wanna be a fake,
I don't wanna be a phony,
What lies behind this face,
So close so far away.

But He's a light unto my path,
And a lamp unto my feet,
For these I don't have to ask,
For thou art with me.

My thoughts, precisely, Joy. Thank you for expressing them so artfully. Our Father has blessed you and I pray that he continues to do so.

What if Jesus didn't come 2000 years ago ...

That's the borderline-blasphemous premise of Eli, by Bill Myers (Zondervan, 2000). The publisher's blurb asks

What If Jesus Had Not Come Until Today? Who Would Follow Him? Who Would Kill Him?

A fiery car crash hurls TV journalist Conrad Davis into another world exactly like ours except for one detail—Jesus Christ did not come 2,000 years ago, but today.

Starting with angels heralding a birth in the back of a motel laundry room, the skeptical Davis watches the gospel unfold in today's society as a Messiah in T-shirt and blue jeans heals, raises people from the dead, and speaks such startling truths that he captures the heart of a nation.

But the young man's actions and his criticism of the religious establishment earn him enemies as ruthless as they are powerful.

An intense and thought-provoking novel, Eli strips away religious tradition to present Jesus fresh and unvarnished. With gripping immediacy, Bill Myers weaves a story whose truth will refresh your faith.

Just from this I was hooked, and not just because I have a fondness for "What if ...?" books like Harry Turtledove's. What hooked me was the potential controversy of rewriting scripture. That's a gutsy thing to do, especially with a lot of Christians out there taking the Bible as a word-for-word truth.

The Bible is the Truth, but just as Jesus taught that no one church or denomination has the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, I have some issues with the afore-mentioned literalness as humans are involved with the writing, translation, and retranslation of the Bible so errors had to have crept in even without subsequent interpretation.

So this book takes the life of Jesus and looks at it from a fresh perspective that renders His teachings in a contemporary fashion. Almost like reading passages from The Message translation of the Bible versus the King James edition but with all the locations and names updated. Any version brings tears to my eyes, but Mr. Myers' version gives the story a grittier, "you are there" perspective that can't be dismissed so the reader is more quickly drawn in and the events are relevant more quickly. Throughout even the retelling of classic parables has allusions to current events and social customs.

Think of it as a literature version of Jesus Christ Superstar, if you will -- a retelling for another generation. All the elements are there, but a new face opens it to a new audience. Highly recommended and once I get through the rest of my current reading list I'll probably come back to it and start making notes. I can see how this approach might add to a ministry or to witnessing.

More about Guilt

While gathering quotes for the daily e-mail I send to my workmates this one popped up:

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." - Mohandas Gandhi (source)

Whoa. So dead on it hurts. Too many professed Christians don't live up to the model, me included. And there is a reason for this -- it is much easier to govern ourselves by wondering "What would Jesus do?" rather than knowing what Jesus did.

The Bible is hard to read, in my opinion. Surely it is a translation issue or that it is nothing like contemporary prose. A much larger factor for many is that the content is uncomfortable because it points out our flaws -- well, maybe that should be "our humanity" rather than "our flaws" -- and this leads to guilt for not overcoming the condition.

Continuing in a pseudo-Socratic fashion ... So what's up with the guilt, then? Because Jesus was created human, too, he faced the same challenges, problems, and temptations that we do and more so (don't forget that field trip with Satan). Because He was able to remain in a state of perfect grace He became the standard, albeit so nearly impossible to match we tend to feel bad when we don't measure up.

This guilt may not be entirely appropriate. Maybe we should instead be regretful, something akin to guilt, as forsaking the gift given to us by His sacrifice creates the burden of loss. People tend to wallow in regret more so than they do guilt, too, which is part of a cycle of inviting the sin to stay in our lives.

This continuance of sin is, of course, the poor behavior recognized by the Mahatma and to have it attributed to Christians is itself regrettable. We Saints need to take a lesson from the great Indian legend and live according to our values because people judge us by our individual deeds then brand our community as a whole. The only way we can overcome this is to study the life of Jesus and apply the lessons to our own life. Then, perhaps, observations like Gandhi's will no longer cross the minds of our brothers and sisters.

(reposted from Musings in Search of a Muse 16 Oct 2005)

"Guilt is misdirected energy."

Think about it. Driving home from work the other night that idea popped into my head while having a bit of free-form chat with God. It means something, but what?

And think about this 'toon, too. I'm not sure I agree with it. Something seems wrong.