The Dawn Treader

Our mission is simple.  To be like the men of Issachar who knew their times, and to use that understanding to be more effective ambassadors for the kingdom of Christ.

Our first assignment is to understand the Da Vinci Code phenomenon, and to think through the most effective way to ride this cultural wave of interest in church history.

Here are a few facts to ponder about The Da Vinci Code.

• 60.5 million copies in circulation
• $400 million in revenue
• Read "cover to cover" by 45 million adults in the U.S. (one out of every five)
• At the top or near the top of the New York Times bestseller for 50 weeks straight.
• It has been translated into 45 languages and is a best seller in 150 countries.
• The movie enjoyed the second largest opening (internationally) in history.
• A brand of books and merchandise $1 billion strong.
• Responsible for a 25% spike in travel to Europe
• Responsible for an increase in visits to Rosslyn Chapel : from 9,500 a year (pre 2003) to 118,151 last year.
• Visits to the Louvre up to a staggering 7.5 million last year.
• Triggered at least 10 Christian books written in direct response to this novel.
• One quarter of those who read the novel claimed it was "extremely", "very", or "somewhat" helpful in relation to their spiritual growth or understanding."  That translates to about 11 million adults.

Harry Potter was the last big book phenomenon that I am aware of ... but I think TDC has surpassed even Harry.

Two interesting surveys were done attempting to guage the impact of the book.  The first was done by the Barna Group.

This study had a couple of interesting finds.  For example, upscale individuals – i.e., those with a college degree and whose household income exceeds $60,000 – are nearly four times more likely to have read the book than are “downscale” people (i.e., those without a college degree and whose household income is $30,000 or less). 

The book certainly seems to appeal to a certain socioeconomic demographic.

A surprisingly small percentage of people's religious views were altered as a result of reading the novel.  According to the survey, that number was five percent.  Of those whose views were altered, there was three times as many women as men, and twice as many liberals as conservatives.  Five percent is small ... but given that so many have read the book, that number translates into over 2 million people.

A second poll done in the UK showed that the book had indeed had an effect on perception of reality.  For example, "those who had read the book were more likely (36 percent) than those who hadn’t read it (25 percent) to believe the church was engaged in a 2,000-year conspiracy to cover up the truth."

My own hunch is that the movie did not dramatically change people's beliefs.  Most walked away realizing that the book was a work of fiction, and that Dan Brown was a clever marketer who has made tens of millions duping the public into thinking this book is historical fiction instead of fiction fiction.

Nonetheless, the Da Vinci Code phenomenon does disclose something significant.  It reveals what many in our culture already believe about history and truth.  Namely, that we can't really know for sure what happened two thousand years ago.  Therefore, all that matters is what you believe happened two years ago ... even if what you believe, did not actually happen.

That was the most insidious part of the entire film, in my view.  Toward the end of the movie, Sophie and Langdon are talking.  Langdon says something to the effect that all that truly matters is what you believe.  Langdon has a flashback to a childhood incident where he had believed Christ was with him (at the bottom of a well).  Maybe Christ was there, maybe he wasn't.  But Langdon's belief, apparently, was what made the difference.  Such is the landscape of our culture.

Here are a couple of tactical tips.

One, don't fear the truth.  Those who are fearful of the truth give the impression that there is something to hide.  We should engage our friends in discussion about TDC with a quiet confidence rather than wide eyed hysteria.

Two, be intentional about looking for opportunities to ask others about TDC.  A simple question like "have you read the Da Vinci Code" is about all it takes to start a conversation.  It isn't that hard.

Three, know how to respond to the argument, "it is only a work of fiction, so what is the big deal?"  Several responses, "yes, except many (including the author) believe that it is fiction based on research and fact."  Or, "true, but research has shown that about five percent of those who have read the book admit that it changed their religious views, so it is being taken seriously by thousands of people."

Four, don't get bent out of shape if non-Christians disagree with Christian theology.  Our disagreement is not over whether non-Christians believe that Christ was a mere mortal or not.  Our disagreement is over the facts of history according to TDC.  Our interest is historical truth ... plain and simple.

Next up for the cryptographers.

What does history record about Christianity between the time that Christ ascended (30 AD) and the meeting at the council of Nicea in 325 AD?

The homework assignment is to (re) read The Da Vinci Code (chapters 55, 56, 58, 60).