Leveraging the Da Vinci Code
By Lee Strobel
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This message was written to help Christians see how they can leverage The Da Vinci Code book and movie for evangelism. The message was immediately preceded by the promotional trailer from the Discussing the Da Vinci Code DVD, available from www.LeeStrobel.com.
As you can see by the video, I went to Europe along with Garry Poole to personally investigate the allegations against Christianity contained in Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code, which is going to premiere as a movie on May 19. One of the most interesting things we encountered was two polar opposite attitudes toward the book by two different churches.
The first church is historic Westminster Abby in London, which is the scene of a climactic scene in the book. Director Ron Howard asked permission to film the movie inside the Abby, but the officials there turned him down cold.
They said the novel is filled with “factual errors” and is “theologically unsound” and therefore they weren’t going to open their doors for the film.
And a lot of Christians in America are reacting the same way – let’s protest the film, let’s ignore it and hope it goes away, let’s boycott it and maybe picket it.
Friends, I can totally understand that attitude, because my initial reaction to reading the book was anger and indignation.
After all, the novel says that everything we’ve been told about Jesus is wrong; that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and they had a child named Sarah; that the four Gospels in the New Testament are unreliable; and, most seriously, that Jesus was a mere human being who never claimed to be God, but who was deified in the fourth century by the Roman Emperor Constantine for his own nefarious purposes.
These are outrageous accusations that cut to the core of Christianity – and which cannot withstand scrutiny. And yet because Dan Brown cleverly blends fact with fiction, many people think these allegations are true. One out of every three Canadians who have read the book actually believes there are descendants of Jesus walking among us today.
According to pollster George Barna, over half of American readers – 53 percent – said the book has been helpful in their “personal spiritual growth and understanding.”
I saw the impact the book can have up close. A woman became a Christian and then asked me and Mark Mittelberg to share Christ with her boyfriend, who’s one of the most famous Muslims in America. We met with him a couple of times and thought we were making some progress.
But then she called Mark one day all upset. “Something terrible has happened,” she said. “He read The Da Vinci Code and said, ‘This confirms all my worst suspicions about Christianity.’” From then on, he hasn’t been receptive to the Gospel.
One Da Vinci Code reader said to a pastor friend of mine: “I will never again set foot into a church, because now I know the real story.”
So there’s good reason to be upset that people are buying the book’s premise that Christianity is a fraud. Even so, I’m not so sure that protesting the movie or hoping it will go away is the right approach for Christians to take.
The second church Garry and I visited was Lincoln Cathedral, which is a two-hour train ride north of London. After being turned away from Westminster Abby, Ron Howard went there in the hopes he could transform the interior of this ancient church into a replica of the Abby for his movie.
Cathedral officials were just as critical of Brown’s book as the Abby officials were. They called it “speculative and far-fetched” and even heretical in places. But then they said something very interesting: “The book claims that the church has suppressed important facts about Jesus. The way to counter this accusation is to be open about the facts and welcome vigorous debate.”
They decided to let Howard inside to film. Whether that was the right choice or not is debatable, but I do agree with their basic point, which is that dialogue and engagement are much more productive than protesting and picketing.
Consider what happened in Acts 17 when the Apostle Paul traveled to Athens – once the center of classical antiquity and home of such famous philosophers as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. By this point, Athens was resting on its laurels a bit, but it was still an intellectual capital, sort of like a major university town today. And it was a city dedicated to idol worship. In fact, Athens had more statues of gods and goddesses than all the other cities of the day combined.
So in walks Paul. Was he repulsed by what he saw? Absolutely! Verse 16 says he was “greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.” I bet part of him didn’t want to just picket and protest – he probably wanted to smash a few statues before lunch!
Yet he knew he was facing a choice: He could either lash out or he could reach out. He could either attack the Athenians or he could attract them – but he couldn’t do both at the same time.
So he decided to engage with them. Verse 17 says: “So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.”
Whoever he encountered, wherever he encountered them – Paul initiated spiritual conversations. In fact, he was taken to the Areopagus to face the intellectual elites of Athens – and in verse 22 he actually congratulates them for being spiritual. He says, “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.” In effect, he was building a bridge by saying, Hey we have something in common. You’re religious and so am I. Let’s build on that.
With that as a starting point, he delivered a brilliant discourse, giving them persuasive reasons for believing in Jesus Christ, who proved He’s the Son of God by returning from the dead. In fact, Paul clearly knew their stuff – he had read their book and seen their movie, so to speak – and he quoted from confidence from their own sources.
And how did people react? Verse 32 says, “When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, ‘We want to hear you again on this subject.’” And verse 34 adds, “A few men became followers of Paul and believed.”
Friends, Christianity is facing a huge challenge with The Da Vinci Code. There are 40 million copies in print; when the paperback was released recently, they sold 500,000 copies the first week alone. The movie is simply going to amplify the impact and bring Dan Brown’s allegations to a whole new audience.
And we have the same choice Paul faced in the first century: we can lash out or we can reach out – and based on the Paul’s approach, I think our decision is clear. Let’s build bridges like Paul did by celebrating that many people are becoming spiritually curious because of the book and movie – and seize this opportunity to engage them in conversations that could change their lives and eternities.
You know what? A few are going to sneer at us. Some are going to want to go deeper into extended conversations and dialogue. And in the end, it’s my prayer that many will find forgiveness and eternal life through Christ. In fact, wouldn’t it be ironic that this novel that presents a false Jesus would spark a trend of spiritual seeking that would bring countless people to faith in the real Jesus?
Nothing is more exciting than getting into spiritual discussions with seekers – although, I’ll admit that sometimes these encounters don’t work out the way you think they will.
I had an embarrassing incident happen a while back with my colleague Mark Mittelberg. We were in the South, speaking at a conference, and we were going to one of those Cracker Barrel Restaurants for breakfast. Have you seen these? They have rocking chairs on the porch so folks can sit there and people watch.
To get to the door, we had to walk past two rocking chairs. In the first one was a young woman, about 17 or 18 years old, dark hair, dark eyes; and there was a young man about the same age in the other chair. Just as we were walking in front of the girl, I heard her say, “What’s a deist?”
Well, I had just written a book that discussed that. So I turned and looked her directly in the eyes and said, “A deist is someone who believes that God created the universe but then walked away! A deist is someone who believes God wound up the universe like a giant clock and is just letting it tick down! A deist believes God is distant, detached, and disinterested. But that’s not what the evidence shows! The evidence of biochemistry and genetics, for instance, tell us that God continued his involvement in the world after the moment of creation, and the evidence of history tells us He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to enter into human affairs to redeem humankind….”
And I was going on and on – giving her facts and figures and evidence and logic. Her eyes were as big as saucers. Finally, I turned to Mark and said, “Isn’t this amazing? We happen to be walking past her and she asks, ‘What’s a deist.”
Mark said, “Lee…she said Buenas Dias!”
But I’ll tell you what: by then, the ice was broken! We ended up getting into a great spiritual conversation with her and her friend.
Now, sometimes Christians complain that it’s difficult to initiate discussions about Christianity. Well, let me tell you something: in the coming weeks, as the movie opens, it’s going to be difficult not to get into spiritual conversations! People love to talk about The Da Vinci Code!
So how can we engage with this evangelistic adventure? There are four things we can all do: We can pray, we can prepare, we can participate, and we can partner. Let’s work our way through that list.
First, we can pray.
After all, that’s what Jesus did – in fact, have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus’ prayers for spiritually lost people continued right up until his final gasps on the cross?
As British Pastor John Stott pointed out, the imperfect tense of the Greek in which the New Testament was written tells us that Jesus didn’t just say it once, but he kept repeating it over and over on the cross – while the nails were being driven through his feet, while the nails were being driven through his hands, all through the torture of the crucifixion – he kept repeating, “Father, forgive them…Father, forgive them…Father, forgive them, for they know now what they do.”
In that case, how can we justify not praying specifically, fervently, and consistently for our spiritually lost friends?
We need to pray that they wouldn’t be confused by the foolishness of the Da Vinci Code, that God would open their eyes to their need for a Savior, that He would open their eyes to the truth of Scripture, that he would prepare their hearts for the Gospel and draw them toward His kingdom.
And we should pray for ourselves – that God would open the door to spiritual conversations with our friends, that he would guide our words and attitude, that he would give us the love and courage we need to point people toward the true Jesus.
I saw the power of prayer a few years ago when I was participating in a baptism service in the old auditorium here. We were baptizing hundreds of new believers that day, and a woman came up to me to be baptized. A man came up with her.
I said to her, “Have you received Jesus as your forgiver and leader?” And she said, “Yes.”
I didn’t usually do this, but I looked at the man and said, “Are you her husband?”
He said, “Well, yes, I am.”
I asked, “Have you given your life to Jesus?”
He looked at me for a moment and his face began to sort of screw up – I didn’t know what was going to happen. Then he burst into tears, weeping and sobbing, and he said, “No, I haven’t, but I want to right now!”
So in front of thousands of people he repented of his sin, received Jesus as his forgiver and leader, and I baptized him and his wife together.
After the service I was walking off the stage and another woman came running up and threw her arms around me. She was weeping and sobbing and she kept saying, “Nine years, nine years, nine years!”
I said, “Who are you? And what do you mean nine years?”
She said, “That’s my brother who you just led to the Lord and baptized. I have been praying for nine long years – and that whole time, I haven’t seen one hint of spiritual interest – but look what God did today!”
My first thought was: There’s a woman who’s glad she didn’t stop praying in Year Eight.
And some of you are thinking, “Well, she’s just getting started.” Because you’ve been praying for someone for ten years, or fifteen years, or twenty years. And you want to give up.
Some of you used to pray for a spiritually lost person who you love – but after a while, you stopped. You sort of made the decision for them. Do you have someone like that who you need to resume praying for?
I admit I don’t understand everything about prayer. I know people have free will and can come to their own decisions about Christ. But I’m also naive enough to believe James 5:16 that says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” I particularly like the words of Mother Teresa: “When I pray, coincidences happen; when I stop, they don’t.”
Who is God bringing into your mind right now who you should be praying for so that you might seize the opportunity of The Da Vinci Code to bring them the Gospel? After all, God is the Great Evangelist – we’re merely tools in His hands. There’s no way we can bring about the conversion of anyone; but on the other hand, God can use us in the process of bringing people to faith in Him.
So first, we can pray. Then, second, we can Prepare.
Remember the tsunami that hit the islands off Indonesia without warning and killed so many people a year and a half ago? What if scientists had been able to warn the residents in advance? That would have given them enough time to get to higher ground and avoid being swept away.
Well, America is about to get hit with a spiritual tsunami with the coming of The Da Vinci Code movie. But the good news is that we have advanced warning. There’s still enough time for us to prepare ourselves so we can help people avoid being inundated by heretical teaching and having their faith shipwrecked.
In fact, the Bible told us 2,000 years ago that we need to be prepared. First Peter 3:15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. And do this with gentleness and respect.”
If you’re going to be effective in reaching out to people who may be spiritually confused by The Da Vinci Code, then you need to be familiar, first, with the story itself and, second, with the reasons why its claims don’t withstand scrutiny.
So does that mean you should read the book or see the movie? Well, here’s my opinion. If you’re thinking of going to the movie simply for personal entertainment, I’d say, “Don’t do it.” Why would you want to reward Hollywood for producing anti-Christian propaganda?
But if you’re going to take advantage of the Da Vinci Code to reach out to friends and neighbors, then you at least need to be familiar with the story. You might be able to do that by reading a good summary of the book; the book that Garry and I wrote, Exploring the Da Vinci Code, might suffice.
Or, if you’re going to read The Da Vinci Code itself, I’d suggest buying a used copy at Amazon.com, so Dan Brown doesn’t get a royalty. He already made $40 million from the book last year, so he doesn’t need your money.
In terms of the film, I think things are different if you have a seeking friend who’s intent on seeing it. If that’s the case, then I’d pray about whether you should attend with him for the purpose of building common ground.
I will say this: the minute you try to engage someone about the Da Vinci Code, the first question they’re going to ask is: have you read the book or seen the movie? If you say “no,” your credibility is shot. So I’d certainly consider going – again, only if your purpose is outreach.
But even if you know your Bible well, you’re not going to be prepared to respond to the issues raised by the movie. There are too many issues concerning church history and ancient history. So I’d recommend you read at least one book that critiques The Da Vinci Code. Again, Garry and I went to Europe and interviewed scholars and produced an inexpensive paperback called Exploring the Da Vinci Code that can equip Christians but also be appropriate to give to their seeking friends. In fact, the Willow Creek Association is one of the sponsors of the book – and I know they’re making it available at an incredibly reduced price after the service so you can get one for yourself and some for your friends.
I’m also making a whole bunch of free material available for you at my website, LeeStrobel.com, including video clips of interviews with experts and my free newsletter called Investigating Faith, which will give you updates. Again, no charge for this – it’s just a way to help prepare you for the tsunami that’s going to hit.
Third, Participate.
In other words, jump into the adventure and engage people as Paul did in Acts 17 and as Jesus did with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. Basically, there are three levels of participation for you to consider.
Level 1 is what Bill Hybels might call, Just Walk Across the Room. In other words, intentionally seek out opportunities to engage in conversations about The Da Vinci Code with people you encounter in your everyday life. This is a level everyone can participate on!
What you’ll find it that it has never been easier to get into a spiritual conversation. I do it all the time. Just ask, “Say, have you see the Da Vinci Code?” If they say yes – and there are some estimates that nearly one out of every three Americans has read it – then I ask, “Did you like it?” Then my followup question is: “What percentage of it do you think is true?”
I’ve done this on airplanes, with waiters and waitresses, with cab drivers – just everyday folks I encounter. And people just love to talk about this story! One woman on an airplane was so enthusiastic – she said, “It’s the best book I’ve read in the last five years!” When I asked her how much of it she thought was true, she said, “Well, I think the basic background is accurate.”
Now, it’s a good idea to have a resource handy to put into their hands if you can’t spend a lot of time in the conversation. That’s why Garry and I wrote Exploring the Da Vinci Code. Let’s face it: we’re more apt to get into spiritual conversations if we know we don’t have to necessarily bring it to resolution right then and there, but we can give them a book that will answer all their questions.
Personally, I think every Christian should get involved with in this Da Vinci Code adventure at least on Level 1. But many of you might want to go to Level 2 of Participation, which is to throw a Da Vinci Code movie party.
You can do this with a handful of people or with a whole bunch. You can go together to the movie and then go to a restaurant to talk or open your home for people. The key is to facilitate the event so that people get into meaningful discussions afterward.
Here are some key questions you can use to stimulate conversation. First, to get people interacting, ask some fun questions, like:
• Which did you like more, the book or the movie?
• What parts of the movie did you like best and which did you like least?
• What did you think of Tom Hank’s hair? Don’t laugh – that’s turning into a big deal. Apparently, the studio is upset because audiences that have previewed the movie have hated Hank’s hair style!
Then get into more substantive questions, such as:
• What did you hear that changed your opinion about history?
• What did you hear that changed your opinion about Jesus?
• If you could ask God about one issue raised by the movie – and you knew He would address it – what would you ask?
These are good diagnostic questions, because they can help you zero in on where confusion might exist. Don’t assume that just because someone has seen and even applauds the movie that they’ve bought into its phony history; they may realize it’s all bunk. This way, you can focus on where problems exist.
Wouldn’t it be great of these Level 2 Movie Parties broke out all over the suburbs when the movie opens May 19? Some of you are the kind of people who are just looking for an excuse to throw a party – well, now you can throw a party with a purpose!
And this party might lead many of you to go to Level 3 of Participation, which is to invite people into a discussion group.
The Da Vinci Code movie is a great impetus for saying to people, “Hey, I know you liked the book or movie – how’d you like to join a group to discuss some of the main issues that Dan Brown raises?”
You can get together in a home or restaurant or Starbucks or wherever. Our Discussing the Da Vinci Code curriculum covers four weeks and deals with the same four topics that Willow Creek’s series will be covering starting this weekend:
• What can we really know about history?
• Can we trust the four Gospels in the Bible?
• What’s Christianity’s attitude toward women – and, by the way, was Jesus married to Mary Magdalene or not?
• Is Jesus the unique Son of God?
The Discussing the Da Vinci Code curriculum includes a DVD that features scenes from actual Da Vinci Code sites in Europe and interviews with four scholars – so you don’t need any prior knowledge to lead the group.
But to maximize the experience, I’d suggest you attend a short workshop that Garry is leading on the Barrington Campus on the mornings April 29 and May 6. You just need to go to one of them. He’ll be imparting some great principles for effectively facilitating group discussions with spiritual seekers – and, of course, you’ll be learning from the country’s leading expert on this topic. He literally wrote the book on it!
One other thought. Many of you are already in small groups. Why not push the pause button on what you’re currently studying and spend four weeks going through the Da Vinci Code curriculum so you’ll be ready when friends ask you questions. Or, better yet, invite a few of your friends to join your group for the next four weeks.
Friends, I hope you’ll pray about the level of participating that God wants you to pursue – and then seize this spiritual opportunity! Colossians 4:5 says, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”
It’s not everyday that a major book and motion picture catapult Jesus into the center of daily conversations and media interest. This is your chance to leverage this movie to reach your friends who would otherwise not be interested in having a general spiritual conversation.
Now, whatever level of participation you decide is best for you, there’s one more P word in our outline – Partner.
By that, I mean that all of us as individuals can partner with our church to leverage the Da Vinci Code movie for God’s glory. As you know, we’re launching a four-week series this coming weekend. I have the privilege of kicking off that series this Saturday and Sunday.
I really think they’re going to be exciting services, covering the most important issues raised by the book – from the hottest topic (whether Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene) to the most important topic (whether Jesus really is the Son of God).
Please, partner with the church in reaching your friends. We promise you we will pray and work and sacrifice to produce the very best services we can, by God’s grace; but we need you to walk across a room and invite a friend, a neighbor, a colleague, a family member – or even a stranger to attend.
And the service is just the beginning. After each one, we’ll invite folks to stop by the Da Vinci Code Discussion Room, which will be located in the West Multi-Purpose Room in the Lakeside Auditorium. That’s the former place of the West Risers, for all you old fogies like me.
People can stop in for ten minutes or stay for an hour to get into informal Da Vinci Code Discussion Groups. And wait until you see how cool this room will be!
When you invite a friend, consider dropping by the center for a few minutes to get some discussion flowing.
Friends, when we pray, when we prepare, when we participate, and when we partner – I believe God is going to use this entire Da Vinci Code debacle for His glory.
While it’s a bit disingenuous coming from him, even Tom Hanks, who stars in the movie, got it right when he said, “I think the movie may end up helping churches do their job. If they put up a sign saying, ‘This Wednesday we’re discussing the gospel,’ 12 people show up. But if the sign says, ‘This Wednesday we’re discussing The Da Vinci Code, 800 people show up.’”
You remember the story of Joseph, who was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, and yet eventually rose to the highest governmental levels of Egypt, where he was able to save many from starvation.
In the end, his brothers thought Joseph would punish them for their betrayal – but instead, Joseph forgave them. As he said in Genesis 50:20: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good….”
I don’t know why Dan Brown wrote The Da Vinci Code. For the life of me, even though it’s a good read, I don’t know why it has become one of the biggest-selling novels in history. But I do know this: the final chapter of The Da Vinci Code has yet to be written.
Because God can turn what has wrought so much ill and use it to accomplish so much good – and the best news is that He’s inviting you and me to participate in that process.
So let’s commit ourselves and our seeking friends to God. Garry is going to come and lead us in a time of guided prayer.
