Talking in Code (Hugh Hewitt on Da Vinci conversations)

The DaVinci Dialogue ^ | Hugh Hewitt

[Choose Ye This Day]

So you hear a friend, a roommate, a colleague or even a child or spouse enter into a discussion of The Da Vinci Code, and you realize pretty quickly that he, she or they aren't treating the book as a novel --a somewhat frenzied but still entertaining thriller-- or a movie that may or may not be a fun couple of hours at the theater, but rather as a work of history. You hear them treating fiction as fact. What to do?

That depends on whether you are in fact prepared to persuade them that the story is just that --a story. Even if you are a trusted and even influential figure in their lives, don't expect a simple assertion on your part to end the debate or persuade your listener that Jesus wasn't married, Leonardo Da Vinci wasn't in on the big conspiracy, or that Dan Brown isn't a New Testament or Church history scholar. The Roman Catholic Church takes a particular pounding in the novel, and the unchurched might leave the film thinking that what they had always thought was a fine institution marked by the occasional failures that mar even good efforts to serve God is in fact a sort of criminal syndicate with better costuming. To succeed in an argument on any of these points --to actually persuade as opposed to parade-- you need to be prepared.

After sixteen years as a broadcast journalist and columnist, and having conducted more than 10,000 interviews, I know persuasive argument when I hear it. In just the last year we have seen two sets of hearings on two different Supreme Court nominees which worked to their advantage because first Chief Justice Roberts and then Justice Alito patiently and carefully answered every question and respectfully addressed the concerns of their questioners. Though neither man allayed the doubts of every critic, each did win confirmation handily and persuaded healthy majorities of the public that they were qualified to sit on the Supreme Court.

I don't often hear persuasive argument, but no matter the subject, and no matter how high or low the passions involved, such conversation depends on three things:

First, that you actually have heard what the opposite side has said or is saying.

Second, that your address their specific claims calmly, thoroughly and preferably with some sympathy for the almost universal desire not to be embarrassed. If you want to persuade, you will have to be very careful not injure the pride of the opposite party.

Third, you need some undisputable facts backed up by some easily accessed sources so that your debate partners won't have to take your word for it.

The release of The Da Vinci Code provides a unique opportunity to discuss the person of Jesus Christ with many people who would otherwise never welcome the opportunity. Which is why savvy Christians welcome the hoopla around both the book and the film: It will launch a million conversations, and if you are prepared, those conversations will have a vital and long-lasting --even eternal-- impact on their lives.

Unprepared, you can confirm the worst stereotypes about Christians as intolerant and ignorant.

So, with that in mind, here are the three rules applied briefly to the story of the book and the movie.

First, the central premise of the story is that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. This may be the subject of most discussions, but it may not be the exclusive focus. Try to hear why your friend etc is interested in the movie, and to sort through their various reactions. If possible, try and focus on one of them, preferably this idea of Jesus getting married.

The second step is to state what is the truth: While the Bible doesn't exclude the idea that Jesus was married, it is very, very improbable given the texts and the scholarship. A beginner's guide to this argument is found at MarkDRobert's website, and Roberts' credentials as a careful scholar are unassailable. Openness to having the conversation rather than dismissive certainty will go a long way towards engaging everyone in the conversation. Pointing to a source with details and a demonstrated breadth of learning is a sign of security and an invitation to go deeper. "A lot of folks have been raising these very issues, and they seem to agree this is a site with a great deal of knowledge," is the sort of style that could lead to persuading someone that the central claim of Dan Brown's story was in fact a nice premise of a fictional thriller --and nothing more.

This is also an opportunity to ask your friend etc if they have read even a couple of chapters of Scripture, say the Gospel of John and the Acts of the Apostles so that they can at least have some common ground with you. Two chapters isn't a lot to ask, and if you have been listening and responding in a winsome way, you'll probably get an assent to that.

Finally, though I have already suggested one online source --and you are reading this column online at a site devoted to persuasion-- you may want to have ready Ben Witherington's The Gospel Code: Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Da Vinci. This is the best of the books responding to the folks who have taken a novel and turned it into a cult, and at around 10 bucks, may even be worth having a couple around if you run across that devotee who has turned a film into fact. Whether it is the discussion of The Last Supper or of Opus Dei, here's a one-stop guide to sorting out the new story's leaps of faith and logic from the true story.

It won't be hard to use the release of The Da Vinci Code to once again re-educate Americans on the real claims made by the Gospels, but it will require believers willing to do their homework and to enter into the conversation.

"I've read your book. Will you read my two chapters?" To borrow from the end of another movie, Casablanca, that could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

[Choose Ye This Day]

The movie hoopla is already starting. Many people will have questions. Forewarned is forearmed.

[bornacatholic]

Hewitt is great. He deconstructs folks like Helen Thomas and drives them mad just by asking simple questions. Check his website for his interview with that crackpot.

[Choose Ye This Day]

I heard that one.

"Who are you? Are you a journalist?" I loved it. Imagine the affrontery! The distingushed grande dame of the DinoMedia getting skewered by some talk show host/blogger! How uncouth! How ignoble!

The media elites are so cute when they realize they're endangered.