Much Ado About DaVinci
I came into work on Tuesday and found a news release from Britain. Not from someone in Britain...from Britain itself. It included a map and was essentially touting Britain as a tourist destination for folks who wanted to "see many of the locations mentioned in the film 'The DaVinci Code'."
I haven't read "The DaVinci Code" and probably won't see the movie. I have no great issue with folks who do though. Obviously a lot of other people's opinions differ from mine.
There are calls for boycotts, threats of lawsuits, and the obligatory survey claiming to prove that people who read the book changed their opinion of Christianity as a result.
First off, I long ago stopped believing "surveys" and "polls"...I think their intent is to create news not report it. Plus if the core elements of your faith could be radically altered by a novel or movie, I suspect it would require only a slight scratch to unmask the thin nature of your theology.
Secondly, I believe when Christians get all red in the face, screech, and wave their judgmental fingers while demanding boycotts and lawsuits all they truly accomplish is to give whatever has their pious panties in a twist a lot more publicity. It's counter productive at best and reinforces the all too common image of people of faith being people of intolerance.
It's especially amusing to me to hear Christian leaders holler about how Hollywood is suddenly defaming their faith. This is news? I'm reminded of the line from "Casablanca," "I'm shocked, shocked! There's gambling going on here!" With the exception of "The Passion of the Christ", I'm hard pressed to think of a time in the modern era when Hollywood was guilty of NOT taking cheap shots at Christians. Perhaps I missed the great cinematic conversion.
I tell you why I'm thankful for the DaVinci debacle - besides the fact the much hyped movie is getting lousy initial reviews. I'm proud of the churches who are using interest in the movie as an outreach tool. There are many, some even screening the film and then offering sermons, seminars and bible studies not necessarily to debunk the DaVinci Code, but rather to explain the basic tenets of our faith to the curious.
Finding opportunities to share our beliefs is often not easy...sometimes we have to look under rocks, in dark alleys, in unpleasant and unfamiliar territories to locate them.
And when we do?
In my mind that's when we've truly cracked the code.
posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main
3 Comments
3 Comments:
I have to admitt that I'm really looking forward to the movie. I never pay attention to reviews. Invariably, I love the movies that they hate.
*Thinks for a moment*
I'm not so sure if that says more about me or them!
Anyway, I'm looking forward to it. I wouldn't mind being able to use it in my church as well.
Man, my church history sure is dusty! And that's the problem. This is more about church history than it is about theology!!! :o)
Tim
Read the book, Michael. Probably won't see the movie and really see no reason to recommend the book. A co-worker to whom I had lent a few of my books insisted on my perusal of this one. I felt obliged. To me, it was, as stated, a fictional smearing of the Catholic Church and a ridiculous fantasy concerning Christ, all in Indiana Jones fashion. If it hurts your faith, you don't have any yet. I think you put it very well here in your post.............
I can't say enough bad things about the book. I don't really care about the whole Jesus had a wife thing, people have speculated about that for years. You either believe or you don't. What gets me is all the attention the bokk and now the movie has gotten. It was terrible writing: hackneyed dialogue, character developement was nil, I did not care a bit for the characters but because everyone was talking about it, I made myself finish it. It was no better than the average bodice ripper you find in the drug store. I have no idea how this guy got so much press for such a lousy piece of work except that we Christians in our protests have helped him right along. Shakespeare said it best,
"Much ado about nothing."
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