Leader's Insight: The Da Vinci Opportunity

The Da Vinci Code star Tom Hanks predicts the controversial film will have people flocking to church; and a new poll shows pastors hope he’s right. “If they 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,” Hanks told Entertainment Weekly. “I think the movie may end up helping churches do their job.”

Many churches are taking that prospect seriously. In a poll by Leadership, 53 percent of churches leaders surveyed indicated they were planning sermons, classes, or seminars in response to the film. A number of pastors see the movie not as an obstacle, but as an opportunity to present the real truth of the gospel to skeptics, and to advance discussions of historical and biblical significance that otherwise may not take place.

“The trend that started with the release of The Passion of the Christ in 2004, whereby churches used a movie for evangelistic opportunity, was refined with the release of The Chronicles of Narnia last year,” Eric Reed, Leadership managing editor said. “Now, with The Da Vinci Code movie, the challenge for church leaders is to encourage meaningful theological discussion of a film that denies basic truths of the gospel, instead of simply waging war on it. Christians boycotted the last major film that alleged a sexual relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988. With this film, it appears many pastors are preparing to turn a negative and skeptical portrayal of the gospel into a faith-sharing event.”

That’s the approach Scott Weber took after the novel was published, and it worked. When he was about to embark on his annual teaching trip to Ukraine last year, the pastor needed reading material for the lengthy flight. Since Dan Brown’s bestseller would soon be made into a movie, Weber decided to take it with him on the plane. On the return flight, Pastor Weber decided to change his preaching schedule out of conviction that his church needed to respond to the content of Brown’s book.

Back at home at Christian Church of Estes Park in Estes Park, Colorado, Weber began a six-week sermon series emphasizing the facts surrounding the historical validity of scripture versus the facts contained in The Da Vinci Code. “I knew that the movie was a year away, but I wanted to help equip people ahead of time to be able to give reasons for the hope that they have,” Weber says. “I’m actually glad that I did it a year ago, because now I feel like the people in my congregation are prepared to talk about it at the water coolers at work.” Following the sermon series, four individuals were baptized, and all four indicated that the series had played a major role in their new faith in Christ.

Like Christian Church of Estes Park, many pastors are responding to the release of The Da Vinci Code movie as an opportunity rather than an affront to the gospel. “I wish the immediate impacts of The Da Vinci Code were a little more positive for orthodoxy; on the other hand I think it’s a tremendous opportunity,” says Mark Roberts, pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California.

Take it to the Web: Roberts has set up a personal website complete with links to important resources dealing with The Da Vinci Code, a blog discussing various Da Vinci-related topics, and excerpts from Roberts’s own ministry training resource The Da Vinci Opportunity. Roberts says that the biggest reason he is offering the materials on his web site and his own services as a speaker is largely “to help Christians to be ready, and to help them have a sane conversation about this.” Mark’s web site can be found at www.markdroberts.com.

Hash it out with a panel: In Kenosha, Wisconsin, a parachurch organization called The Refuge that caters to 18- to 30-year-olds has put together an event called The Da Vinci Code: Defending a Legacy. Roberts will speak at the event, detailing the specifics of the Gnostic gospels, and other Da Vinci-related topics. Roberts’ presentation will be followed by a panel discussion including an Old Testament professor from Trinity International University, a Catholic representative from the Kenosha area, and a theologian who supports the content of the Gnostic gospels. “We believe that most people will take this for the fiction that it is, however there are going to be people who will ask questions about it, so we just want to give people the meat and potatoes of what is scripture and what is not,” says Tim Jensen, founder of The Refuge.

iPod shuffle the truth: Ken Baugh, pastor of Coast Hills Church in Aliso Viejo, California recently finished an eight-week sermon series aimed at helping his congregation to answer questions others might have about The Da Vinci Codebook and film. Following the series, Coast Hills Church loaded 325 i-Pod shuffles with the messages from the series, encouraging church members to pass the messages on to unchurched friends and discuss it afterward. “You talk about a relational way to do evangelism, and then to follow-up with discipleship, it’s just awesome,” says Baugh.

Make Code a springboard: At Cornerstone Wesleyan Church in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia, Pastor Denn Guptill plans a three-week sermon series that will provide an overview of the contents of The Da Vinci Code, examine the historical identity of Mary Magdalene, and a detailed look at opus dei as it pertains to the book and film. “We tend to take a look at cultural issues on a regular basis wherever we can use a springboard,” says Guptill. “This definitely provides that springboard.” Anticipation of the series has spawned significant discussion of The Da Vinci Code in Cornerstone’s small group ministry.

Satellite conference for all denominations: Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Indialantic, Florida, has organized significant outreach events in advance of The Passion of the Christ, and The Chronicles of Narnia. In advance of the film release of The Da Vinci Code, Eastminster will show satellite broadcast of The Da Vinci Code evangelism training event produced by Christian Communication Network (CCN) featuring Lee Strobel, Mark Mittelberg, Dr. Paul Maier, and Baugh. Eastminster has invited 20 churches from the Indialantic area to be a part of the event. “We have Lutherans, Presbyterians, Catholics, Baptists all as a part of this event. It’s an important thing we have to respond to, and we really should respond as a community of believers,” said Harris Hickman, an elder at Eastminster who is organizing the event. CCN expects 326 churches to host showings of the satellite telecast.

Make church THE place to learn about Da Vinci: New Song Community Church in Oceanside, California has planned a two-week sermon series, a four-week study course and a 25,000-piece mailing advertising both. The mailings will be especially targeted at the general public in New Song’s neighboring communities. Pastor Hal Seed preached a sermon on The Da Vinci Code book approximately a year ago, and he says it has helped his congregation prepare for New Song’s intense study course and sermon series in advance of the film. However, Seed says that he has encouraged people to come to church to learn about The Da Vinci Code instead of simply buying the book. “I told my congregation not to buy the book, because you’re just contributing to Dan Brown’s bottom line,” says Seed. “Come to church and learn about it.”

Many resources: There are plenty of resources available on The Da Vinci Code book as well as the upcoming film to help churchgoers and non-churchgoers alike learn more about it. Christianity Today Resources offers a six-session course responding to the six key points of conflict between biblical accounts and The Da Vinci Code. As a bonus, CT will offer one of the six sessions free of charge, the session addressing an alleged marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. As a compliment to the course, CT is also planning to offer a free handout for churches to use in small groups and Bible studies. Marketing coordinator Cory Whitehead is anticipating a huge response to the materials, “especially since we’re able to offer the free session and handout,” Whitehead said. This course can be ordered at www.christianitytoday.com.

More Da Vinci Code educational resources are available at www.outreach.com. As they did with The Passion and Narnia, the Outreach magazine team has produced resource books and booklets, door hangers, post cards, wall banners, sermon ideas, and seminar planning materials.