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5/12/2006
The Da Vinci Code Movie--Threat or Opportunity for the Christian Church? News Advisory, May 11 /Christian Newswire/ -- Nothing has rattled the Christian church worldwide quite like Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code. Now a new movie to be released next week, this work of fiction is at the center of a contentious debate. Many church leaders have called for a boycott. But is this the best way to respond? Some experts in the Christian community offer a different perspective. “The release of the Da Vinci Code movie affords Christians the unique opportunity to illustrate to believers and non-believers alike what historic Christianity actually teaches about the person of Jesus Christ,” says noted evangelical theologian Kenneth Richard Samples. “This can also give Christians a platform for sharing their faith with people who have no clear idea as to what the Christian faith is all about.” Historic Christianity is all about Jesus—his identity, message, and mission. For two millennia the Christian church has viewed Jesus as the divine Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God’s means for forgiving repentant sinners. “Not only do the authentic historical Gospels present a divine Jesus," says Samples, "there is no credible support for the wild claim that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. Moreover, the alternative ‘Gnostic gospels,’ which are the source of the Da Vinci Code suppositions, (Mary, Philip, and Thomas), do not emerge from the apostolic age and therefore do not carry historical, eyewitness testimony about the life of Jesus Christ.” Serving as vice president for theological and philosophical apologetics at the science/faith think- tank Reasons To Believe, Kenneth Richard Samples is the author of the award winning book Without A Doubt: Answering the 20 Toughest Faith Questions (Baker, 2004). All of the central claims found in The Da Vinci Code are addressed in Samples’ book. He notes: “At the heart of the Christian faith is the assertion that Jesus, because he is God incarnate, does indeed provide redemption for human beings through his death on the cross. “Unfortunately, our churches as a whole have not done a very good job of teaching people about who Jesus Christ is and how the orthodox biblical view of Christ differs from the views of various heresies, liberal theologies, and cults. “The enormous popularity of Dan Brown’s book and the subsequent movie offers yet another opportunity to the church to instruct followers of Christ not only about church history but also about Jesus’ true nature and identity,” Samples concludes. “Brown’s fictional account of the life of Jesus gives believers an open door to discuss what the Bible says about who Jesus really is—Lord and Savior—fully God and fully man.” Kenneth R. Samples is the vice president of theological and philosophical apologetics at Reasons To Believe. He is the author of the award winning book Without A Doubt: Answering the 20 Toughest Faith Questions. He also serves as an adjunct professor of apologetics and philosophy at Biola University and at Providence Christian College.
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