Last month I made a plea that we keep our eyes open for gospel opportunities. This month I want to give an example of the opportunity The Da Vinci Code offers. It is a discussion I had with Kel Willis who is a well known Australian author and mentor of clergy.

Archie: Kel, I have heard of churches which have cancelled normal meetings to run Da Vinci Code seminars. Is the book that important to our present day?

Kel: In trains, buses and planes, in waiting rooms and even standing in cues, people are reading and talking about The Da Vinci Code. People are captivated by it. There are even Da Vinci Code Clubs and discussion groups and, for the right price, one can even take a tour of the sites mentioned in the book. An indication of the wide reaction to The Da Vinci Code is the fact that at least 12 books and hundreds of papers and articles have been written in response to its claims. Numerous web sites have also sprung up, committed to either supporting or refuting the material. Over 25 million copies have been sold (1 million in Australia), it's been translated into 44 languages, and it's only been in print since 2003.  It has been said that an incredible 30% of people will in some way be influenced by the book.

Archie: A question we must ask is what is there about The Da Vinci Code that has caught the imagination of millions of people? 

Kel: The Da Vinci Code is a racy novel, beginning with a murder in the Louvre. We soon discover that the murdered person is linked to an ancient society that holds the secret to the long-sought-after Holy Grail. As we are drawn into the story we find that the characters in the book have a dim view of the church and all it stands for. Much of the material in the book resonates with today's culture, whose worldview is a mixture of Transcendentalism and Postmodernism, with a little New Age thrown in. The Da Vinci Code affirms aspects of the feminist movement and the philosophy of self-sufficiency (spiritual fulfilment is within you) as well as negating the credibility of the gospel. It assumes what many people have always believed, that the church is corrupt and has been hiding something.

Archie: Can you tell me the book's view of Christianity, as it is likely to be accepted by many who read it?

Kel: There is a deliberate and very cleverly presented premise that "Most of what our fathers have taught us about Jesus is false.' Documents and ancient manuscripts are "quoted' with throw-away lines designed to ridicule the idea that the foundations of Christianity are credible. Essential gospel principles are dismissed out of hand and an alternative history is presented as the real one. The credibility of the Bible is attacked and Jesus is stripped of his deity to become a man like the rest of us. God becomes a patriarchal monster and the church an evil politicised organisation that has rewritten the early history of the church for its own purposes.

Archie: How do you respond to this?

Kel: This book is one of the great challenges to the church in this decade, for it provides unique opportunities to engage people in discussion about the gospel. Most of those who read and accept its theories will become more turned off the church than they already are and will consequently be more difficult to engage with the claims of Christ. But I have found that whilst the material is fresh in their minds, most of its readers are eager to discuss and engage about the claims of the book. Many show an almost evangelistic zeal in their desire to challenge the validity of the foundations of the Church and Christianity as we know it, and willingly jump in when the topic of the book is raised.

In the past year I have had more opportunities to engage people about the gospel through the subject of The Da Vinci Code than I've ever had with any other subject. I was recently sitting in a doctor's waiting room, working on a response to this book, when a lady sitting next to me asked, "What do you think of the book'? People in the waiting room were suddenly all ears! In the short space of 40 minutes there was the opportunity to engage everyone in the waiting room, including the receptionist at the desk (who had overheard the discussion) and then the doctor himself, who wanted to know whether the claims in the book are true. This scene has been played out over and over again, in coffee shops, at weddings, over dinners, while flying interstate, and so on. Take the book with you to a coffee shop and see how many people comment!

Archie: How can we be prepared to capitalise on the opportunity?

Kel: Firstly, by reading the book!! I am appalled at the number of people who "can't be bothered to read that rubbish'. The most effective response to the opportunity can only be had through knowing the book's content. We also need to take the time to grapple with the issues it raises. When Christians have a good understanding of why they believe what they believe, and can articulate why they are sure of the authenticity and historicity of the life and person of Christ and of the Bible, they will be able to positively respond to the challenge and opportunity of The Da Vinci Code. There are some excellent responses available in books and papers dealing with the major issues raised. Join a Da Vinci discussion group. Organise a seminar program on The Da Vinci Code for your church. Encourage your church to teach a series on Sunday evenings, covering the main themes in the book. I know one church that doubled their evening congregation when they did this. But whatever you do, don't bury your head in the sand about his book. It's not going to go away. People will be engaging in discussions about this book, whether Christians are part of them or not.