Da Question
Unless you've been under a rock, surely you know that "The Da Vinci Code," Dan Brown's controversial smash of a book, is now a major motion picture. It'll be in theaters May 19.
In the book, Brown makes some pretty wild statements about Christianity. Most scholars -- Christian and secular -- say most of Brown's conclusions are baseless and wrong.
Still, some "Da Vinci" readers think Brown may be onto something, which has Christians all aflutter on how to respond to the film. Several pastors in Colorado Springs are expected to speak about "Da Vinci" this weekend, including one at Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel (through its Spanish ministry). But will pastors tell their congregants to stay away from the theaters next weekend or go see what all the fuss is about? Here are a few of the possibilities:
1) Boycott. This is the favored response overseas, it appears. Some high-level folks in the Vatican have called for a boycott. In India, a Catholic group called for a hunger strike unless the Indian government bans the movie. In America, several conservative leaders say they'll boycott, including Ted Baehr, founder and editor of the Movieguide, and Don Feder, president of Jews Againt Anti-Christian Defamation.
2) "Othercott." Barbara Nicholosi, founder of Act One (an organization that trains Christians for jobs in the movie and television industry), wants Christians to go to the movies next weekend -- just not to "Da Vinci."
"Let's rock the box office in a way no one expects -- without protests, without boycotts, without arguments, without rancor," she writes in a column for Christianity Today, a leading evangelical publication.
3) Accept and use the movie. This seems to be the primary reaction, particularly among apologists -- people in the business of defending their Christian faith with reasoned arguments. Some have called "Da Vinci" an educational opportunity akin to "The Passion of the Christ," the Mel Gibson movie that took in around $370 million a couple of years ago. Dozens of books have been written about "Da Vinci," blasting Brown's claims but nevertheless hitching themselves to his sales and noteriety. The conservative Dallas Theological Seminary is offering podcasts refuting Brown's claims. Focus on the Family , based in Colorado Springs-based organization, has been active in dealing with "Da Vinci," offering a Web site, help for families and pastors and even promoting a "Da Vinci"-related simulcast to churches. Alex McFarland, Focus' point person on "Da Vinci," has called Brown's book "blasphemy on steroids." But he also says the movie has the potential to encouarge people to think more deeply about their faith. And that can't be bad, he says.
"If it prods them into some study, some apologetics, that's a good thing," he said.
In the book, Brown makes some pretty wild statements about Christianity. Most scholars -- Christian and secular -- say most of Brown's conclusions are baseless and wrong.
Still, some "Da Vinci" readers think Brown may be onto something, which has Christians all aflutter on how to respond to the film. Several pastors in Colorado Springs are expected to speak about "Da Vinci" this weekend, including one at Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel (through its Spanish ministry). But will pastors tell their congregants to stay away from the theaters next weekend or go see what all the fuss is about? Here are a few of the possibilities:
1) Boycott. This is the favored response overseas, it appears. Some high-level folks in the Vatican have called for a boycott. In India, a Catholic group called for a hunger strike unless the Indian government bans the movie. In America, several conservative leaders say they'll boycott, including Ted Baehr, founder and editor of the Movieguide, and Don Feder, president of Jews Againt Anti-Christian Defamation.
2) "Othercott." Barbara Nicholosi, founder of Act One (an organization that trains Christians for jobs in the movie and television industry), wants Christians to go to the movies next weekend -- just not to "Da Vinci."
"Let's rock the box office in a way no one expects -- without protests, without boycotts, without arguments, without rancor," she writes in a column for Christianity Today, a leading evangelical publication.
3) Accept and use the movie. This seems to be the primary reaction, particularly among apologists -- people in the business of defending their Christian faith with reasoned arguments. Some have called "Da Vinci" an educational opportunity akin to "The Passion of the Christ," the Mel Gibson movie that took in around $370 million a couple of years ago. Dozens of books have been written about "Da Vinci," blasting Brown's claims but nevertheless hitching themselves to his sales and noteriety. The conservative Dallas Theological Seminary is offering podcasts refuting Brown's claims. Focus on the Family , based in Colorado Springs-based organization, has been active in dealing with "Da Vinci," offering a Web site, help for families and pastors and even promoting a "Da Vinci"-related simulcast to churches. Alex McFarland, Focus' point person on "Da Vinci," has called Brown's book "blasphemy on steroids." But he also says the movie has the potential to encouarge people to think more deeply about their faith. And that can't be bad, he says.
"If it prods them into some study, some apologetics, that's a good thing," he said.
posted by Paul Asay | 9:17 AM
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