Evangelical churches across the nation are launching an aggressive effort to save souls by talking about a fictional murder mystery that many regard as blasphemous.
Pastors are setting out doughnuts and sandwiches and inviting non-Christians to come discuss "The Da Vinci Code" bestseller. They're creating hip marketing campaigns to draw nonbelievers to sermons about the thriller. They're even giving away free iPods loaded with their commentary on the novel.
Benedict XVI, partly improvising and reading off his prepared speech,
highlighted the role of the Church of Rome, “sign, criterion and guarantee of
the uninterrupted transmission of the apostolic faith” in the context of
apostolic succession. Although no reference, direct or indirect, was made to the
illicit Chinese ordinations, the words spoken by the pope today cannot but
appear to be a stress on bishops’ need for a relationship “with Peter”.
Benedict XVI dealt with the theme of apostolic succession, continuing
to tackle tradition in the Church. The pope said succession has a “personal
aspect”. It was started by Jesus, “gathering the Twelve, who represented the
future people of God”. After the Ascension and the “defection of Judas”, others
were “associated” with the Twelve and their ministry, so it would continue, and
Jesus himself “called” Paul. All of them, as the last expressly said, are
concerned with “passing on what I have received”. “Just as at first, there is a
calling and sending by the Risen Lord to the apostles, in the same way, the call
and sending of others, in the strength of the Spirit, by those who are already
inserted in the apostolic ministry, will be the way through which Episcopal
ministry is entrusted.”
Books such as Darrell Bock’s "Breaking the Da Vinci Code," a book which attempts
to answer questions surrounding the novel and Amy Welson’s
"De-Coding Da Vinci," a Catholic response to the issues in the novel, are now
being published. Documentary television shows are aired to rebuttal some of the
issues Brown’s book raises.
