Some day, in the not too distant future, we will have all forgotten about The Da Vinci Code book and movie. The Bible and the church of Jesus Christ will continue on.

Due to the fact that I have written two books regarding The Da Vinci Code (co-authored Cracking Da Vinci's Code with Peter Jones [Victor Books, 2004] and The Da Vinci CodeBreaker, a dictionary co-authored with Timothy Paul Jones and April Williams [Bethany House, 2006]), I have done approximately 15 national TV shows and several hundred radio and print journalism interviews. People Magazine quoted me as saying, in effect, “long after The Da Vinci Code is forgotten, the Bible will still be the most read book around the world.” And I still believe that.

However, Bible reading will regretfully not be the only thing around “post-Da Vinci.” What will life after Da Vinci be like? What will be the enduring issues that will outlive The Da Vinci Code book and movie? It is all too obvious.

The Da Vinci Code “dumped” onto the popular culture terms and phrases that were previously only discussed in seminary and graduate school classrooms and hallways. Terms or phrases such as The Gospel of Philip or The Gospel of Thomas or the document Q or Nag Hammadi Library or The Gnostic Gospels all were limited to discussion in educational centers. Now these words are thrown around by the water cooler at work, or over a latte at Starbucks, and by people who have no knowledge of their meaning except what Dan Brown has told them about it.

Questioning truth
The “permission” to regard the Bible as suspect is not new. It is old. But Dan Brown has made it widespread considering (as of latest figures) that 42 million books have sold in 43 languages, and a blockbuster movie is around the corner.

Elaine Pagels (of Princeton) long predated Dan Brown's writings with The Gnostic Gospels, as have many other less academic authors. So the attacks on the Bible are not new. But the “breadth” of these attacks is new.

Examples needed? Look at the bestseller lists. Michael Baigent (who sued Dan Brown for plagiarism and lost) is touting his new book The Jesus Papers, which on the cover makes this claim: “Exposing the Greatest Cover-Up in History.” Baigent claims that Jesus’ resurrection was staged.

The back cover of The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury has this revealing quote: “It has served us well, this myth of Christ.”

Javier Sierra's The Secret Supper has some similarities to the Dan Brown myth that Leonardo's famous Last Supper contains “a baffling—and blasphemous—message…” And the figures in the painting? They are, Sierra maintains, well know heretics. So goes the claim.

And then there is the movie, The God Who Wasn't There. The back cover of the DVD case reads as follows: “This taboo-shattering documentary… irreverently lays out the case that Jesus Christ never existed. Hold on to your faith. It's in for a bumpy ride.”

Add to these, academician Bart Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus, subtitled The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why. In the first chapter, Ehrman leaves no doubt that he has abandoned his evangelical past since the Bible is only a “human” book.

With all these books and movies, will you have trouble holding onto your faith? I hope not. But what about your family members, friends and coworkers?

In those cases where people do lose their faith, the problem may not be merely “weak faith.” The problem may be a weak understanding of church history. If everyone knew church history, no one would take The Da Vinci Code seriously. And that is the heart of the problem. They don't. And possibly you don't either. So what are you going to do about it? The answer is simple. Do your homework.

A strategy for evangelism
How do we prepare for The Da Vinci Code, or more importantly The Da Vinci Code “aftermath?” What will be the enduring issues during and after “Hurricane Da Vinci?” And what is your strategy for dealing with these issues?

May I propose a “Four-Phase Strategy” for the immediate timeframe? First, read Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Obtain books and tapes which explain the truth about the key issues.

Second, form a study group with some believers. Read the books that can prepare you how to answer the questions that The Da Vinci Code raises.

There are six things that every believer should know before they go to the movie. You should know how to refute Dan Brown's portrayal of: (1) the church's understanding of females, (2) the church's understanding of sexuality, (3) Jesus, (4) the church, (5) the New Testament, (6) God.

Third, go to the movie with an unbeliever. Do not go with other believers. (Note: If you sense that you should not go to the movie, then don't. I feel led by God to go— so long as I go with unbelievers.)

Fourth, throw a “Da Vinci Code Party.” What should you do at that party? Cover the exact same topics you covered in the second step—the six things that are misrepresented in The Da Vinci Code.

So far we've been talking about the timeframe around the movie's release. What about the future? Here comes some good news. If you will spend some time studying such things as the evidences for the divinity of Christ and the authenticity of the New Testament now, then you will be ready for the ongoing onslaught of attacks upon the Scripture.

Thanks, Dan Brown
It is at this point that we owe a debt of gratitude to Dan Brown. He has caused the church to study harder, to learn more and, thus, be able to defend itself better. I once wrote an article entitled Dan Brown's Gift to the Church. What is the gift? That we learned our story better—much better!

The Da Vinci Code will pass away. The book will soon be sitting on shelves gathering dust. The movie will have run its course.

But more attacks will come. And (this is the good news), we (the church) will defend the truth better. We will be more calm, more confident, less argumentative, more winsome and more compelling. Why? Because we went through “Hurricane Da Vinci,” and not only survived, but thrived. Yes, Church, there is life after Da Vinci.

Dr. Jim Garlow, speaker, radio commentator, author of Cracking Da Vinci's Code and The Da Vinci CodeBreaker, is pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in La Mesa, Calif.

Log on to jimgarlow.com for a downloadable study, books and various other resources related to The Da Vinci Code.