‘Da Vinci’ inspires protests, evangelism

He’s never read the book. Nor does he plan to see the movie.

Still, Michael McGuire remains deeply offended by the “blasphemy” he’s heard about in “The Da Vinci Code.”

“It’s a hoax,” said the Spokane resident. “It’s an insult to Christianity and to the life of Jesus.”

Disturbed by the book’s popularity and with the film version opening in theaters Friday, McGuire spent more than $80 on professional signs that proclaim in bold letters: “God Is Not Mocked,” “The Da Vinci Code – A Big Lie” and “An Insult to God.” On Saturday, he and a small group of Roman Catholics waved the placards as they silently protested in front of the cinema at Spokane Valley Mall.

It’s not a sin to watch the movie, said Roger Zerowny, of Spokane, but its effects can still be harmful. “No, I haven’t read the book, but I haven’t taken strychnine either,” he said. “I don’t need to taste something to know that it’s not healthy … My God is not entertainment to me.”

Churches and religious groups throughout the country are bracing for the film debut of “The Da Vinci Code,” a work of historical fiction that rejects the divinity of Jesus Christ and his resurrection from the dead and even asserts that he married and had children. Although dismissed by both liberal and conservative scholars as being rife with historical and theological errors, the mystery thriller has nonetheless generated both anxiety and ire, especially after its author told NBC that “absolutely all of it” is true.

In response to the book’s mass appeal – 40 million hardcover copies in print worldwide, plus another 6 million in paperback – and now to the Ron Howard film starring Tom Hanks, area churches have set up prayer vigils and study groups to pick apart Brown’s claims.

While some churches and individuals such as McGuire and Zerowny are urging people to boycott the film, others have launched campaigns to use the film as an evangelistic tool.

A poll by a church marketing firm called Outreach Inc. found that 68 percent of its customers, mostly Protestant churches, planned to respond to “The Da Vinci Code” with some form of evangelism. Many national Christian organizations also have created Web sites with step-by-step instructions to help believers use the movie as a means to advance their faith.

So instead of admonishing people for reading the book or telling them to stay away from the film, pastors are asking members to read alternative books and watch DVDs with titles such as “The Da Vinci Hoax,” “The Truth About Da Vinci” and others that debunk the ideas in Brown’s best-seller.

“We’re working hard to correct the misinformation that’s out there – (Brown’s book) is such a gross distortion of the facts,” said the Rev. Ken Ortize, pastor of Calvary Chapel of Spokane, a congregation of more than 4,000. “This gives us a tremendous opportunity to engage people on what Scripture says and to give voice to the truth.”

During his sermons on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Ortize addressed the claims made in “The Da Vinci Code” by talking about the Gnostic Gospels and early church history. His church also purchased 1,000 copies of “The Da Vinci Code Revealed,” a book written by Christian apologist Josh McDowell to help people counter the assertions made in the novel.

Although he’s not telling his congregation to boycott the movie, Ortize himself has no plans to see the film. “I don’t want to support it financially,” he said. He only bought the book so that he could learn about Brown’s assertions and speak on the topic, he said, but “I regretted paying the $14.99.”

While the buzz surrounding “The Da Vinci Code” will likely reach its peak this month because of the movie, several area churches have been organizing study groups since the book came out in 2003. One of the first discussions open to the public took place two years ago at Country Homes Christian Church in north Spokane.

The Rev. John Temple Bristow, pastor of the Disciples of Christ church, kept hearing from people who were confused about some of the historical details in Brown’s book. So he put together a PowerPoint presentation, which he delivered one evening with the Rev. Tim Clancy, a Jesuit priest and pastor of Our Lady of the Lake in Nine Mile Falls. Together, the duo spoke about the Gospels that didn’t make it into the Bible, early church history, the legend of the Holy Grail and other details from the book.

In a recent church newsletter, Bristow once again addressed some of the errors purported as fact by “The Da Vinci Code.”

“… Brown says that ‘more than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament.’ But that just isn’t true,” he wrote. “The four included in our New Testament were always favored and none of the others became serious contenders. … Brown also referred to the Nag Hamadi and Dead Sea Scrolls as ‘the earliest Christians records.’ Nope. There’s nothing in any of the Dead Sea Scrolls about Jesus, the church or Christianity. The writings found at Nag Hamadi were not scrolls, nor were they ‘earliest’ among Christian writings. Many were Gnostic and most were written rather late.

“No conspiracies. No serious contenders. Personally I wish there were,” wrote the pastor. “Our four Gospels are much too brief for my taste. Nonetheless they contain enough to challenge us to our very bones.”

During an interview last week, Bristow acknowledged that “The Da Vinci Code” contains a memorable storyline, as well as themes such as male versus female spirituality that make the novel a quick read. Still, he didn’t think it was great literature and he doesn’t consider a movie a threat to his faith.

Bristow has no plans of joining the crowds at the movie theater.

On Saturday, before protesting at the Spokane Valley cinema, McGuire gathered with his friends in the parking lot of Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral, his anti-“Da Vinci Code” signs stacked on top of an old Chevrolet with a bumper sticker of the Virgin Mary. This isn’t about censorship, he said; they just want to defend God.

“People aren’t allowed to disgrace Allah or Mohammed,” said Bill Campbell, of Spokane, recalling the recent violent reactions over the editorial cartoons that depicted Islam’s holiest prophet. “Why, then, shouldn’t we stand up to this insult against Jesus?”