How is your faith holding up during these days of challenge?

You have likely viewed Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code movie and/or read his wildly popular book. And, you have sorted through a couple of months of hype regarding The Gospel of Judas, an ancient text questioning the Gospel account of Jesus’ death.

Have you ignored all this in fear, hoping it will go away? Dismissed it? Presumed it can’t be right, or presumed it must be right? Felt threatened? Are you confused by all the ancient lingo and impressive bio for the author? Decided to be tolerant? Surely this all fits together…somehow? I’ll think about it later….

I discovered all is often not as it appears. I realized that there is always another side to the evidence. Not all scholars are as thorough as they should be. And, I discovered that scholarly volumes cannot—try as the editors might—separate their bias from their editorial work. In other words, just because a smart person says so, or you find it in a book, doesn’t mean it is so. Jesus said we were to be shrewd. He wasn’t kidding!

The Da Vinci Code is an interesting work of fiction. It is a novel. But the opening page is disarming: Before the book even begins, the author lists the “facts” and deftly delves into art history. He is masterful at making his really savvy, smart characters speak with convincing authority about the Bible and Jesus’ divinity…or lack thereof.

Do not be intimidated! You do not have to be a professor of Antiquities to sort this out! If you purchased The Da Vinci Code, you did so in the fiction section. This is a made-up story. The “facts” are not necessarily accurate; some are just literary devices. In other words, “facts,” in Brown’s usage, are not necessarily true. Here is a link, albeit complex, from a trusted source:  http://www.probe.org/content/view/127/169/.

Friend, you and I are not people of fear, and our faith is not built on sandstone. The Bible is reliable—incredibly and consistently reliable—cover-to-cover. You are secure in Christ. Nothing can get you, especially the Devil, and certainly not a novel.

Learn from my experience: Talk with your Father about what’s on your mind. Seek trusted counsel. Consider carefully, and don’t swallow everything you read hook, line, and sinker. I’m sure Dan Brown doesn’t, and he wrote the book. 

You know I love you! Be encouraged, and bless you, my friend,

 

PS        Do not ever forget: You are spiritual and you live in a spiritual world. Nothing! Nothing in your life is not spiritual! Everything is a spiritual experience, even reading Dan Brown’s, Da Vinci Code. Said another way, you either walk after the flesh or in the Spirit. Life in the Spirit is powerful, solid, and profitable for all of life (2 Tm 3:15-17).