Getting the facts right to decode the Da Vinci’s Code

Dr. James L. Garlow, the coauthor of Cracking Da Vinci’s Code (has sold more than a third of a million copies), has written another very useful book refuting the Da Vinci Code. James L. Garlow's new book The Da Vinci Codebreaker: An Easy-to-Use Fact Checker (Bethany, 2006) serves as an easy-to-use fact checker which provide answers to the questions readers most often ask about The Da Vinci Code. Historically and theologically correct explanations are given for the more than 500 entries that include terms, concepts, people, locations, and events. As the book has entries arranged alphabetically, it works like a dictionary, and I think this would make it a useful reference, in case we ourselves get confused by all the facts. I think this book is a must for thoughtful readers who seek more information about the claims of the novel and Ron Howard's upcoming film. The book clearly states where in the Da Vinci’s Code Dan Brown make his dubious claims for every entry, so I think we would probably understand Dan Brown's Da Vinci’s Code better with this book in hand. ... maybe even better than those who read the book more than once! Dan Brown's Da Vinci’s Code may be just 'a cheap, skillfully constructed entertainment that is simulatenously a bitterly biased, utterly irresponsible slander of Christian tradition. ' (in the words of Michael Medved who endorsed Garlow's new book) But, when we remember that Dan Brown's claims undermine the foundation of our faith (the doctrine of the Trinity), should we still be sitting around? Or should we be doing something? If Jesus is not divine, then He could not have paid for our sins and our faith is in vain. However, if we look around, there are too many Christians who just sit back and simply don't feel nothing. We lack the the fervour the Muslims have for their faith. I am sometimes simply amazed by this calmness of Christians. When others criticise us, I believe we often get angry, and this is because we feel they are making untrue & unfair remarks. Yet, when non-Christians criticise the bible, or criticise the foundations of our faith, we are able to remain so calm. What does this show? Are we not sure of what we believe? Are we just disinterested in all things 'that is religion' and have the 'if they don't believe in Christ, that's their business' mentality'? As a recent sermon by Rev Stephen Tong “What Do We Fight For?” correctly portrays,

Christians have the habit of putting their theology in the fridge. When Mohamed was made fun of, Muslims produced social upheaval in many countries around the world. When Jesus Christ is made fun of, Christians produced another book. When we lose our fighting spirit, all knowledge becomes cold. We need to defreeze it and be set on fire again. Reformed theology is reformed theology. Movement is movement. Yet now churches only fight among themselves and do not declare war against Satan.

Very often, we have failed to ask ourselves "Why do we believe what we believe?". Dan Brown's Da Vinci’s Code can be a "危机" (crisis) to the historic faith of Christianity (though I think this is impossible, since God is in control of everything! ), but as the Chinese saying goes, "危机就是时机" (a time of crisis is also a time of opportunity). But we need to be quick, as "时机" (opportunities) don't last forever. Be quick for evangelism. Even if we may not have the opprtunities to use the DVC to lead people to faith, Garlow's new book The Da Vinci Codebreaker would also serve as an interesting 1000 bible facts type of book. It is an good opportunity of learning in areas of Arts (exploring Leonardo Da VInci's paintings such as the 'Madonna of the Rocks'), archaeology (To find out about the Nag Hammadi Documents.), church history (Learning about how the canon of the NT bible was formed. Finding out whether Constantine had the gospels changed & re-written. What really happened at the Council of Nicea?) and theology (Explore the biblical truths in areas of doctrine of scripture, Christology and the Incarnation). May we use this chance to deepen our faith & not be sweep by the postmodernism hidden in the DVC.

Below is an excerpt from James L. Garlow's new book The Da Vinci Codebreaker: An Easy-to-Use Fact Checker.

Holy Grail, The -- Many today consider the Holy Grail to be the cup used by Jesus and his disciples during the Last Supper; some also believe Joseph of Arimathea held the cup to catch the blood from Jesus' side as he died.

In 1170, Frenchman Chretien de Troyes wrote a poem called Perceval, seemingly based on Celtic myths, in which the grail is simply a jeweled dish. As the story was retold and rewritten, a distinctive theme emerged. Before the twelfth century, there were no legends about the grail; by the thirteenth century the tale had become intertwined with Arthurian legends, the characters from Chretien's story developed into supposed historical figures from the Gospels, and the grail had become the Holy Grail.

The Da Vinci Code's Leigh Teabing says that the French word for "Holy Grail," Sangreal, is actually an incorrect rendering of the words Sang Real, which would mean "Royal Blood." This idea is based on a suggestion made in Holy Blood, Holy Grail that at one point the word may have been miscopied and divided in the wrong place; the writers admit this is an unlikely possibility.

The pieces begin to fall into place for The Da Vinci Code characters once they begin to consider ancient pagan symbols for females (chalice) and males (blade). However, there is no historical evidence to connect the ancient chalice and the Holy Grail, since the grail's concept can only be traced back as far as the twelfth century (DVC, 162, 238, 250). See also Holy Blood, Holy Grail.

Age of Pisces, The -- Greek, fish; since from ancient times the fish has been used as a Christian symbol, some see the arrival of the Aquarian Age as signaling the passing of Christianity. The Da Vinci Code describes the current Piscean Age as one of passivity--accordingly, Dan Brown says, people have been easily controlled by the Roman Catholic Church for the past two thousand years (DVC, 267). See also Age of Aquarius; astrology; zodiac.

Mary Magdalene -- According to the New Testament, Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus from whom he cast "seven demons"; she followed him throughout his ministry, witnessed the crucifixion, and, with two other female disciples, discovered the empty tomb. Mary was probably from Magdala, a village on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

The Da Vinci Code alleges that the New Testament excludes an important fact: "The marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is part of the historical record" (245). In fact, there is not one scrap of evidence in any first-century record that implies a sexual or marital relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Additionally, even if Jesus had married--again, a proposition for which there is no reliable evidence--it wouldn't be disastrous for Christian faith (as Dan Brown implies), for the Scriptures neither affirm nor deny that Jesus was married. In addition to being completely divine, Jesus was completely human (John 1:18; 1 John 4:2); if he'd had children, they would also have been completely human.

The Da Vinci Code notes that Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute: "That unfortunate misconception is the legacy of a smear campaign launched by the early church. The church needed to defame Mary Magdalene to cover up her dangerous secret [i.e., Mary's role as the spouse of Jesus]" (244).

This is partly correct: she was probably not a prostitute. Jesus cast seven demons out of Mary (Luke 8:2), but there is no evidence to suggest she was sexually immoral. At the same time, there is also no evidence to suggest that anyone instituted a "smear campaign" to discredit her. A tradition arose in the third and fourth centuries that she was the sinful woman mentioned in Luke 7:36-50 and, perhaps, the woman caught in adultery in John 7:53-8:11; in 591, Pope Gregory I included this teaching in a sermon. Although such identifications were probably mistaken, they are far from a slander crusade launched to hide a dangerous secret. See also Benjamin, tribe of; Gospel of Philip; Gospel of Mary; marriage, Jewish.

How should We Respond to the Da Vinci Code?

I was reading Dr Ben Witherington's blog and found his advice on how we can & should respond to the Da Vinci Code very useful. Dr Witherington wrote this blog entry The Da Vinci Code Movie--- Are You Ready to Rumble? two days ago. Here are some of the points:

1) if you are a mature Christian well grounded in your faith and you haven't read the novel and don't really know the issues, then read it.

2) Read as well one or two of the critique books on the novel;

3) Have Sunday school lessons on the issues in the novel--- ranging from, when did the church first believe Jesus was the divine Son of God, to when was the canon formed, to what should we think of Gnosticism, to was Jesus married, and does it matter in terms of Christian doctrine?

4) Have special seminars on these subjects

5) provide congregations with hand outs or guides to read the novel by.

6) Preachers should offer topical messages of relevance on the subject.

7) Get ready for next year-- the sequel novel will be out sometime in 2007.

And if we think the Da VInci Code is not worthy of our attention, he reminds us that:

1) This novel sold 43 million in hardcopy--- a record.
2) the paperback which came out in March has already sold 6 million.
3) in 2004 this novel outsold the Bible in America.

Contentment-Possession-Self Identity

Recently, a 17-year-old Joe Van Holsbeek was killed on April 12 by two youths after his MP3 player. This lead to a 80,000 demonstrators on Sunday in Brussels. (Read news article: 80,000 march in Brussels to honor youth killed for MP3 player) () Last year, a 15-year-old, Christopher, was killed in Brooklyn during a fight over an iPod. Christopher was with three friends when a group of teenagers (about a dozen) attacked the four boys, beat them and stole their valuables, which included an iPod. During the fight, one of the teenagers stabbed Christopher twice in his chest, killing him. Apart from the iPod, the boys who attacked Christopher and his friends stole tennis shoes and a cell phone. City authorities have noted a rise in subway crime, driven principally by thefts of cell phones and iPods. (Read news article:Steve Jobs calls family of teenager killed for iPod) According to statistics by the Singapore Police Force, Robbery and theft cases involving handphones taken remain a key area of concern for the Police. The number of such cases increased significantly by 1,414 cases, from 3,411 to 4,825 cases in 2005.Handphone crimes increased most notably for theft in dwelling (excluding shop theft) from 832 to 1,119 cases (+287 cases), and for other thefts (from 1,096 to 1,837 cases in 2005). According to the site, the increase in handphone crime may be due to the rise in mobile phone penetration rate in Singapore indicating a larger pool of potential victims. According to the Infocommunications Development Authority (IDA), the handphone penetration rate in Singapore is 97.8% in Dec 2005.

Why do some youths and teenagers of today place so much value on possessions such as MP3 player & the lastest handphone. Is this the result of the consumer culture? Or is it because of the problem of self-identity? Are they using these possessions to define their self-identity? What really define our self-identity? Is it by our possessions such as iPod, the lastest Nokia 3G handphones, number of degrees, income level, brand name, the number of 'successful' children we have, ... ... Having these can be helpful, but are they more of needs or wants?

In the bible, we have the story of Sarah. We know that for a woman to be childless in the Bible was to be ‘barren’ of life - to lack identity. However, God doesn't see it it this way. In the case of Sarah we are told that 'God has kept me from having children' (Gen. 16:2), but we know that God had its time & purpose for doing so. Author Carolyn Custis James had this very well said:

If Sarah had gone to God's family wall, she would have found her portrait hanging alongside her brothers. It had been there all along. If she thought her frame was empty until the day she had a baby, she couldn't have been more mistaken. Sarah was part of God's family, a true daughter—not an in-law?born to bear God's image, born to advance his cause. Her identity as a woman was anchored to God, and nothing could ever take that away from her. She was encircled in his love every bit as much as Abraham, only she was so distracted by her barrenness, she couldn't see how much she mattered to God.

From Lost Women of the Bible: Finding Strength & Significance through Their Stories
by Carolyn Custis James

On the question of Self and Identity, I did a bit of reading up. According to article “Self and Identity in Everyday Life” (the International Society for Self and Identity) by Dr Rick H. Hoyle ),

1. The self is reflexive--it can become the object of its own attention (from various perspectives)--and this reflexiveness underlies many of the activities of the self.
2. Most of our understanding of the world (e.g., other people, things we read or see) is filtered through our understanding of self.

Our 'reflexiveness underlies many of the activities of the self', does this mean that if we give ourselves too much attention, or wanting others to give us attention, we may result in doing some undesirable thing? ... or chasing after our wants rather than our needs. From this writing, it also seems that if we do not understand where our real value lies, our understanding of the world (e.g., other people, things we read or see) can become flawed! I think our understanding of the self needs to have the bible as its foundation. Our value lies in that we are created in his image.(imago Dei). This is a privilege. Non christians may think this view is crazy. ... 'What privilege? Does it make any difference?' they may ask. Yes, it does. Being created in the imago Dei means that our inherent value is firmly established in direct relation to our being created in the image of an absolutely perfect and loving God. God loves us for what we are. God does not love us more because we tithe more, or we are better looking. Moreover, modern psychology has not been very helpful in enabling us to understand what the self is. To quote again from the article “Self and Identity in Everyday Life”, “there are some fundamental things we do not know about the human self”. The effect of the culture on the self cannot be underestimated. Consumer culture is affecting almost everyone. Even the most 'holy' thing of buying a bible is not unaffected. ... If not, why are new editions of the bible appearing so often? We may not kill/steal to get ourselves a MP3 player or the lastest handphone, but many of us are chasing after many more things.... either visible or invisible. However, we know that our self is also much shaped by our experience. Throughout church history, countless individuals had given witness to the joyful experience of living in Christ. Are we also able to do that? A joyful experience/gladness can create a positive self. So..., are we contented with what we have? Or do we think that God is shortchanging us? ...

Talk on Decoding the Da Vinci Code (in Chinese)

Besides the talk by Dr Christopher Lee (of Singapore Bible College) at Providence Presbyterian Church in May, there is also another talk on decoding the Da Vinci Code (in Chinese) at the Queenstown Chinese Methodist Church (next to Commonwealth MRT Station). This talk is on this Saturday 29/4/06, from 4-6pm. Admission to the talk is also free. The talk is organized by the Chinese Annual Conference of the Methodist Church in Singapore. Details are as follows:

卫理公会华人年议会华语讲座

讲题：解读《达芬奇密码》

讲员：张克复牧师

(金链灵修神学院教务主任)

日期：4月29日(星期六)

地点：卫理公会女皇镇堂

时间：下午4时正至6时正

入场免费

A Godward life results in a happy marriage!

Numerous studies suggest that couples who frequently pray together are twice as likely as those who pray less often to describe their marriages as being highly romantic. Also, those who practice their religion are less likely to divorce, have higher levels of marital satisfaction, and higher levels of commitment. Having a shared belief system binds you together in the midst of dealing with problems and day-in, day-out living and loving. -- David Arp and Claudia Arp, 10 Great Dates for Empty Nesters (Zondervan)

Who says Chrisitianity is no longer relevant to our everyday life? If we truly live a Godward life (to use the title of John Piper's book), I think everything tends to happen more smoothly, isn't it? Even if it isn't smooth, one would also be able to find strength to mkae it smooth again! ... and the source of this strength is of course non other than our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen!

The Da Vinci Code-Some thoughts(2)

Some interesting quotes (from Albert Mohler) to think about concerning the book The Da Vinci Code:


What about the atheists--the rationalist opponents of Christianity? What about the liberal theologians who dismiss the deity of Christ as mythological baggage? They must be greeting The Da Vinci Code with excitement, right? Not hardly. The strange and unsustainable logic of this conspiracy theory has not impressed the skeptics.


The book's thesis requires the reader to believe that virtually every major work of western art includes an embedded code, and that this code is evident all around us if we will just see it. Of course, to pull this off Brown has to see symbols (especially phallic symbols) everywhere. Freud was a rank amateur.


Those who want to believe the heresies of The Da Vinci Code will hold to them tenaciously--whatever the evidence. Clearly, the book attacks the Gospel, but the truth is unshaken.


G. K. Chesterton reminded us that orthodoxy is not only true; it is infinitely more interesting than heresy. It is alive and compelling and life-changing. Heresies come and go by fashion. The truth is unchanged and unchangeable. Caveat Emptor.


Source: Albert Mohler. Deciphering 'The Da Vinci Code' (12 Apr 2006. Orinigally published 29 July 2003)

Da Vinci Code-Talk in Chinese at PPC

There would be a talk on 'Decoding the Da Vinci Code' in conducted in Chinese this coming May.

Topic: 破解 《 达文西密码 》 讲座 [Decoding the Da Vinci Code].

Date (日期)： 6/5/06（Saturday） 时间: 7-9pm

Speaker (讲师)：李振群博士 [Dean, SBC School of Theology, Chinese, PhD (Westminster, USA).]

Currently a Lecturer of Singapore Bible College. As Dr Lee specialises in church history & historical theology, I believe he would be able to help us decode the DVC. Having read his 4 volumes《透視二千年》published by 協傳 (2000), I must say Dr Lee is able to make boring(I no longer think so!) church history come alive.

Place (地点)：乌节路长老会 [Providence Presbyterian Church. The Church is conveniently located opposite Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.]

基督徒当如何从正确的角度来回应这本歪曲了基督教信仰却畅销全世界的著作。

公开讲座，免费入场，欢迎参加! [Admission to the talk is free.]

Earth Day: The Earth is the Lord's

Today is Eath Day. Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN)is encouraging churches to celebrate Creation Sunday (this year, they are suggesting April 23). According to the website, based on the Word of God, we are called to "declare the Lordship of Christ over all creation" (see Col. 1:15-20; Jn 1:1-4; Heb. 1:2-3). We are called to participate by being ministers of Christ's reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18). Colossians 1:20 proclaims something wonderful and profound - that the blood of our Savior Jesus has not only reconciled us as individuals to God, but has in fact reconciled all of creation to God.

"Creation-care"-A biblical perspective

The Earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof (Psalm 24:1)

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.( Colossians 1:15-20,NIV)

2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.( Hebrews 1:2-3,NIV)

3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men.( John 1:1-4, NIV)

We should be remindered that the Earth is the Lord's

Col. 1:16b: "all things were created by him (Christ) and for him."

Heb. 1:2: "In these last days He has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe."

I Cor. 10:26: "'The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.'"

Ps. 24:1: "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."

Lev. 25:23 "'The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants.'"

Deut. 10:14: "To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it."

I Chron. 29:11-12: "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all."

Neh. 9:6: "You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you."

Isa. 66:1-2: "This is what the LORD says: 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool . . . Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?' declares the LORD."

The Evangelical Environmental Network has also provided a An Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation ,which I think is useful to help us think about Christian's responsiblity towards the environment. It begins with a series of reasons why should protect the environment.

As followers of Jesus Christ, committed to the full authority of the Scriptures, and aware of the ways we have degraded creation, we believe that biblical faith is essential to the solution of our ecological problems.

Because we worship and honor the Creator, we seek to cherish and care for the creation.

Because we have sinned, we have failed in our stewardship of creation. Therefore we repent of the way we have polluted, distorted, or destroyed so much of the Creator's work.

Because in Christ God has healed our alienation from God and extended to us the first fruits of the reconciliation of all things, we commit ourselves to working in the power of the Holy Spirit to share the Good News of Christ in word and deed, to work for the reconciliation of all people in Christ, and to extend Christ's healing to suffering creation.

Because we await the time when even the groaning creation will be restored to wholeness, we commit ourselves to work vigorously to protect and heal that creation for the honor and glory of the Creator---whom we know dimly through creation, but meet fully through Scripture and in Christ. We and our children face a growing crisis in the health of the creation in which we are embedded, and through which, by God's grace, we are sustained. Yet we continue to degrade that creation.

Then it goes on to say how biblical Christians can respond.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we believe that the Bible calls us to respond in four ways:

First, God calls us to confess and repent of attitudes which devalue creation, and which twist or ignore biblical revelation to support our misuse of it. Forgetting that "the earth is the Lord's," we have often simply used creation and forgotten our responsibility to care for it.

Second, our actions and attitudes toward the earth need to proceed from the center of our faith, and be rooted in the fullness of God's revelation in Christ and the Scriptures. We resist both ideologies which would presume the Gospel has nothing to do with the care of non-human creation and also ideologies which would reduce the Gospel to nothing more than the care of that creation.

Third, we seek carefully to learn all that the Bible tells us about the Creator, creation, and the human task. In our life and words we declare that full good news for all creation which is still waiting "with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God," (Rom. 8:19).

Fourth, we seek to understand what creation reveals about God's divinity, sustaining presence, and everlasting power, and what creation teaches us of its God-given order and the principles by which it works.

Thus we call on all those who are committed to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to affirm the following principles of biblical faith, and to seek ways of living out these principles in our personal lives, our churches, and society.

I think the ending is rather good and sound advice which is worthy of our attention:

We urge individual Christians and churches to be centers of creation's care and renewal, both delighting in creation as God's gift, and enjoying it as God's provision, in ways which sustain and heal the damaged fabric of the creation which God has entrusted to us.

We recall Jesus' words that our lives do not consist in the abundance of our possessions, and therefore we urge followers of Jesus to resist the allure of wastefulness and overconsumption by making personal lifestyle choices that express humility, forbearance, self restraint and frugality.

We call on all Christians to work for godly, just, and sustainable economies which reflect God's sovereign economy and enable men, women and children to flourish along with all the diversity of creation. We recognize that poverty forces people to degrade creation in order to survive; therefore we support the development of just, free economies which empower the poor and create abundance without diminishing creation's bounty.

We commit ourselves to work for responsible public policies which embody the principles of biblical stewardship of creation.

We invite Christians--individuals, congregations and organizations--to join with us in this evangelical declaration on the environment, becoming a covenant people in an ever-widening circle of biblical care for creation.

We call upon Christians to listen to and work with all those who are concerned about the healing of creation, with an eagerness both to learn from them and also to share with them our conviction that the God whom all people sense in creation (Acts 17:27) is known fully only in the Word made flesh in Christ the living God who made and sustains all things.

We make this declaration knowing that until Christ returns to reconcile all things, we are called to be faithful stewards of God's good garden, our earthly home.

Another thing that makes this An Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation worthy of our attention is that it is signed by many prominent evangelical theologians/Christians, among which includes Dr. Anthony Campolo (Professor of Sociology, Eastern College), Dr. Cornelius Plantinga (Jr., Author, Dean of the Chapel, Calvin College), Dr. Stanley Hauerwas (Professor, Duke Divinity School), Dr. J. I. Packer (Professor, Regent College), Dr. Raymond C. Ortlund (President, Haven of Rest Radio), Dr. Thomas Oden (Professor, Drew University), Dr. Richard Mouw (President, Fuller Theological Seminary) and Dr. Alister McGrath (Principal, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, England).

Caring for the environment is not a difficult thing. For example, recycling just require some efforts from us. Or we can write on both sides of the paper. Copy our sermon notes in the Church bulletin instead of expensive notebooks! Share our books with friends. We don’t need every new edition of the bible on the book store’s shelf. We read books, not collect books. Ultimately we have a choice. We read books, not collect books. When we collect books, the books collect dust! We end up buying more furniture (book shelves), and ahh .… before we know it, the forest is gone!! As mentioned by the EEN, the choice before us is quite similar to the one Moses set before the children of Israel: "Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach ... I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction ... Now choose life, so that you and your children may live" (Deut. 30:11, 15, 19b).

Related Article/Useful Links:

Theological Perspectives on the Environment (Recommendations on Theological works employing various methods to help Christians to think about the environment from a theological perspectives.)

Restoring Eden: Christians for Environmental Stewardship

Evangelicals and the Environment (January 13, 2006)

The Evangelical Ecologist

Which Word? (4)

This is a continuation of a series of writing titled "Which Word?", which explores what Dao (Tao) is. My first article on this subject was written more than two months ago (Feb 2006). It started with an exploration of John 1:1-4. With John 1:1-4 as a foundation, I went on to discribe the differences and similarities btw the dao of the bible (as described by John in the opening of his gospel) and the dao of Lao Zi. There, I described Dao's characteristics. My original goal of this blog was to do a systematic study of the bible, starting with studying who Jesus is, or should I say how he can be perceived/understood by the Chinese as it relates to their culture & ancient writings. To stay with the original goal of this blog, I think I shall not venture too far. Lately, I know I have been writing all sorts of entry, like "Chap Cai" (in case one is not familiar with this term, it is a chinese dialect term for mixed vegetable) ...Hmm, not focused enough, but never mind. Today, I am examining John 14:6 to see how it relates to Dao De Jing, Chapter 25.

3) Dao as Truth

Some views see Daoism as insisting that all values have only subjective and relative standards. But, when read carefully and as a whole, Lao Zi’s view is that dao is the single underlying unity of all things.

Man conforms to Earth

Earth conforms to Heaven

Heaven conforms to Dào

Dào conforms to itself. (Dao De Jing, Chapter 25)

人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。

3.1) To conform to Dao

Some Comment on the Text: In this text, there is a series of "conforms to". To "conform to" is "to act or be in accord or agreement; comply". The original Chinese "法" has the meaning of 'model after' and 'follow the example of' (仿效，学习), and especially of others' good points. Another English translation has it as:

Humans model themselves on earth,
Earth on heaven,
Heaven on the Way,
And the way on that which is naturally so.

It says 'Heaven conforms to Dào', I think this is true from a biblical standpoint. As it is clearly expressed in The Nicene Creed, God is the The maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, light from light, true God from True God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father. By Him all things were made." God created the Heaven & the Earth, so in a way we can say that they 'conforms to' God. However, one thing different is that I don't think the Scripture says that humans should model themselves on earth. The reason why Lao Zi says that 'Humans model themselves on earth' is, I suppose, because he proposes a return to the more natural state.

God made humans superior to the rest of creation. For the Muslims, they believe that this means humans have been given everything on earth to care for and look after. Muslims see submission as a way of life. In fact, the very name of their religion, Islam, means “to submit.” For them, religion rules every aspect of life—the food that is eaten, the clothes that are worn, even the time taken for breaks at work. Nearly every phrase uttered regarding future plans begins with “Glory to Allah” and ends with “If Allah wills,” and any activity is interrupted if necessary for the five daily prayers.

So..., what about Christians (bible-beliving ones)? What's our standard? I have several points here (exhaustuve? hmm... i think the main ones should be these):

a) Conform to God's way

We should pay heed to His council and always be ready to change our own ways to conform to His. For instance, in Haggai 1 (NIV), we read:

5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." 7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.

Or as the NASB phrase it, “Consider your ways!”

Consider also Exodus 19:3-6 (NIV) which reads:

3 Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."

b) Conform to God's Law

but no..., I'm not advocating legalism. In Legalism, one believes that (1) one can use one's free will to earn the favor of God. (2) good works generated with the Spirit's help is what enables them to maintian their salvation. However, we should also not be anti-law. Legalism and antinomianism are two sides of the same coin, they are both errors. A misunderstanding of the doctrine of grace and justification, has (I think) resulted in antinomianism (anti-Law). The Gnostics, in the first centuries of the Christian era, discounted the moral law because they felt it came from the Demiurge, not the true God. (Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 57) We know this is not true, so we shouldn't commit the same mistake again.

c) Conform to God's will

Our values and standards must change to conform to God's kingdom. "What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight" (Lk 16:15). In the book of James, after encouraging Christians to submit to God, James gave these comforting words: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

d) Conform to God's holy character/ image

The bible clearly writes that Sin is anything that does not conform to God's holy character or his righteous commands (as described in the Bible). Since man is made in the personal image of God, man is a moral being whom God has given a responsibility to live in a good and ethical way.We should be holy, set apart for this purpose. What's our response? Do we want to look and live like the world or conform to God's ideal image of us? Is our self-perception based on someone else's opinion of us or God's opinion?

3.2) Why should we conform to the Dao?

All things are measured in the light of conformity with Dào, as it is the truth. Lao Zi sees the Dào as the ultimate standard of truth in all things. Jesus said in the gospel of John, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. (John 14:6, NASB) Here, we have the answer why we should conform to Dao. Though Lao Zi acknowledges the Dào as truth, he did not know who Jesus is, but it can be seen from Lao Zi’s writing Dao De Jing that Jesus as the Dao (Word Incarnate) has been acknowledged by we Chinese as the Truth more than 2000 years ago. The only difference is that Lao Zi did not know Jesus was the Dao. The Dào has always been a central concept, something of importance to the Chinese.

Here, Jesus Declares Himself to Be the Way to the Father. The three terms way, truth and life are simply linked together with "and" in the Greek (kai). But the central term is way (道路), because that was the subject of the question (vv. 4-5). Thomas had asked Jesus, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" (John 14:4-5, NASB) Jesus is the way (道路), truth（真理） and life（生命）. The second half of the verse John 14:6 speaks of coming to the Father through Jesus. A little confusing, but that's how the Trinity works.

What does being an 'Evangelical' mean?

What does being an 'Evangelical' mean? This is not a new question. However, considering that "many of evangelicalism's elder statesmen — most notably, the Rev. Billy Graham — are retiring, and a new generation of leaders is vying to define its center" [The New York Times article, "Evangelicals Debate the Meaning of 'Evangelical' "(April 16, 2006)], I think it is time again to rethink & ponder this question.

"vying"? Why should this be so? Why does it matter? Over issues like whether the movement should get involved in the debates over global warming and immigration? Or Whether evangelicalism should be a big tent, open to more divergent views, or a smaller, purer theology?

According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, evangelicals can be separated into three camps, traditionalist, centrist and modernist.

But as Donald A. Carson pointed out, "There are many people today who call themselves evangelical whom no person would call an evangelical 40 years ago." So, I suppose the categorizing by Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life is just a rough guide to helping us what's happening in evangelicalism.

Maybe, this is why some " vying to define its center" is really needed!! ... so that evangelicalism would remain orthodox!?

After the reading the article, I had this question: Which of the following issues do you think Jesus would be more concerned with? ... for me, I have no answers. It's really hard to decide! Anyone have His email, fax number, mobile phone number?? ... oops, not "mobile phone number", God is suppose to be transcendent.

• Climate change (global warming)
• Immigration issues
• fighting poverty and AIDS (such as in Africa)
• Abortion Issues
• Gay marriage
• The orthodoxy of the "emerging church" movement
• Theological liberalism in the mainline Protestant denominations
• The cultural separatism of the fundamentalist movement

... though I do not know which above issues Jesus would be more concerned with, I don't think He would be very concerned whether what we call ourselves evangelical, classic Christians or historic orthodox Christians.

Lee Strobel's Exploring the Da Vinci Code

In the blog entry "The Da Vinci Code-Some thoughts", I found 10 useful books examining the claims of the DVC. But, I missed out one! Lee Strobel also wrote a small (112 pages) but useful guide to help Christians and seekers wrestle with key issues raised by The Da Vinci Code book and movie, gently leading them toward conclusions that are consistent with historic Christianity.
Exploring the Da Vinci Code: Investigating the Issues Raised by the Book and Movie (Willow Creek Resources) (Zondervan, 2006)

Description of book: Exploring the Da Vinci Code takes you on a fascinating journey to London, Paris, and California with Lee Strobel and Garry Poole as they investigate the claims made by Dan Brown in his novel, The Da Vinci Code. It provides quick, straightforward answers to the most troubling aspects of the popular novel and major motion picture, which is scheduled to release in theatres May 19, 2006.

This outreach book is designed so readers can give multiple copies to friends, family, coworkers—anyone who may be struggling with the misconceptions fostered by The Da Vinci Code.

By the way, if one is able to form a class to discuss the issues raised by DVC, there is also the "Discussing the Da Vinci Code Curriculum Kit: Examining the Issues Raised by the Book and Movie" (Willow Creek Resources/Includes 4-Session DVD, 4-Session Discussion Guide), Written by: Garry Poole, Lee Strobel. The four sessions in the DVD address the following questions:

1. What Can History Really Tell Us?
2. Can We Trust the Four Gospels?
3. What’s the Role of Women in Christianity?
4. Is Jesus the Son of God?

This DVD-guided small group forum is designed for use with an accompanying discussion guide that includes questions, sidebar information, background material, Bible verses, and relevant quotes. Each session includes interviews with experts and concludes with facilitator Lee Strobel’s perspective.


"Give Dan Brown credit for being one of the most successful novelists of all time, but there is simply no rational reason to believe his book's audacious rewriting of Christianity."-Lee Strobel, Exploring the Da Vinci Code

Miracles(1): Its Meaning & Relevance

At the FCBC website, I found this write-up at their "Happenings" column Miracles begin with asking.

The column begin with a verse from Matthew 7:7 - 8, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Then it goes on to say that it is "Amazingly simple? Apparently yes." I don't quite get what it is meant by this. Simple to do what? "Apparently yes"to what? Does it mean that God would give us everything we ask for?

The column goes on to say this: "In the book of Acts, God provided the answers whenever the disciples of Christ prayed. From boldness in preaching (4:24) to the baptism of the Holy Spirit (8:15), and from raising the dead (9:40) to the release of Apostle Peter from prison (12:5), the disciples prayed and God answered."

While I believe the account as recorded in Acts, the use of these verses in the book of the Acts to the Apostles to prove God always answer our request is not really appropriate. A greater appreciation of the context and content of these prayers is needed. However, as I read on, it becomes a little clearer. The "Amazingly simple? Apparently yes." refers to reaching out to the multitudes. It is indeed true that "When we realise that all it takes is prayer and intercession, it stirs the little faith that we have within."

This his write-up at their "Happenings" column is actually to ask members of FCBC to tell them that reaching out to the multitudes is not difficult, members should invite 12 people to the Miracle Weekend on 24 and 25 June is just a matter of simply asking.

I agree that inviting people to Church is just a matter of simply asking, but to a "Miracle Weekend"? Does God only work on 24 and 25 June? Of course, FCBC is not alone in this, many other churches in Singapore do this. Many of the traditional mainline denominational churches are 'guilty' of this too. Do we really need miracles to convince non-believers? Doesn’t Romans 1:16 says that the gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes”. Can’t the Gospel alone converts people – brings them to faith and repentance? Doesn’t Romans 10:17 says, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." And 1 Peter 1:23-25 says, "You have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. . . . And this is the word which was preached to you." So it is true that we are born of God and converted by means of hearing the powerful word of God, the gospel.

Another article "The call for revival" I read at the Agora Forums wrote this:

God promised the outpouring of His Spirit in the last days. That means to say that, God's Spirit will be more evident in the last days. We will see more and more people, prophesying, sharing their vision, performing healing and miracles etc. When we see these things happening more and more, we can say that the Lord is coming soon and that His work is being increased so that more people will know Him and that His church will be ready for His coming. (emphasis in bold is mine)

A cursory reading of what he wrote seems to make sense, but on a closer reading, there is some problem with it. (I must say that I do agree with him on certain points. ... but whether I agree is not important! If they are biblical, they are biblical.) Yes, we live in the last days. The Bible makes it clear that the last days began when Jesus arrived. "Last Days" refers to the entire period between the first and second advents of our Lord Jesus Christ. If this were the case, we would have been hearing a lot about miracles for the last 2000 years. From Church history, we see that this is not true! Maybe, he's saying that we are living in the latter portion of the last days before our Lord Jesus returns. ... His argument that there would be more miracles is not very convincing.

"When we see these things happening more and more, we can say that the Lord is coming soon and that His work is being increased so that more people will know Him and that His church will be ready for His coming."

This statement disturbs me. Is the work ("more and more people, prophesying, sharing their vision, performing healing and miracles etc.") being increased "so that more people will know Him"? Doesn't we know God by his words alone? Isn’t the Word of God alone enough? Doesn’t Romans 10:17 says that as we hear (or read) it, it is able to develop faith in our hearts, and this it does through the evidence it presents (cf. Jn 20:30-31)? As I read, I found the writer's reasoning not only unsound but also worrying. Does this reflect the general view of Charismatic Christians in Singapore? If so, the problem is not a small one, if one were to consider their numbers. [By the way, big doesn't mean better. If one were to say that the fact that they are bigger churches means that God is blessing them, I would disagree. Many cults are also growing, for example Mormons continues its rapid growth. According to the The Charlotte Observer (February 26, 2005), Mormons are the fastest-growing church in the United States and had rose to No. 4 of the country's top 10 churches, according to annual church membership figures compiled by the National Council of Churches. In fact, Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) with a membership of 5.5 million, has even overtaken many of the country's mainline Protestant churches in terms of numbers. According to wikipedia,from 1990 to 2001, the Mormons enjoyed a numerical growth of 12.1%. Even the Seventh Day Adventist had a numerical growth of 8.4%. In the same period, Pentecostal/ Charismatics had a numerical growth of 381%. ]

Should it be used as evangelistic tool today?

1) Not simply acts designed to stir wonder in the observers

According to Charles Hodge the systematic theologian, he explained that the word "miracle" comes "from 'miror', 'to wonder', and therefore signifies that which excites wonder (Systematic Theology, Vol I, pg. 617). We know that God has worked supernaturally, but his supernatural workings, which we call miracles, are not simply acts designed to stir wonder in the observers.

2) It can't convince the stubborn and unbelieving

From the Scripture, it can be seen that Miracles are not simply acts of wonder performed to convince the stubborn and unbelieving. It should be remembered that very few conversions are recorded of the many who observed the biblical miracles. Egypt saw Moses lead his people out after the great plagues (Exodus 7:20-21;8:6,17,24; 9:6,10) and the death of the first born. They saw God appear in the pillar and the cloud (Exodus 13:20-22). They saw the Red Sea close in over their powerful army (Exodus 14:21-22, 26-28). Yet Egypt did not repent as a nation and come to a true faith in Jehovah.

Should it be used at rallies? Should it be used to convince non-Christians of God? From the above two points, I think the biblical viewpoint is a "no".

So, why did miracles occur? What is the meaning of miracles? What's its purpose?

If one were to note when each miracle took place in the bible, we can see that in each case(period), there is a clear pattern where God's plan of redemption is advanced significantly, and the truth of it is explained by direct revelation through specific chosen spokesmen sent by God. At those times, miracles were performed to authenticate the human delivering the revelation as a true representative of God.

B. B. Warfield wrote that miracles "... belong to revelation periods, and appear only when God is speaking to His people through accredited messengers, declaring His gracious purposes." (Miracles, p. 25) Geerhardus Vos explains that associated with major events in God's work of redemption, a period of special revelation occurs to explain the event. He points out that such "objective-central acts" are "never entirely left to speak for themselves; they are preceded and followed by word-revelation." (Biblical Theology, pp. 14-15)

In the Gospels, we see that it was not the miracles alone which brought men to faith. It was belief in what our Lord said. In the final analysis, one must respond by faith to the works of our Lord as writted in the four gospels. One must place their faith in the Person of Jesus Christ who came to bear the penalty for our sins and to provide the righteousness which God requires for salvation. Ultimately, it is the condition of our heart that determines our response to Jesus Christ and not the spectacular works which He performed.

In Luke 16:30-31, we read: " 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "

As B. B. Warfield (1851-1921) writes,God does not, "deal with men atomistically, and reveal himself and his will to each individual... this is the mystic's dream. It has not, however, been God's way. He has chosen rather to deal with the race in its entirety." The miracles have a larger purpose than the immediate benefits they may extend to the individuals directly involved (Miracles p. 26). (emphasis in bold is mine)

Does all this mean that God does not perform miraculous things today? Of course not. Miracles still happens today. Dr. Reymond, of Covenant Theological Seminary, writes, "I do not deny that miracles of grace and remarkable answers to prayer occur today. I do however question the occurrence today of what are referred to as genuine miracles of power." (What About Continuing Revelations... P. 43) By "miracles of power", it means the deeds done by God's power over his creation beyond the way he made it to ordinarily operate. In other words, miraculous activity and gifts, as they are being promoted today, have always been the exception and not the general rule. Historically, these signs and wonders as seen in the early church had simply ceased. There were occasional occurrences, but this was not the norm. Even giants of the faith, men like Spurgeon who experienced some phenomenal things, did not believe in the continuation of signs and wonders as they are seen in the NT.

May our Lord grant us a faith which does not rely on what can be seen(miracles), but on Him, Jesus Christ.

References:

Benjamin B. Warfield, Counterfeit Miracles. (London: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1996). pp.326.

Berkhoff, Louis, Systematic Theology. (London, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1971).

Hodge, Charles. Systematic Theology. 3 Vols. Reprint Edition. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993).

Reymond, Robert L. What About Continuing Revelations and Miracles in the Presbyterian Church Today? (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1977).

R. C. Sproul, The Last Days According to Jesus (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998).

Ridderbos, H. The Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987).

Vos, Geerhardus. Biblical Theology - Old and New Testaments. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1996.

The Da Vinci Code-Some thoughts

It has been almost three years since the 450+ page book The Da Vinci Code was published. This bestseller spins a conspiracy theory that challenges our views of Jesus and the historical church. For more than 140 weeks straight, it was on the New York Times Best-Seller List (paperback fiction).The Da Vinci Code has been translated into 44 languages and has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. It's estimated that almost a third of all Americans (100 million) have read the engrossing novel. This bestseller has also created much controversy within the Christian community. This is despite the fact that Dan Brown doesn't insist that we believe him. Rather, in a subtle way, he warns the reader that everyone is allowed their own belief system and whatever gives someone spiritual comfort should be respected. I think this is very problematic and unbiblical. When the movie is release next month, I think it would create even much buzz. ... more problematic!

About two years ago, a Christian in her early 20s (who had stopped going to Church) asked me what I thought of the novel. I said that I hadn't read it, so I couldn't comment. Since she was halfway through reading the book, i asked her to share what she had read. After her sharing(which I can't remember now!), I was a little worried. "Would this book result in her never to return to her church?" So, still unable to comment, I asked her whether she thinks what Brown wrote make sense. I think the only answer I gave was this: If the bible is errant, and Jesus is not what he claim to be, would the church have survived for 2000 years?

For 2000 years (or should I say since the creation of the world), God has been actively engaged with the world. If we were to look at even the Pentateuch, we would find that God is intimately engaged with human history. The frequently mentioned divine appearances of God in the biblical text shows this. Genesis 6:6-7 (NIV) has this: "The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." " God is intimately engaged with us as He loves us. Genesis 6:6-7 precisely describes the response of God to human sin. Grief is love's response to sin. God is no stoic; He is a person Who rejoices in men's salvation and obedience, and Who grieves at unbelief and disobedience. The purpose of God for mankind never changed. God has not been remote from His creation. If He is, his emotions would not have changed. He would rather look on as unmoved and unmovable diety, dispationately contemplating the mess it had become and would still beccome. Under the providence of God, the church had survived for 2000 years.

The controversial Episcopal Bishop of Newark (New Jersey), John Shelby Spong wrote a book Why Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers In Exile. He believes the world into which Christianity was born was limited and provincial, particularly when viewed from the perspective of the progress in knowledge and technology made over the past two millennia. This makes any ideas or beliefs formulated in 1st-century Judea totally inadequate to our progressive minds and lives today. So Spong is in exile until Christianity is re-formed to discard all of the outdated and, according to Spong, false tenets of Christianity. For me, I don't think the church is anywhere on the verge of becoming obsolete, and would not need to modify its message. No... it is not yet a "Must Change or Die" scenario, and never will be. For one who believes that God's will (His decree) cannot and does not change, I don't see any need for the church to modify its message. If there is anything to be changed, it is the worldly Christianity, a Christianity affected by the materialism, and world-view, that which Jesus repeatedly condamned. What needs to be changed is young theology students without born-again experience and spiritual life becoming pasters. What needs to be changed is our lack of love for others (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:1,13-14), as well as our lack of love for God!

In Genesis 8:21 (NIV), we see that: The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

A remote God would not sniff the "pleasing aroma" and of the sacrifice and announce a change in divine intentions. Similarly, in Genesis 11:7, the Lord said: "Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." A remote God would not deign to "Come, let us go down" to meddle in human afairs and steer the creature away from doing more harm. As one author puts it, a remote God "would hardly pin so many hopes on and invest so much energy in an unruly and rebellious crowd such as the 'the children of Israel'." In Deuteronomy 26:7-8, Abram's descendants "cried out to the LORD, the God of our fathers", and the LORD heard their voice and saw their misery, toil and oppression. "So the LORD brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders." We see that even in the Pentateuch, God "goes with" those in trouble and distress. For the ancient Israelistes, this understanding of God was essential to them. In Exodus 3:1-4:17, we saw God repeated self-diclosure of God. For 3 times, God repeats the promise of presence to Moses:"I will be with you" (3:12; 4:12, 15) We know that God's accompanying presence has not ended, He is still with us today. We know that He exists because He lives within us. DVC's claim that Jesus never claimed to be God may confuse unbelievers, but for Christians, we should know that Christ is risen, he is risen indeed. As the hymn by the Presbyterian pastor Alfred Hackley "He Lives"(UMH 310) puts it, "You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart". Are we too able to proclaim with conviction a living and present Christ? ... or are our faith too easily shaken by errorneous claims?

Maximus the Confessor (c. 580-662) believed that the way to know God was through worship and prayer rather than through trying to frame beliefs as clearly as possible in words. Do present-day Christians also think this way? From my observation, certain brands of the Charismatic movement supports this view! Yes, in worship and prayer, we can sense the presence of God, but to know God, as the Belgic Confession puts it, there are two means:

First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God: his eternal power and his divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20. All these things are enough to convict men and to leave them without excuse.

Second, he makes himself known to us more openly by his holy and divine Word, as much as we need in this life, for his glory and for the salvation of his own.

It is only when understand the bible well, that we will be able to know God. [Yes, experiences and reason are also vital (but this is a topic of discussion for another day!). ] It is only when we know the bible well that we would be able to defend our faith. John Shelby Spong said that Christianity must Change or Die. For me, I think it is more of Christians must worship God, understand the bible, pray,... or die. (of course everything is as God decree it to be) For us Christians, I think Aquinas has something which we need to and can learn from. Aquinas, in the middle of the 13th century composed a Summa 'against the unbelievers' ( Summa contra Gentiles) . His methods was to take heresies topic by topic, listing all the ways he knew of believing wrongly about each point of a systematic theology, the existence of God, the nature of God, the Trinity, Incarnation, and so on. Aquinas intended his Summa contra Gentiles to provide the Dominicans with a handy reference manual of answers when they encountered heresy. Of course, we are not Aquinas, we may not such extensive knowledge, but we can always learn. In this era where a new book is almost published everyday, and online resources is easily available, finding the required resources and llearning should never be a problem. If we are able to be prepared to give a response to unbelievers on the DVC, the DVC movie would provide us with great evangelistic opportunities.

For Aquinas, he believes there is nothing very new in heresy, the same old ideas merely reappear in new guises. In a way, the DVC is the same. The DVC raised many questions, but I think some of are:

What are some claims Dan Brown makes in his book The Da Vinci Code?
Who was Mary Magdalene?
Was Jesus Married? To Mary Magdalene?
Why should we trust the biblical accounts of Jesus and Mary?
Would Jesus Being Single be Un-Jewish?
Was the Church against women?
Was Jesus God?
Who were the key players in the Council of Nicaea?
What happened at the Council of Nicaea?
Who was Constantine?
Did Constantine suppress the earliest Gospels and invent the doctrine of Christ's divinity?
Was Constantine a lifelong pagan?
Does Mary's Honored Role as Apostle Match the Claims of the New School?
What is Gnosticism?
Do the Gnostic Gospels represent the true Christian faith which the early church sought to supplant?
Why were the Gnostic Gospels excluded from the Bible?
Do the So-Called Secret, Gnostic Gospels Help Us Understand Jesus?
Can the Gospel of Thomas be called a Gospel?
Are the cannonical Gospels the earliest Gospels? Why does this matter?
How was the Old Testament Canon formed?
When were the New Testament books written?
How Were the New Testament Gospels Assembled?
Does The Da Vinci Code deserves to be thought of as historical fiction?
Are theThe Da Vinci Code's claims about the Holy Grail, the Prior of Sion, and the Knights Templar historical?
Were Da Vinci and Isaac Newton members of the Prior of Sion?
Is the book's portrayal of the Catholic Organisation known as Opus Dei accurate?
Was Mary Magdalene ever worshipped as a goddess?
Are the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi Documents the earliest Christian records?
Do "the winners" rewrite history to suit their desires?
What Is the Remaining Relevance of The Da Vinci Code?

If one is to skim through the list of questions, one would find that many of them are not new. If one wants to know more about the DVC, some books/resources refuting the 'facts' of The Da Vinci Code are:

1) Breaking the Da Vinci Code: Answers to the Questions Everybody's Asking by Darrell L. Bock (208 pages, hardcover from Thomas Nelson) [Available in Bilingual (English-Chinese) Edition as 密码在说谎--揭开达文西密码的真相(中英双语)]

2) The Gospel Code: Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Da Vinci by Ben Witherington III (252 pages, softcover from InterVarsity Press)
3) The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code by Sharan Newman (320 pages, softcover from Penguin Putnam Inc.)
4) Cracking Da Vinci's Code (seconds) by James L. Garlow, Peter Jones (256 pages, softcover from Cook Communications)
5) The Da Vinci Deception: Credible Answers to the Questions Millions are Asking about Jesus, The Bible, and the Da Vinci Code by Erwin W. Lutzer (128 pages, hardcover from Tyndale House)
6) The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code: A Challenging Response to the Bestselling Novel by Richard Abanes (96 pages, softcover from Harvest House Publishers) [Available in Chinese as 达文西密码真相--对畅销小说的回应与]
7) The Da Vinci Code: Separating Fact From Fiction (RBC Ministries)
8) Da Vinci Response: Be Equipped with True Answers (Outreach Toolkit)

9) Is it worth believing? The spiritual challenge of 'The Da Vinci Code' by Greg Clarke (120 pages, from Matthias Media) [Extract]

10) I am also recommending the book: Faith & Fiction: The Fallacy of The Da Vinci Code and the Facts of Christianity (Armour Publishing). This is a response by Bishop (Methodist) Robert Solomon to the Da Vinci Code Controversy. If you are wondering whether it is good. Extracts are available. I would say that the book is concise but informative & useful. ... a good buy!

“Dan Brown has concocted an engaging tale of fact and fable. Bishop Solomon has retold the history story that is far grander and more beautiful than any human tale.”
Dr Scott Sunquist
Associate Professor Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, USA

By the way..., for those who dislike/lazy to read, American Christology scholar, Ben Witherington (PhD from Durham University) is also coming to Singapore for 2 nights of talk. An elder of the Methodist church and a member of the Society for the Study of the New Testament, he is currently Professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. Dr. Witherington has written over 30 books, including The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by Christianity Today. His recent book The Gospel Code (recommended above) has been described as “a much-need antidote to the history-twisting misinformation” that one finds in our culture and particularly in The Da Vinci Code. For those who read Case for Christ, he was one of the scholars interviewed by Lee Strobel.

The details are as follow:

Jointly Organised by theBible Society of Singapore and the National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) to help us separate fact from fiction.

Venue: St. Andrews Cathedral.

Public Talk 1
Date: Thursday 1 June 2006
Time: 7.45 pm-10 pm
Subject: "*The Da Vinci Code*---Historical Fiction or Hysterical Fiction?"*

Public Talk 2
Date: Friday 2 June 2006
Time: 7.45 pm-10 pm
Subject: (1) "What were Jesus and Mary Magdalene really like?"
(2) "The Reliability of the Canonical Gospels"

Admission to the talks is free. Seats are limited; do come early.

Other links:

A helpful local website with useful links/info/materials on the DVC would be: The Da Vinci Code Project

"Was Jesus Married? A Careful Look at the Real Evidence (Mark D. Roberts)

Dan Brown's official website

Not InDavincible: A Review and Critique of The Da Vinci Code (James Patrick Holding)

Redeeming the Da VInci Code (Probe)

Dismantling the Da VInci Code (Sandra Miesel)

The Da VInci Code: Fact or Fiction?

Related Suggested Readings:

Jesus & Christian Origins Outside the New Testament by F F Bruce. (Eerdmans, 1974)

The New Testament Documents- Are they Reliable? by F F Bruce. (Eerdmans, 1973)