Yesterday evening was the last class of the Da Vinci Code series I have been teaching at our Midweek Manna program. It was really a lot of fun to prepare and teach this class. I had a lively group that engaged in good discussions throughout the series. By the end of the class everyone in the group had finished reading the book.
My aim in creating the series was to help equip folks to engage in conversations about the controversial themes of the book in a knowledgable fashion with friends, family and acquaintances. So we spent this last time together talking about how to briefly and effectively "speak the truth in love".
One of the videos that I used as a resource had a good segment on this subject which emphasized that being faithful means "sowing the seed" of truth, not being successful in changing someone's mind. Although we may not persuade someone that Dan Brown's characterization of Christ as an ordinary human being with a wife and family whose life and death were turned into a useful myth by a power-hungry Roman Emperor is wrong, we can rejoice that this book and the movie present an opportunity to talk knowledgably about our faith with them and that this may be the first time they hear that witness.
Christian media of all types is asking the question, "are you ready" to respond to the movie as it begins showing across the country next week. I'm happy to report that my class is ready! And we've decided to gather together to discuss the movie in a few weeks after everyone has seen it.
I hope you and your church are ready, too.
My aim in creating the series was to help equip folks to engage in conversations about the controversial themes of the book in a knowledgable fashion with friends, family and acquaintances. So we spent this last time together talking about how to briefly and effectively "speak the truth in love".
One of the videos that I used as a resource had a good segment on this subject which emphasized that being faithful means "sowing the seed" of truth, not being successful in changing someone's mind. Although we may not persuade someone that Dan Brown's characterization of Christ as an ordinary human being with a wife and family whose life and death were turned into a useful myth by a power-hungry Roman Emperor is wrong, we can rejoice that this book and the movie present an opportunity to talk knowledgably about our faith with them and that this may be the first time they hear that witness.
Christian media of all types is asking the question, "are you ready" to respond to the movie as it begins showing across the country next week. I'm happy to report that my class is ready! And we've decided to gather together to discuss the movie in a few weeks after everyone has seen it.
I hope you and your church are ready, too.
I wish we had somehting like that in my community. Sounds like you hosted a great discussion.
ReplyDeleteI have the Da Vinci Code in my reading queue, but I doubt I will get to it before the movie.
I really should read it, and following that, see the movie. I enjoyed National Treasure which I am told had a couple things in common with Da Vinci, like the clues strewn about, but without the conspiracy theorizing.
A couple things that affect how I tend to filter these sorts of things:
1. We are talking about a novel here. Fiction. Not history.
2. Conspiracy theorists believe that the lack of hard evidence is proof that the conspiracy exists. Hard to discuss when your dealing with that...
3. I have read many of the gnostic texts, and while they are interesting from an historical perspective, I do not accept their authority.
I expect I will enjoy the book when I get to it, though.
I wish I could have taken that class!
ReplyDeleteCongatulations! You have done your work and now your class is ready to go and equip others.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many churches take your mission as seriously, that being to actually train and encourage the learning of adults in the faith?
I can't get enough people to show up to my Sunday morning class, so I have to be content to use one-on-one conversations and let people know from the pulpit that we have books available about the controversy.
I refuse to be bothered enough by this bad prose and silly movie to devote a sermon series to it! I'll focus on the Gospel instead...
I would've enjoyed your class, I think. I started the DaVinci code last night. I read Angels and Demons a few years ago and really enjoyed it, but got burned out on the DaVinci Code before ever reading it.
ReplyDeleteDitto, ditto, ditto to Dennis Hancock's comments.
I don't have a real problem with Jesus being fully human and having a wife. I still believe he is also fully divine and it just doesn't make any difference to me. (I'm a champion fence-straddler.)
We are doing a question and answer evening- not for the church so much as for the general public, it is going to be in a public hall... should be interesting.
ReplyDeleteI like the book and film for the questions they raise about truth and the hunger for truth that they have uncovered.
We must make the most of every opportunity