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| Friday, July 28, 2006
Response > Keeping and Proclaiming the Eternal Truth Writer : Aaron LeeAfter reading and reflecting on Annabelle Bok's article "A Question of Truth", I thought I would respond to some important issues it raised on the Da Vinci Code ("DVC") phenomenon. In any case, now that the movie release-- and its accompanying media hype-- has come and gone, it is timely to review how the DVC dialogue has been conducted by the various stakeholders. Many opinions have been shared on the internet, in the press and from the pulpit. The DVC has spawned an industry of books, documentaries, seminars, lectures and study materials. A multiplicity of points of view and perspectives have been aired, but did this debate achieve anything, and was it all worth it? Annabelle Bok's article mentioned a concern that the Christian community may have been over-responding belatedly to a 5-year old book. I see her concern as understandable, but one that is unjustified. Yes the book had been around for years, but it would have been irresponsible for Christians to simply ignore the confusion it sowed. If I may use an analogy- we know that the evil one has been around for millennia, but this certainly does not mean that we should stop doing battle with him. That the book sowed confusion is not to be doubted-- in a previous article, I mentioned my friend's churchmate who, after having undergone a baptism course, refused to take the final step of baptism because she read the book and was confused by the lies it contained. And in discussing the DVC with my friends, I have encountered more than a few who are willing to entertain its ideas and conspiracy theories. We should not forget that while the book has been around for awhile, the Sony Pictures movie was only released in May this year-and as with many big-budget Hollywood productions, it was hyped up for months before its launch. Good or bad, the publicity was not (entirely) of our making, but it presented the Christian community with another challenge and opportunity. It may be a bit obvious to say, but the movie brought the issues from the realm of literary fiction into another arena- one with a demography that goes beyond readers of 400-page novels. I know of people who have brought young children to see the movie. While I have not seen the movie myself, I am told that it follows the book closely. Of course, many of the assertions in the DVC (such as: Jesus was simply a man; He had "a relationship" with Mary Magdalene; the church has subverted the "true teachings" of Christ) are not new, having been recycled in various forms by atheists, humanists and even by certain believers of other faiths and cults. Among other things, the book revived the age-old ideology of Arianism and gave it a new spokesperson in Robert Langdon. Those who know church history will recall that this heretical movement caused the Roman Emperor Constantine to convene the inaugural Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.. But the popularity of Brown's modern-day book, as well as the significant cultural impact of moviedom, means that many people are now aware of and discussing questions of Bible and church history-even those who previously showed no interest in these subjects. Just as in other fields of knowledge, there are those who form opinions based on a variety of sources. Some are content to believe all they come across in tabloids or the rumour-mill. Some others make the effort to watch documentaries or research academic writings. While I am not impressed by Dan Brown's writing ability or his research skills, his potboiler of a book does contain enough 'spice' to interest just about anybody. And of course, his intruiging but limited disclaimer on page one helps to stir the reader's anticipation. We all know that half-truths are almost always more convincing than outright lies. The problem is that with such a wide audience, there are those who have problems telling the difference. Hence the continuing controversy of the DVC. Which brings me to the question of whether the church might have inadvertently sabotaged itself by paying so much attention to a book that was afterall, marketed from the beginning as a work of fiction. Some suggest that the church "doth protest too much" and therefore, there must be some hidden merit to the allegations in the book. Such a perspective requires an unlikely combination of cynicism and credulity. But I suppose such people do exist-they see a high-security fence around a military installation and immediately assume that it protects the wreckage of a crashed alien space-craft. Ultimately, we need to recognise that while mature Christians may have no trouble researching or refuting the DVC's lies to their own satisfaction, pre-believers and young Christians are in a less happy situation. The church has a responsibility to share the truth of Christ with everyone. We do not need to agree that DVC is a work of blasphemy or literary trash to know that it has provided us with a unique challenge and opportunity that we should neither shirk nor pass up. In coming to this task, we also have the prerogative to do it on our own terms, instead of falling into the trap of having to gainsay each and every ridiculous assertion made in the book. So has the local church risen to the occasion? Well, we have certainly been busy. The first crucial step was recognising that the DVC would present us many opportunities this year to initiate and have meaningful conversations about the Bible and Jesus Christ. The next step was to equip as many believers as possible with a sound understanding on these issues, so that they could frankly discuss the falsehoods, misrepresentations and lies contained in the DVC. And if our prebelieving friends or colleagues wanted to find out more, there were indeed various discussion platforms and events organised by a variety of churches and organisations. Months ago, Covenant Evangelical Free Church spearheaded the Singapore effort by providing leadership and by pulling together online resources to spread the message of the lies contained in the DVC. Rev. Dr. Robert Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist church in Singapore, wrote a very accessible and thorough book rebutting the key assertions of the DVC. Campus Crusade for Christ printed several magazines that served as guides to the book and the movie. Other churches and organisations organised teatime talks and seminars on the DVC. Individual Christians played their part by inviting their friends to participate in exploring the Christian, or "other" point of view. One beneficial outcome of the whole exercise is that ordinary Christians have been inspired to find out more about bibliogy and church history. I was also much heartened to see that the vast majority of the Christian responses did not take a stand that equated Dan Brown with the anti-Christ, as Annabelle Bok feared. Likewise, I observed that not every non-Christian who has read the book has swallowed its premises-hook, line and sinker. For example, while the DVC certainly has a neo-pagan and feminist perspective, and while some of my friends proudly wear the "feminist" tag, none of them have gone so far as to equate its ideology with atheism or moral relativity. Instead, the DVC discourse has manifested a wide range of perspectives and incited each person to reconsider what he or she believes and why. Bob Marley supposedly said "debate is de thing you use to catch de fish". We are 'fishers of men' in a postmodern marketplace of ideas and values, each competing for a share of minds and hearts. By this time next year it is possible that nobody will remember the DVC. But various false teachings will periodically demand our attention. The Christian community should not shy away from the culture war. If we are not ready for it, we should prepare ourselves. This is about how we can be faithful to our calling, to be witnesses to God's glorious love and His plan for mankind. We have a responsibility to engage in this great and continuing cultural discourse. It is indeed, as Annabelle Bok said, "a question of truth". The eternal truth already abides in us (2 John 1:2). Let our voice be heard and let us speak boldly to all who will listen.
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