Faith in Film — The Da Vinci Code

Tonight we'll take a look at the 2006 film, "The Da Vinci Code."

Discussion Questions:
1. Did this film work for you? Why or Why Not?

2. What is the theology of “The Da Vinci Code?” What does the film say about who Jesus is?

3. How does the Christian worldview differ from the viewpoint of this film?

4. Why do you think people have such a hard time believing Jesus is the Son of God?

Thoughts:

This film, directed by Ron Howard and based on the novel by Dan Brown, was a worldwide phenomenon. It was also a source of contention between the Christian community and filmmakers, leading to a number of boycotts. The contention in the film centers around the quest in this film by its central character, Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks). Along with French police officer Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) and Professor Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen), Langdon is searching for the Holy Grail.

But it’s not just the search that creates the tension between the religious community and filmmakers, it’s the nature of the search. Previous films have tackled the subject of the Holy Grail, but none have ever done it in quite the same way. In “The Da Vinci Code” the Holy Grail is a person — the last remaining descendant of Jesus Christ — and his or her existence is the proof needed to undermine the foundation of Christianity.

So what makes "The Da Vinci Code" unique is not that it's a quest for the Grail, but its take on the person — and more specifically the divinity — of Jesus Christ. That's also what made the protests about the film interesting. There are two ways in which some Christians erred, I believe, in protesting the film. The first is in saying it's an "Atheistic" film, which it's not. Second, they denied that some of the texts mentioned in the film exist. They do exist.

Those errors make Christians look ignorant, which we can't afford to be when confronting the kinds of inaccuracies presented in "The Da Vinci Code." To me, it's an example of needing to understand our own faith, understand history, and truly analyze arguments before weighing in. Sadly, that too often doesn't happen.

What "The Da Vinci Code" does is deny the divinity of Jesus Christ. It never says he didn't exist or wasn't an important historical figure, to the contrary it uplifts that. I also think the film is sneaky in its acknowledgement of God and/or the importance of faith. It just holds up the idea that Jesus was a wise, moral teacher, not the Son of God.

It's a more complex and refined argument, one that needs to be countered with knowledge and the truth. That didn't happen in those protests of the film, and that's a shame. "The Da Vinci Code" is an OK movie that presents a controversial viewpoint. But it does start a conversation. As the church, we need to be there to enter into that conversation.