Dialoguing Da Vinci Code

By Paul Proctor

Apparently, the new feature film starring Tom Hanks, called The Da Vinci
Code, will start rolling in theaters on May 19th. Articles written by alarmed
Christians, challenging its heretical content, are already appearing on various
news and opinion sites across the Net; and I suspect will dramatically increase
in number over the next several weeks. It is, of course, a highly controversial film based on a best-selling book by Dan Brown that is sure to whet the appetites of conspiracy buffs worldwide, not to mention, fuel the already present doubts and misconceptions of those who do not know or believe the Word of God.

In my estimation, it's not really a quest for truth that will draw the mainstream to this movie but rather the marketing of excitement, adventure, crisis and rebellion, resulting in a greatly intensified polarity and outrage between Christians and the world, until a call for peace and unity goes out from the pulpits of America and a synthesized solution is offered by trained "Christian" facilitators waiting in the wings to help dispel our divisive differences and unite the "brotherhood of man."

Their solution?

Dialogue!

What I believe we are witnessing is the beginning of rather a large-scale exercise in the Hegelian Dialectic, orchestrated by the-powers-that-be to ignite hostilities between the religious and the secular for purposes of uniting them on the common ground of a convoluted Christ through Diaprax. Already Sony
Pictures has established a website they call "The Da Vinci Dialogue," where, according to Laurie Goodstein of The New York Times, they "will post essays by about 45 Christian writers, scholars and leaders of evangelical organizations who will pick apart the book's theological and historical claims about Christianity," many of whom come from the very heart of the church growth movement, meaning they are well versed in the dialectic process.

One such writer is the president of Fuller Theological Seminary, the birthplace of the CGM:

"Dr. Mouw, who contributed an essay on, 'Why Christians Ought to See the Movie,' said: 'It's going to be water cooler conversation, so Christians need to
take a deep breath, buy the book and shell out the money for the movie. Then we
need to educate Christians about what all this means. We need to help them
answer someone who says, So how do you know Jesus didn't get married?'" - Laurie
Goodstein.

See how the dialectic works? Hypothetical questions like the one Dr. Mouw
posed, shrewdly steer Christians away from faithfully proclaiming a positive to
instead, foolishly trying to prove a negative, something that is extremely
difficult, if not impossible to do; thereby abandoning the presentation of the
Gospel and the call to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ in order to
participate in conjecture and controversy that only results in diversion and
confusion.

It seems it's not enough anymore to merely proclaim the Word of God to the
lost as Jesus commanded. According to Dr. Mouw we must reward the writers,
producers, publishers and promoters for their blasphemous books and movies with
our purpose driven patronage so we can artfully engage the damned in dialogue
and field their foolish and distracting questions.

"But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and
strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain." - Titus 3:9

Christians are called to proclaim God's Word, not indulge the abstract and
obstinate. When we set aside the power and simplicity of the scriptures to try
and artificially accomplish from without what only the Holy Spirit can do from
within, we become sidelined by our own self-confidence, yielding nothing of
eternal value and bringing no glory to God.

"Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh
flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD." - Jeremiah 17:5

Just for the record, I do not believe The Da Vinci Code is going to convert
Christians into occultists anymore than The Passion of The Christ converted
occultists into Christians. Movies do not have the capability of regenerating or
degenerating hearts; they can only accentuate or aggravate what is already
there. The power that transforms the lost from death to life comes from the
Spirit-filled preaching of God's Word, not from the theater.

"For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." - 1st
Corinthians 1:21

Like modern day church growth dramas and productions, motion pictures just
manipulate feelings and emotions through a perceived reality using actors and
scripts that stir the passions and tickle the ears of willing participants until
the credits roll and moviegoers are forced to return to the real world in the
same spiritual condition they arrived in at the ticket counter. Does this make
it OK to watch films about a fabricated Jesus? Absolutely not! Only the
faithless and undiscerning are enchanted by lies.

The danger that The Da Vinci Code presents is the same danger Eve faced in
the Garden of Eden. Like the Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil, it is not
the presence of this movie that is a threat; but rather our disobedient
dialoging with devils ABOUT IT; taking our hearts, minds and attention away from
God's Word and redirecting our focus toward doubts, desires and delusions until
they become stronger within us than our fear of the Lord.

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
reprove them." - Ephesians 5:11

The Bible does not encourage us to dialogue with devils; we are instead
commanded to resist. That is accomplished by proclaiming the Word of God in the
face of evil like Jesus did Satan in the wilderness, not by conversing with
those who hate God's Word to try and build a relationship FIRST in hopes of
persuading them into cooperating LATER. If you do not resist evil, it will not
flee from you; it will only befriend you and distract you by your own
willingness to engage in faithless chitchat.

"O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and
vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some
professing have erred concerning the faith." - 1st Timothy 6:20-21

While I share the indignation of my brethren over this made-for-profit
monstrosity that peddles yet another flesh-friendly Jesus for the Antichrist, I
have to ask: Why is the church so indignant over Hollywood's heresy and yet so
passive about its own? Why is it acceptable for church growth leaders to twist
and theorize their way around the eternal truths of scripture for the sake of a
better attendance and offering and not acceptable for Tom Hanks and Ron Howard?
I don't know about you, but I'd say The Da Vinci Code is looking more and more
like poetic justice for the postmodern church; returning to it a generous
portion of the same dialectic poison it's been serving seekers for years.

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall
he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap
corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
everlasting." - Galatians 6:7-8

The Da Vinci Code's blasphemy is nothing new. It's just another highly
promoted, celebrity-enhanced, big budget effort to discredit Jesus Christ and
His Word. There can be no one-world religion until this happens. THAT is the
agenda.

Even so, I believe the half-truths and heart-felt heresies being sold to
seekers at church today are far more dangerous than the boldface lies blaring
away down at the Bijou because they come camouflaged as "Christian" and are
therefore more believable to the biblically ignorant and spiritually blind,
particularity in a church setting where gullible participants go along to get
along for the love and acceptance of a compromised collective.

So, with that in mind, if you're heart is set on seeing The Da Vinci Code,
just put your money away and be patient. I'm sure it will end up on the big
screen down at your friendly neighborhood mega church. I have no doubt that many
of them will start using it to draw crowds for more dialogue.

Sin, you see, has become an evangelical tool for the postmodern church.

"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had
pleasure in unrighteousness." - 2nd Thessalonians 2:12

Cuban Pastor Imprisoned on Emigration Charges
Chinese Church Leaders May Face Death Sentences
Over 36 Arrested as Public Security Bureau Closes Christian School

Parents at your church need help
Their children are not getting Bible education in school.
- Help parents make up.
- Work only 2 hrs. Wed. 7 to 9 PM.
Lead children 11 up traveling through the Bible with Jesus.

Rescue Hero

Rescue Hero

By Kirk Cameron

Before Katrina, I was walking toward my lunch table in a New Orleans seafood
restaurant. The ocean breeze was refreshing, the smell of good food was
everywhere, and the sky was beautifully painted with colored clouds and light.
But something else arrested my full attention and stopped me in my tracks.
Behind a glass wall, were thousands of poor little crawfish trapped on a
conveyor belt, struggling in vain to regain their footing on the slippery
surface and make their escape.

The ones that reached the end of the belt dropped helplessly into a pot of
boiling water, to be cooked and eaten by large, ravenous creatures (my lunch
mates) waiting to crack open their bodies and eat their flesh. My only
consolation was to know that death would come quickly to these little creatures
and end their unimaginable pain. I couldn't help but feel sick. I wanted to run
into the kitchen, break open the bags of imprisoned shellfish and yell, "Run!
Run for your lives!" I really did want to save them all. But I didn't. I
listened to the voice of reason and just stood there in horror, watching those
poor little animals head toward their doom.

I was stopped from being a shellfish rescue hero primarily because of my own
pride. I thought, "It would be ridiculous to try and save them. People would
think I've gone insane. Besides, nobody else is trying to save them. I can't
just run in there and release thousands of crustaceans. I'd be arrested. It
would hit the morning papers: Man Releases Crawfish--the Ultimate Shellfish Act.
Instead, I sat down at my table (along with my other heartless friends), ignored
the tiny cries emanating from the kitchen, and pretended to enjoy the view over
the Louisiana bay.

As Christians, we know what is waiting for each and every unsaved person.
"For it is appointed unto men once to die, and after that, the Judgment"
(Hebrews 9:27). All of humanity is on the conveyor belt of Time. Every moment
moves them closer to the edge of eternity. We see men and women struggle in vain
to find their footing in this world through self-help, worldly religion, and
good works. They are blind, disoriented, and have no idea what awaits them
below. The pit of Hell eagerly anticipates their arrival. Demons salivate to
break their bodies and devour their souls. The tiny creatures' feeble efforts to
save themselves are obviously futile and many professing Christians stand
motionless behind the glass wall of indifference and watch.

Do you ever feel a pain in your heart to try and save one of those little
ones? The Bible says they are "held captive by the Devil to do his will" and
that Jesus came to "seek and save the lost" and "set the captives free". Could
you ever see yourself as a Christian rescue hero, intentionally entering
someone's life to show them the way of escape and how to live forever? Do you
regularly share the gospel with sinners, throwing caution to the wind for their
sakes and for Jesus' sake, or do you listen to the voice of "reason," who says,
"It would be ridiculous for you to try to save people now. Who do you think you
are? You've got no training. You've been a Christian for many years and never
shown any real concern; people would think you've gone insane. Your friends and
family will think you've lost your mind! Besides, nobody else seems to being
trying to save them. Why should you try and be a hero?"

You have two choices. You can stay seated in the pews week after week (along
with your other heartless friends), ignore the cries of humanity coming from the
office, your community and home, and try to enjoy the view of Heaven on Sundays.
Or, you could begin to throw caution to the wind, stop caring what other people
think of you, let love swallow your fears, and run to a lost and dying world
with the message that can save them. Join the Apostle John and "save [them] with
fear, pulling them from the fire, hating even the garments spotted by the flesh"
(Jude 1:23). How do you do that? Do what Jesus did. Learn how to use the Moral
Law to bring the knowledge of sin and make grace amazing to a sinner. Go on. Be
a hero. Perhaps then, one day you will have the privilege of looking into the
tear filled eyes of one you led to the Savior, and hear the grateful words
whispered, "Thank you."

----
Kirk is best known as the lovable teen heartthrob Mike Seaver, of the award
winning series "Growing Pains". He entertained audiences worldwide as the charming troublemaker. He is also known to every Christian as "Buck Williams" from "Left Behind: The Movie" based on the NY Times runaway best selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.

For Evangelism Resources, please visit The Way of the Master