‘Da Vinci Code’ unlocks opportunity for the church

Tom Hanks may just be right.

“If (churches) put up a sign saying: ‘This Wednesday we’re discussing the gospel,’ 12 people show up. But if a sign says: ‘This Wednesday we’re discussing “The Da Vinci Code,” ‘ 800 people show up,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

“I think the movie may end up helping churches do their job.”

Now, there’s an idea.

“The Da Vinci Code,” the new film starring Hanks and based on a blasphemous, best-selling book of the same name, has raised the ire of Catholics and evangelicals alike because of its spurious storyline that Jesus is not divine, did not really die on the cross, but instead remained on Earth to marry and have children.

None of that is true. Check your Bibles.

Author Dan Brown has attacked the firestorm with a garden hose by reminding readers and moviegoers that his book and its screenplay are works of fiction.

It would help if he’d stop winking every time he says it. Or is that the glitter of gold in his eye?

“The Da Vinci Code” is hardly an original heresy. Not too long after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to heaven, false teachers pushed bogus religions that robbed Christ of his deity. In fact, most heresy shows its true colors by positing wrong answers to the salient question of the Christian faith: Who is Jesus?

That’s where the church comes in. Its job is to represent Christ in the culture. A faithful adherence to sound doctrine is critical to that calling.

In other words, Christians, we’d better make sure we’re answering that question with the truth of Scripture.

Believers’ best response to movies like “The Da Vinci Code” is to be sure we know what we believe and are equipped to share that truth when God provides opportunities.

Although each member of the body of Christ – his church – has been given this high calling, the Bible commands pastors to lead the charge:

“Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke and encourage your people with good teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2 - NLT).

The Apostle Paul’s charge to young Timothy is followed immediately by a vivid description of the times you and I live in:

“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear. They will reject the truth and follow strange myths” (2 Timothy 4:3).

Sound familiar?

I have been praying about this “Da Vinci Code” film ever since I heard that Hanks and director Ron Howard were working on it. Their inarguable skills bring false credibility to a work that dramatically attacks the basics of the Christian faith.

Despite its being a work of fiction, many people no doubt will take the film’s premise seriously.

But my prayer has been that God will use the film for His glory, that it will drive Christians closer to their savior and his word so they are enabled to share the gospel with those seeking truth.

All this talk of boycotts and protests puts form above substance. The meat of the matter is that we have a God-given opportunity to share Christ with folks who otherwise might not be inclined to listen.

God’s word puts it plainly: “You should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at bringing others to Christ. Complete the ministry God has given you” (2 Timothy 4:5).

“The Da Vinci Code” is an outrageous sacrilege, to be sure. But I pray we quiet our spirits and listen to the sound that is all but drowned in the din of protests.

It is the sound of a door opening, a door to hearts previously closed to considering the truth about Jesus.

Are we eager and equipped to introduce people to the real Jesus, the sinless Son of God who came to pay the penalty for our sin?

Do our lives testify that we know him ourselves?

Church, are we ready, as Tom Hanks puts it, to do our job?