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By Paul Proctor
March 8, 2006
NewsWithViews.com
Apparently, the new feature film starring Tom Hanks, called The Da Vinci Code, will start rolling in theaters on May 19th. Articles written by alarmed Christians, challenging its heretical content, are already appearing on various news and opinion sites across the Net; and I suspect will dramatically increase in number over the next several weeks. It is, of course, a highly controversial film based on a best-selling book by Dan Brown that is sure to whet the appetites of conspiracy buffs worldwide, not to mention, fuel the already present doubts and misconceptions of those who do not know or believe the Word of God.
In my estimation, it's not really a quest for truth that will draw the mainstream to this movie but rather the marketing of excitement, adventure, crisis and rebellion, resulting in a greatly intensified polarity and outrage between Christians and the world, until a call for peace and unity goes out from the pulpits of America and a synthesized solution is offered by trained "Christian" facilitators waiting in the wings to help dispel our divisive differences and unite the "brotherhood of man."
Their solution?
Dialogue
What I believe we are witnessing is the beginning of rather a large-scale exercise in the Hegelian Dialectic, orchestrated by the-powers-that-be to ignite hostilities between the religious and the secular for purposes of uniting them on the common ground of a convoluted Christ through Diaprax. Already Sony Pictures has established a website they call "The Da Vinci Dialogue," where, according to Laurie Goodstein of The New York Times, they "will post essays by about 45 Christian writers, scholars and leaders of evangelical organizations who will pick apart the book's theological and historical claims about Christianity," many of whom come from the very heart of the church growth movement, meaning they are well versed in the dialectic process.
One such writer is the president of Fuller Theological Seminary, the birthplace of the CGM:
"Dr. Mouw, who contributed an essay on, 'Why Christians Ought to See the Movie,' said: 'It's going to be water cooler conversation, so Christians need to take a deep breath, buy the book and shell out the money for the movie. Then we need to educate Christians about what all this means. We need to help them answer someone who says, So how do you know Jesus didn't get married?'" - Laurie Goodstein
See how the dialectic works? Hypothetical questions like the one Dr. Mouw posed, shrewdly steer Christians away from faithfully proclaiming a positive to instead, foolishly trying to prove a negative, something that is extremely difficult, if not impossible to do; thereby abandoning the presentation of the Gospel and the call to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ in order to participate in conjecture and controversy that only results in diversion and confusion.
It seems it's not enough anymore to merely proclaim the Word of God to the lost as Jesus commanded. According to Dr. Mouw we must reward the writers, producers, publishers and promoters for their blasphemous books and movies with our purpose driven patronage so we can artfully engage the damned in dialogue and field their foolish and distracting questions.
"But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain." - Titus 3:9
Christians are called to proclaim God's Word, not indulge the abstract and obstinate. When we set aside the power and simplicity of the scriptures to try and artificially accomplish from without what only the Holy Spirit can do from within, we become sidelined by our own self-confidence, yielding nothing of eternal value and bringing no glory to God.
"Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD." - Jeremiah 17:5
Just for the record, I do not believe The Da Vinci Code is going to convert Christians into occultists anymore than The Passion of The Christ converted occultists into Christians. Movies do not have the capability of regenerating or degenerating hearts; they can only accentuate or aggravate what is already there. The power that transforms the lost from death to life comes from the Spirit-filled preaching of God's Word, not from the theater.
"For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." - 1st Corinthians 1:21
Like modern day church growth dramas and productions, motion pictures just manipulate feelings and emotions through a perceived reality using actors and scripts that stir the passions and tickle the ears of willing participants until the credits roll and moviegoers are forced to return to the real world in the same spiritual condition they arrived in at the ticket counter. Does this make it OK to watch films about a fabricated Jesus? Absolutely not! Only the faithless and undiscerning are enchanted by lies.
The danger that The Da Vinci Code presents is the same danger Eve faced in the Garden of Eden. Like the Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil, it is not the presence of this movie that is a threat; but rather our disobedient dialoging with devils ABOUT IT; taking our hearts, minds and attention away from God's Word and redirecting our focus toward doubts, desires and delusions until they become stronger within us than our fear of the Lord.
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." - Ephesians 5:11
The Bible does not encourage us to dialogue with devils; we are instead commanded to resist. That is accomplished by proclaiming the Word of God in the face of evil like Jesus did Satan in the wilderness, not by conversing with those who hate God's Word to try and build a relationship FIRST in hopes of persuading them into cooperating LATER. If you do not resist evil, it will not flee from you; it will only befriend you and distract you by your own willingness to engage in faithless chitchat.
"O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith." - 1st Timothy 6:20-21
While I share the indignation of my brethren over this made-for-profit monstrosity that peddles yet another flesh-friendly Jesus for the Antichrist, I have to ask: Why is the church so indignant over Hollywood's heresy and yet so passive about its own? Why is it acceptable for church growth leaders to twist and theorize their way around the eternal truths of scripture for the sake of a better attendance and offering and not acceptable for Tom Hanks and Ron Howard? I don't know about you, but I'd say The Da Vinci Code is looking more and more like poetic justice for the postmodern church; returning to it a generous portion of the same dialectic poison it's been serving seekers for years.
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." - Galatians 6:7-8
The Da Vinci Code's blasphemy is nothing new. It's just another highly promoted, celebrity-enhanced, big budget effort to discredit Jesus Christ and His Word. There can be no one-world religion until this happens. THAT is the agenda.
Even so, I believe the half-truths and heart-felt heresies being sold to seekers at church today are far more dangerous than the boldface lies blaring away down at the Bijou because they come camouflaged as "Christian" and are therefore more believable to the biblically ignorant and spiritually blind, particularity in a church setting where gullible participants go along to get along for the love and acceptance of a compromised collective.
So, with that in mind, if you're heart is set on seeing The Da Vinci Code, just put your money away and be patient. I'm sure it will end up on the big screen down at your friendly neighborhood mega church. I have no doubt that many of them will start using it to draw crowds for more dialogue.
Sin, you see, has become an evangelical tool for the postmodern church.
"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." - 2nd Thessalonians 2:12
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� 2006 Paul Proctor - All Rights Reserved
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Paul Proctor, a rural resident of the Volunteer state and seasoned veteran of the country music industry, retired from showbiz in the late 1990's to dedicate himself to addressing important social issues from a distinctly biblical perspective. As a freelance writer and regular columnist for NewsWithViews.com, he extols the wisdom and truths of scripture through commentary and insight on cultural trends and current events. His articles appear regularly on a variety of news and opinion sites across the internet and in print.
E-Mail: watchman@usa.com�
What I believe we are witnessing is the beginning of rather a large-scale exercise in the Hegelian Dialectic, orchestrated by the-powers-that-be to ignite hostilities between the religious and the secular for purposes of uniting them on the common ground of a convoluted Christ through Diaprax.
