Dan Brown tells a good story and everyone loves a mystery. Put these ingredients together, mix in a bit of history, ancient and secret rituals, claim that your novel is based on truth, and, oh yes, scandalize Christ in the process, and you have the makings of a runaway best seller.
The premise of Brown’s novel is that the Roman Catholic Church has lied about and covered up the true identity of Jesus. It seems, according to Brown and his Gnostic resources, that Jesus was a mere mortal. He married Mary Magdalene and fathered a daughter before He was crucified. Understandably, if the “true” story of Jesus leaked out it would destroy the Christian faith, hence the great coverup. But now, the “truth” being hidden for two millennia is in danger of being exposed.
While Brown’s half-truths, guesswork and blasphemy is supported by virtually no historical evidence, many will be caught up in Brown’s web of deceit. The reader would have to wonder if Brown’s real agenda was more than selling books and instead undermining the faith of many. And while millions have read the novel, a soon-to-be-released movie starring Tom Hanks and produced by Ron (Opie) Howard (a couple of good ol’ boys) will introduce Brown’s heresy to millions more.
For those who want to deal more deeply in the fallacies of The DaVinci Code read Darrell Bock’s Breaking the DaVinci Code or Erwin Lutzer’s The DaVinci Deception.