When the Homily is about Immunology

Dan Brown

A presentation at the local Greek Church called "The DaVinci Code: Fact or Fiction" has inspired a lively discussion at the League of Ordinary Gentlmen. I thought I might offer one of my comments here, concerning why I think it is important that we actively engage Dan Brown's issues:

Let me further and more clearly enunciate my concern about "The Divinci Code" phenomena.

In the end, my issue isn't so much with the book or the author, except on the point that both have become the vehicle (the delivery device) by which some old and rather complex heresies and historical inaccuracies have been fed to the general public. It's akin to tossing the filique debate into an issue of People Magazine - after of course dumbing it down so that those previously reading about Jennifer Lopez and Ben Afleck can comprehend it and make an informed decision about who was right.

Whether or not Jesus was just a man who married Mary Magdalene and that his real story was hijacked by the politically powerful is a subject of rather profound importance. Mr. Brown has taken some very serious claims about the origins of our faith and is presenting them to a HUGE and largely ignorant public. As the movie comes out it will be even worse, because then we can have people who either don't or can't read be exposed to these old hereises.

So who cares if these people - most of whom were really negligable Christians (if that) to begin with - buy into gnosticism or Arianism or "Holy Grail, Goddess, Mary Magdalene, Virgin Mary" worship....(I dunno even what to call it)? Well we should all be concerned about it and we should all be up to answering the questions that the books has raised and the movie will, to a much greater degree, raise as well. You guys all know the old Bible Answer Man quote from the 1 Peter: "always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear."

I once asked a Roman Catholic friend of mine why he made it such a point to apolgoize (in the classical sense) for his Church whenever someone criticzed it. He replied with a quote from somebody (Chesterton, Lewis, perhaps?) "Even a dog will bark when his master is attacked."

I think we have an obligation to bark, lest our silence be construed as capitulation. Protests and the like are fairly pointless...but day to day real conversation with friends, neighbors, coworkers? You bet.

Or better yet...where are the "o"rthodox artists who will do the same with the truth as Dan Brown has done with lies? Alas, it probably wouldn't sell, would it?