Pop Culture In Review: Under Siege?
05-11-2006
by Johann Snyder

The Church is on the brink of extinction. The church is facing complete and total annihilation. At least, that's the impression one might get from the all the talk surrounding the upcoming film version of The DaVinci Code. I can't really remember a time when the church seemed so threatened, and yes even frightened, about something. Program after program on the radio and TV are sounding the alarm, book after book is being released to prepare people for the onslaught. It seems as though the church is digging in and preparing to do its best to weather the coming onslaught. But is that really the best tactic? Is that truly what God has called His church to do; go on the defensive and simply try to survive?

It's said that defense wins championships, but does it win converts? I find it hard to believe that a Christian who is constantly defending themselves against every little flash-in-the-pan phenom that comes along is also successfully sharing Jesus with people in need. Besides, who says the church needs to constantly be on the defensive? Jesus said that the gates of Hades would not stand against His church, so who is on the defensive there? Gates are designed to keep things out. It sounds to me as though Jesus was saying that even the best defenses of Hades would not be able to stand against the church. Yet, with events such as The DaVinci Code movie being released, the church seems more concerned with barricading its own gates than tearing down those of the enemy. Now this isn't to say that we shouldn't be prepared to defend ourselves.

Apologetics is great. I thoroughly enjoy apologetics, but it's not the end all and be all of my Christianity. Yes you should know how to answer questions skeptics might have because they saw The DaVinci Code, but we should also be prepared to engage in conversations that use this movie to steer people towards the Truth and to Jesus Christ. God didn't call us to disprove every new theory that comes along that tries to debunk Christianity, He called us to make disciples. Christianity has been around for over two thousand years. A lot of people have tried to wipe it out, often times by killing anyone who claimed to follow Christ. I doubt that a movie poses any greater threat to Christ's followers. Besides, time and time again Jesus has been proven true and every man a liar, do we really think this time will be any different?

Another thing that bothers me; do we really need a couple dozen books on The DaVinci Code and how to defend ourselves against it or why it's so messed up? I mean, are authors going into Christian book stores, seeing the DaVinci Code displays and thinking, "Looks like they got a bunch of books on why The DaVinci Code is wrong, but they don't really do a good job. I should write one that really explains it all." I mean, I appreciate the information and the help, but can you honestly tell me that all these authors felt a need for these books? The other dozen weren't enough, they had to write one more? All I'm suggesting is that perhaps some of these authors may have seen a good business opportunity to tie-in with the film as well as an opportunity to help people understand what this whole DaVinci code thing is all about. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but let's not put on airs about the whole thing. If motivations were truly altruistic, wouldn't there only be a couple books on the truth about The DaVinci code promoted by other writers, speakers and authors instead of all of them trying to compete with each other? Does that sound a bit cynical? Perhaps. But let's be realistic; this is a money making opportunity.

All cynicism aside, let me encourage you that you don't have anything to fear from The DaVinci Code. If you know your Bible, you'll be fine. If you know something about church history, you'll be even better. If you don't know your Bible all that well, then you have something more important to worry about than The DaVinci Code. Let's be clear about one thing; this movie and the book are not an attack on Christianity. The claims made in this story are so ludicrous as to be laughable to anyone who's even slightly knowledgeable about the Bible and/or church history. No, this is an attack on the world. The DaVinci Code confuses and clouds the issue of who Jesus really is. People who aren't Christians are the ones most threatened by this event. That's why it's up to us - those of us who truly know who Jesus is - to come to the rescue. We must clear away the confusion this movie and this book cause. We must actively engage those who may be confounded by the claims of this story. Defense will not be enough because while we're defending ourselves against an attack that's not even directed at us, the rest of world is slowly slipping away in the false claims of a supposedly historically based story. They are the ones who need defending. They are the ones under attack.

Please be clear. I'm not saying you need to watch the movie or read the book to engage in this battle. If you know the Bible, if you know the Gospel, if you know what Jesus has done in your life; you are ready. Yes you may be asked questions about The DaVinci Code, but it doesn't matter if you know how to defend against that or not. If you know the Truth, you are prepared. It wouldn't hurt to know about what all the brouhaha is all about, but don't think that it's absolutely necessary. Any conversation that starts with questions about The DaVinci Code should lead to the Truth of God's word, so if you're not familiar with Dan Brown's work, you'll be able to direct the conversation to what really matters that much quicker. This is not a time for those of us who follow Christ to stick our heads in the sand. This is not a time to figure out which of the tie-in and movie merchandising we need to read in order to "be prepared for the coming onslaught on Christianity". This is a time to engage the culture. This is a time to shine the light of Jesus Christ. This is a time to actively share the Truth with the world. They've never needed it more.

Johann "Yo" Snyder is the host of the Mid-day show at M88 radio, 88.3FM in Albuquerque, NM. He writes a monthly blog that takes some elements of current events and pop culture to illustrate spiritual points. The archives for these articles can be found at: http://www.m88.org/yo-duh.asp