Mr. "of Vinci" and His Magic Decoder Ring

First, let me just say that his last name isn't "Da Vinci" any more than the Apostle Paul's last name is "of Tarsus."

He's Leonardo, "of" or "from" Vinci. It's a place.

Just to be clear, we're talking about this guy:
(Leonardo of Vinci)

Not this guy:
(Leonardo of DiCaprio)

or this guy:
(Leonardo of Ninja Turtle)


I believe that the best way to help those who have read the book and/or who will see the movie, to understand the sheer goofiness of the author's challenges to the Bible and authentic Christianity is simply to point them to secular sources like the History Channel, PBS, and the Discovery Channel. Those guys have done a pretty good job of ripping the story as being pretty much a work of total, not partial, fiction. Pretty fun, fast paced, thriller fiction, but fiction nonetheless.

But I know that there have been some who have responded to the "Of Vinci Code" with a statement like:

"Of course it's a work of fiction, but it does raise some interesting questions..."

So for these and for those who would have conversations with these, I offer the following links as a public service announcement. It's just for starters, because there are now officially one gazillion responses and to Mr. Brown's novel and upcoming movie....

• A variety of links from "Pastors.com"
  

• Great Article from the Dallas Morning News by Jeffery Weiss, but you need a free subscription to read it.
  

• "Breaking the DaVinci Code" in Christianity Today

• 5 Big Questions From The Da Vinci Code, also from Christianity Today
  

• Why I Can Trust The Bible - Faith Facts
  

• And if you're really into it and just can't get enough, I've heard great things about this book, "Breaking the Da Vinci Code" by Darrell L. Brock, Phd.

• And if you're still really into it and can't get enough, but don't want to buy a book, Midwestern Seminary has MP3's, PDF's and other letters and numbers that you can download here.
  

But please, if you are a Christ follower, don't freak out, boycott, or anything like that. Just see it as a great opportunity to grow more deeply in your faith and for helping other people understand the Truth.

As for the decoder ring?* I can't help but think of a cartoon I saw the other day that said, "These conspiracy theories are a smoke screen to hide the incredible truth!"

* There is no decoder ring in the "Da Vinci Code." You'll need to check your box of breakfast cereal for that.