Response to a Sermon on the Da Vinci Code | May 2006

Arming peasants with toothpicks of knowledge does nothing in a battle of swords. When you address the Da Vinci Code, the congregation will not be armed on the argumentation battle field to take on a believer in the Holy Grail. Their opponents will quote false and possibly true historical evidence that will make them question both your integrity and your knowledge of your faith. I would encourage the focus not to be on the facts which are all debatable but on faith. Maybe posing the question “If I could prove Jesus did not exist, would you still believe?” What is proof? What is faith? Proof changes from year to year. Faith is a constant. Our frail understanding of our past and the biased writers who have interpreted past events gives us very unstable “evidence”. Historians can’t agree on what happened 200 years ago much less 2000 years ago. But faith is the evidence of things hoped for. Faith is what makes believers strong not knowledge. Knowledge is a by-product of faith. Faith directs our knowledge not the other way around. If someone is truly interested in the validity of Brown’s code, there are plenty of books and movies available that show the disputable evidence of Brown’s theories. I think he wrote an outstanding novel simply to make people think. But I believe that true followers shouldn’t focus on what not to do or not to think but they should focus on what to do and what to think. A much more positive message of faith will encourage the congregation and “proof” will only further the debate.