Spirituality and the DaVinci Code

Get ready to hear more about Dan Brown's bestselling book, The DaVinci Code, in the next few months. The film version, starring Tom Hanks, will be released May 19. It is expected to be even more popular than the book.

Amazingly, we continue to see multiple copies of The DaVinci Code every time we get on an airplane. What has made it so popular? Dan Brown tells a good story. Everyone enjoys being let in on a secret. But the book is much more than a rivetting bit of revisionist history. It gives legitimacy to what a lot of people have been thinking--that religion is mostly about power, that the church has suppressed authentic spirituality, and that the real Jesus must have had something different in mind.

People are ready to take Jesus with them to another religion

Many books have been written in response to DaVinci. Most react to Brown's historical reconstructions. They argue that he doesn't have the story right. Fair enough. We need such critical responses. But many readers, perhaps even most, do not care whether the author has all his facts straight or not. They like what the book has to say. They are convinced that spirituality must be more personal, more dynamic, and less oppressive than what they have experienced in church. They believe the book--not because they have studied art history or delved into ancient manuscripts, but because they are ready to take Jesus with them to another religion.

Two years ago, as part of a series on DaVinci, we did a presentation at our church called "Spirituality Unplugged." The audio file from that presentation is available here. We addressed how the practice of life with God has been unplugged or disengaged from Christian tradition. We talked about the perceived differences between spirituality and religion and the widespread desire for our own personal Jesus.

Some of the LifeSpace concepts relate directly to these concerns. How should we approach life with God? What does it mean to truly delight in His glory? Why has Christian spirituality felt so confining?

Whether you liked the book or not, The DaVinci Code had people talking about life with God. The upcoming movie should do the same thing. As you discuss it with friends, remember: the question may not be whether the story is true, but why it rings true to them.

--Joni and Bob

p.s.--If you are interested, additional presentations on DaVinci are available here: http://www.nbctexas.org/equip/januaryseries.htm.