Commentary: Da Vinci Code stands counter to Christ’s code
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The Rev. Larry Hollon |
May 19, 2006
A UMNS Commentary
By the Rev. Larry Hollon*
In a few weeks, the Da Vinci Code tempest will have passed, and we will move on to the next riveting pop culture event.
I admit that I’ve been frustrated and agitated at the historical
inaccuracies — the role of Constantine in the Nicene convocation and the
purported secret life of Jesus — and the casualness with which they’ve
been addressed by those associated with the movie and book.
For those of us in the faith community, this isn’t just a movie, and
these claims aren’t just fictional constructions. Our faith tradition is
deeply important to us, and to see it treated with what seems at best
to be casual disregard and at worst outright exploitation is offensive.
However, the faith will endure despite the novel and movie. And as
concerned as I am about the historical and theological distortions of
the Da Vinci Code, I’m also interested in how these media are affecting us and how the faith community is addressing this influence.
No doubt, the controversy pleases the production company and the author.
They hope it means the cash register will be ringing. The call to
boycott the movie probably encourages more people to attend than stay
away.
My concern extends beyond the specific distortions of the book. Thomas de Zengotita in Mediated: How the Media Shapes Your World and the Way You Live in It,
writes that in a “mediated” society, there is always something else
coming down the pike and, therefore, we don’t spend a great deal of time
getting to the heart of any matter because we know the subject will
change soon enough anyway.
The media present us with options so relentlessly and frequently that we
know we’ll be moving on even as we enter into the experience at hand.
Even the news moves quickly from the serious to the absurd, giving each
equal attention.
De Zengotita says this distorts our view of reality. I would add that it
trivializes virtually everything. “It doesn’t matter. The story will be
changing soon anyway.”
 What
forms our spiritual and intellectual landscape today are snippets of
this flood of changing storylines, which are so numerous their influence
individually is muted and their overall influence is what de Zengotita
identifies as “The Blob.” “The Blob” is the media environment that
processes the stories. It’s the media swarm that occurs in every
important story — and some not so important — and absorbs, digests and
then moves on. He says it’s elastic and can absorb anything in its path.
So what concerns me about the influence of the Da Vinci Code is
the trivialization and indifference it will finally generate. After the
controversy has run its course, will we be any further along in creating
a more humane and compassionate society? Will we have a stronger
understanding of justice and equity, the real ingredients of a code of
life that are rooted in Jesus’ teachings?
Or will this story move us, as all others, into trivialized
indifference? This, in my view, is the real challenge this tempest
presents to us. How, as responsible, committed people of faith, do we
continue to move forward with the authentic code of morality that is at
the heart of commitment to Jesus?
This code calls us to feed the hungry, work for justice and peace, and
tend to the environment with care. This is a call to a life commitment,
not a passing engagement with a movie or a book. It’s a call that stands
counter to indifference and bemused tolerance of anything and
everything.
It stands for something, and that something is that this is a good
creation we’ve inherited and we must care for it well; the gift of life
is an opportunity to seek a life of quality, meaning and purpose, and we
won’t find that in this half-baked treatment of Jesus in a conspiracy
novel and movie sequel.
Those who are using the movie for a teaching moment are doing the right
thing, and I applaud them. I agree that we must be involved in the
popular culture.
But I also know that after author Dan Brown has been to the bank to
check on his latest balance, the poor will still be with us, people will
still be suffering in Darfur, innocent Iraqis will still be dying in
the streets, the folks down the street from our building will still be
sleeping under the bridge, and 40 million Americans will be without
health insurance.
This is real and it begs for our attention, and that’s where Jesus is in
this culture of distraction. He is where it matters. Where people live
and die, suffer and celebrate, and are searching for a life that is
authentic and of substance.
The life of faith is about engagement, not diversion and indifference.
It’s about knowing what matters.
*Hollon is general secretary of United Methodist Communications.
News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Related Articles
NCC says 'The Da Vinci Code' is 'an opportunity to teach'
Da Vinci Code can open door for faith-talk
Enjoying (but not falling for!) ?The Da Vinci Code?
Resources
Da Vinci Code Resources
The Da Vinci Code Study Guide
The Da Vinci Code Website
Larry Hollon Weblog
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