The Big Secret
Thursday, April 27th, 2006Â 
Dan Brown, author of The DaVinci Code, has done what many authors have dreamed of doing: creating a story that captures the attention of millions. The problem is that his fictional story is centered on questions about the truth of Jesus Christ. This best-selling novel presents Jesus as a common person married to Mary Magdalene and father of a child. Brown retells the life of Jesus in a way that attempts to deconstruct all of church history and Christian doctrine. Biblical scholars are contending that although Brown claims that his book is completely based upon true history and honest research, there is only about 4% fact and 96% fiction.
So, why should we take the time to deal with these issues, you ask? Because it provides a great opportunity to find out why we believe what we believe and what evidence there is to substantiate our beliefs. In the month of May, we will examine the following topics that have been raised by the fictional book and upcoming movie:
- How did we get the Bible and why are there other gospels that are not included? (ie. The Gospel of Judas, The Gospel of Phillip)
- Who was Mary Magdalene and what was her relationship to Jesus? Did Jesus have a child?
- How did the early church view women? What was their role?
- What really happened at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD? Did they really question the deity of Jesus?
- Is there any evidence of a deception or cover-up by the disciples?
The purpose of discussing these topics is not to draw more attention to the book. However, the attention is already there, and the church must address the charges that have been laid against it. Unfortunately, because many do not know church history, we are ill-equipped to answer the questions of our friends regarding these issues. Now is the time to prepare ourselves to have a good answer to the questions that will arise. There is no “Big Secret.†Jesus has been revealed for all of humanity to examine. Christians need not be afraid of “The Truth.â€
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