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The secret is out. Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus and bore him a child. Christianity as a religion is in tatters and it is all due to the cultural wave know as The DaVinci Code.

Originally it was a best-selling book about a major conspiracy involving the papacy, the Knights Templar, and historical figures such as Sir Isaac Newton and Leonardo DaVinci. Now The DaVinci Code has come to the silver screen. The response? Fans of the book are thrilled. Christians, on the other hand, are in an uproar. I want to tell you why this is a movie that you as a Christian should consider seeing.

Given that the premise of the story does not line up with conservative theology it is easy to see why so many Christians are opposed to the book and film. The Jesus of the Bible doesn’t have a wife and therefore the story is bunk. Well, that all depends on your worldview.

Every person has their own glasses that they view the happenings of the world through. These glasses called your worldview and they are tinted according to the things you believe and the experiences you have gone through. An atheist looks at the Bible and sees a book that was written by men and is nothing more that a work of literature that has influenced a great many people. A Christian looks at the Bible and sees a means of interacting with the living and active God of the universe. Two world-views, two ways of interpreting the world around them.

In the case of the DaVinci Code a secular person sees a good story with an intriguing concept. Jesus was a man like anyone else. He had urges. Why couldn’t he have had a son as a result? A Christian looks and sees something that talks about their savior and says something other than what the Bible says. Because the Bible says Jesus couldn’t marry, right?

Let’s look at the theological information. Is it possible that Christ could have married? Yes, it is. He was a Jewish teacher and it would have been completely plausible in that culture for him to have a wife. He was without sin but it is no sin to be married or to have sex inside that marriage covenant. Therefore, Jesus could have been married and had a child as a result. However, this does not necessarily mean that this is actually what happened. The widely accepted list of documents which has come to be known as the Bible does not tell us that Jesus was married. Likely this means that he was not, but it does not rule out the possibility entirely.

So, The DaVinci Code is full of lies right? When experiencing the story of The DaVinci Code the most important thing to remember is that it is a fictional story. Like any good story it weaves fact and fiction so cleverly that the audience has difficulty telling the two apart. A deeper knowledge of art or history would allow the audience to see the flaws in the logic of the plot.

The author’s interpretation of DaVinci’s The Last Supper fresco is that the beardless person to Christ’s to Christ is actually Mary Magdalene. The fact that Leonardo DaVinci had a somewhat questionable appreciation for painting effeminate young men seems to be unknown to the writer. Other details such as the crusades, the witch trials, and the Council of Nicea have been presented through the author’s own worldview.

Some of the evidence used to purport the claim of the story is believable while others are more ridiculous. One example of the ridiculous is the idea that the Catholic Church has kept hidden the truth that Christ had a wife so that they could prevent the worship of her and keep women in a lower role in the church. This is interesting considering that the veneration of the Virgin Mary is such a crucial (and somewhat controversial) aspect of the Catholic faith.

So, the evidence in the story is not true. Christians can all breathe a sigh of relief. But wait a second did he say that we should still watch this movie? You bet I did. Why?
Let me start with why Christians should not be boycotting this movie. First of all I’d like to point out that causing a huge ruckus over the movie gets it a ton of free publicity. This is the kind of stuff producers pray for. If your hope was to prevent the movie from impacting our society I am sorry to tell you that you have done just the opposite. Now everybody wants to see this movie that the Christians are making such a big deal about.

On top of that imagine that a bank in your town got robbed. Now imagine that in a conversation with a group of friends somebody cracks a joke about it being you who probably robbed the bank. In response you become furiously agitated and begin screaming that they are a liar. Sound like you’ve got something to hide? You bet. It’s fine to stand for what we believe in, but if we have nothing to hide let’s stop acting so guilty.

Now, I think it’s a good idea for Christians to see this movie for three reasons. First, it’s a good story. It’s good for Christians to experience good stories that don’t end with all the main characters getting saved. Second, it will cause you to think. It will force you to deal with the ideas that it presents. The more we think about our faith and wrestle with tough questions concerning it the stronger it will be.

Finally, this is a story that is having a big influence on our society at this time. If we want to be able to have at least some-what intelligent conversations with people about it, we need to understand it. So, see the movie. Or better yet, read the book. If you’re looking for a great way to talk about your faith with someone you can look forward to the doors that The DaVinci Code will open. Just make sure that you use your opportunity to share your faith rather than to just argue that the story isn’t true.

Towards the end of the movie there is an interesting conversation between the two main characters. In it Tom Hank’s character shares a story of a time that his faith saved him. He also challenges the other character to make the choice between tearing apart a great faith or adding to it. A worthy question to be posed to an audience desperate for answers.

The DaVinci Code is not a story that will destroy the Christina faith. In truth, we are often our own worst enemy in this respect. Be informed, be tactful, and most importantly, be loving. Take advantage of this great opportunity to spread the Gospel.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.