Excerpts
from
Dialoguing Da
Vinci
by Paul
Proctor, March 6, 2005
Apparently, the new feature film
starring Tom Hanks, called The Da Vinci Code, will start rolling in
theaters on May 19th. Articles written by alarmed Christians,
challenging its heretical content, are already appearing on various
news and opinion sites across the Net; and I suspect will
dramatically increase in number over the next several weeks. It is,
of course, a highly controversial film based on a best-selling book
by Dan Brown that is sure to whelp the appetites of conspiracy buffs
worldwide, not to mention, fuel the already present doubts and
misconceptions of those who do not know or believe the Word of God.
In my estimation, it’s not really a
quest for truth that will draw the mainstream to this movie but
rather the marketing of excitement, adventure, crisis and rebellion,
resulting in a greatly intensified polarity and outrage between
Christians and the world, until a call for peace and unity goes out
from the pulpits of America and a synthesized solution is offered by
trained “Christian” facilitators waiting in the wings to help dispel
our divisive differences and unite the “brotherhood of man.”
Their solution?
Dialogue
What I believe we are witnessing is
the beginning of rather a large-scale exercise in the Hegelian
Dialectic, orchestrated by the-powers-that-be to ignite hostilities
between the religious and the secular for purposes of uniting them
on the common ground of a convoluted Christ through Diaprax. Already
Sony Pictures has established a website they call “The Da Vinci
Dialogue,” where, according to Laurie Goodstein of The New York
Times, they “will post essays by about 45 Christian writers,
scholars and leaders of evangelical organizations who will pick
apart the book's theological and historical claims about
Christianity,” many of whom come from the very heart of the church
growth movement, meaning they are well versed in the dialectic
process.
One such writer is the president of
Fuller Theological Seminary, the birthplace of the CGM:
“Dr. Mouw, who contributed an essay
on, ‘Why Christians Ought to See the Movie,’ said: ‘It's going to be
water cooler conversation, so Christians need to take a deep breath,
buy the book and shell out the money for the movie. Then we need to
educate Christians about what all this means. We need to help them
answer someone who says, So how do you know Jesus didn't get
married?’” – Laurie Goodstein
See how the dialectic works?
Hypothetical questions like the one Dr. Mouw posed, shrewdly steer
Christians away from faithfully proclaiming a positive to instead,
foolishly trying to prove a negative, something that is extremely
difficult, if not impossible to do; thereby abandoning the
presentation of the Gospel and the call to repentance and faith in
Jesus Christ in order to participate in conjecture and controversy
that only results in diversion and confusion. ...
Christians are called to proclaim
God’s Word, not indulge the abstract and obstinate. When we set
aside the power and simplicity of the scriptures to try and
artificially accomplish from without what only the Holy Spirit can
do from within, we become sidelined by our own self-confidence,
yielding nothing of eternal value and bringing no glory to God.
“Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the
man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart
departeth from the LORD.” – Jeremiah 17:5
Just for the record, I do not believe
The Da Vinci Code is going to convert Christians into occultists
anymore than The Passion of The Christ converted occultists into
Christians. Movies do not have the capability of regenerating or
degenerating hearts; they can only accentuate or aggravate what is
already there. The power that transforms the lost from death to life
comes from the Spirit-filled preaching of God’s Word, not from the
theater.
“For after that in the wisdom of God
the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe.” – 1st Corinthians 1:21
Like modern day church growth dramas
and productions, motion pictures just manipulate feelings and
emotions through a perceived reality using actors and scripts that
stir the passions and tickle the ears of willing participants until
the credits roll and moviegoers are forced to return to the real
world in the same spiritual condition they arrived in at the ticket
counter. Does this make it OK to watch films about a fabricated
Jesus? Absolutely not! Only the faithless and undiscerning are
enchanted by lies.
The danger that The Da Vinci Code
presents is the same danger Eve faced in the Garden of Eden. Like
the Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil, it is not the presence
of this movie that is a threat; but rather our disobedient dialoging
with devils ABOUT IT; taking our hearts, minds and attention away
from God’s Word and redirecting our focus toward doubts, desires and
delusions until they become stronger within us than our fear of the
Lord.
“And have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” – Ephesians
5:11 ...
While I share the indignation of my
brethren over this made-for-profit monstrosity that peddles yet
another flesh-friendly Jesus for the Antichrist, I have to ask: Why
is the church so indignant over Hollywood’s heresy and yet so
passive about its own? Why is it acceptable for church growth
leaders to twist and theorize their way around the eternal truths of
scripture for the sake of a better attendance and offering and not
acceptable for Tom Hanks and Ron Howard? I don’t know about you, but
I’d say The Da Vinci Code is looking more and more like poetic
justice for the postmodern church; returning to it a generous
portion of the same dialectic poison it’s been serving seekers for
years.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked:
for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that
soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that
soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” –
Galatians 6:7-8
The Da Vinci Code’s blasphemy is
nothing new. It’s just another highly promoted, celebrity-enhanced,
big budget effort to discredit Jesus Christ and His Word. There can
be no one-world religion until this happens. THAT is the agenda.
Even so, I believe the half-truths
and heart-felt heresies being sold to seekers at church today are
far more dangerous than the boldface lies blaring away down at the
Bijou because they come camouflaged as “Christian” and are therefore
more believable to the biblically ignorant and spiritually blind,
particularity in a church setting where gullible participants go
along to get along for the love and acceptance of a compromised
collective.
So, with that in mind, if you’re
heart is set on seeing The Da Vinci Code, just put your money away
and be patient. I’m sure it will end up on the big screen down at
your friendly neighborhood mega church. I have no doubt that many of
them will start using it to draw crowds for more dialogue.
Sin, you see, has become an
evangelical tool for the postmodern church.
“And for this cause God shall send
them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all
might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness.” – 2nd Thessalonians 2:12
© 2006 Paul Proctor - All
Rights Reserved
Email:
watchman@usa.com
See the whole article at
www.worldviewweekend.com/secure/cwnetwork/article.php?&ArticleID=535
Related articles:
A Pulpit Online for Critics of 'The Da
Vinci Code' Film
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/movies/article.adp?id=20060209071209990001
Evangelical Uses Controversial Tool To
Teach
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/13905867.htm
Diaprax and The End OF The Ages
http://www.professionalserve.com/doublespeak/index96IAR.html
See
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