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 ...