SHILOHMAN'S BOOK CORNER

FOR THE SELECTIVE READER

Has anyone read “The DaVinci Code” yet? There is a lot of conversation out here in the Mecca of the Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church of America. With the movie, starring Tom Hanks, nearing its release date, the discussions are starting to get rather hot and heavy. Evangelical world seems to be panicking. If you listen to what is being said you might come to the conclusion that Christianity is about to be overwhelmed by a tsunami of heretical worshippers of the Mother goddess. Holy Grail, Batman! It’s Armageddon!

I am an avid reader. I love novels. Especially historical fiction. “The DaVinci Code” would seem to be right down my alley. But I have an issue. I never read the really “hot” titles. I don’t like to read what everyone is raving about. I don’t know what that says about me. I should probably see a therapist about it. For example, I have yet to meet anyone from my era who did not read at least one C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien book, or at least something by the Inklings, while they were at Wheaton. I was so sick of hearing about Modern Mythology that I refused to read any of it. (Let me admit how stupid that was and how much I regret it. If Dr. Kilby was still alive and teaching I would go back now just to take his classes!) The point is, I have refused to read “The DaVinci Code.”

But there’s something that bothers me more than the faddish libre du jour. It’s when the evangelicals go into a rage about something and start getting all up in arms. You know what I mean. Remember “The Last Temptation of Christ?” And there are all those frantic emails that fly around every couple of years about Madeline Murray O’Hare pushing a bill through Congress to outlaw religious broadcasting. (I just got one of those a month ago and the woman is dead!) And of course there was that outrage over Disney’s promotion of the New Age Movement in Pocahontas. Those are the kinds of things that made me decide I had to be something other than an evangelical. (Those things and Pat Robertson!) So I decided to read “The DaVinci Code” and see what the threat is all about.

I read it yesterday. Remember, Monday is my day off so I don’t have to do religious stuff on Mondays. (No, I’m not a super fast reader. The print is big and there are over 100 chapters with a lot of blank pages. By the way, that’s a good way to bulk up your manuscript and make your book look like an academic tome!) Here’s my review:

I LOVED IT! Dan Brown has written a real page-turner! He has obviously done his research into the history (mythology?) of the Grail. He picks up on the idea of Jesus marrying Magdalene and carries it to its logical conclusion. There is a lot of action and the book moves along very quickly. There is tension and mystery. He puts out all kinds of strands of information that he weaves together brilliantly to a not-so-surprising ending. His character development is excellent; you really begin to relate to the characters and I always think that is important to one’s enjoyment of a book.

But what about the heretical message the book is putting forward? First of all, I don’t know if Dan Brown even believes what he’s written about the divine feminine, the Mother Goddess, Jesus and Magdalene, or the descendants of Jesus. Bluntly, I don’t see how he could. One doesn’t need an advanced degree in textual criticism or even a Bible degree from Wheaton (which I don’t have) to see the huge holes in theory. It is so blatantly fictional that I find it hard to take seriously. Brown just seems too bright to ignore the non sequiturs. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I have heard the complaint that this book has been instrumental in shaking peoples’ faith. Well, I’m not really sure that having one’s faith shaken occasionally is a bad thing. I would also suggest that if a book like this can cause someone to doubt their faith then he should think through his faith very carefully and see what it was built upon in the first place!

Here’s what I think. Followers of Jesus should probably read “The DaVinci Code” because it will give them a great opportunity to do some thinking before the movie comes out. Once the movie hits the theaters I can almost guarantee you that it will be the topic of conversation at your favorite pub or coffee joint. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to discuss it intelligently? People will be asking questions, I want to be able to sit there and talk about them while we watch the evangelicals picket the theater across the street.

Thanks again! It’s so kind of you to stop by!