tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283864872011-04-21T11:32:36.819-07:00This blog provides observations, analyses, and critiques about culture (mostly American culture), with special attention to films and books. Some political and religious commentary will also appear from time to time.clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14108731782738102468noreply@blogger.comBlogger61100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28386487.post-1150316927217705012006-06-14T13:01:00.000-07:002006-06-15T08:08:05.530-07:00

Pastor Gary Delashmutt is no fan of Dan Brown's mega-bestselling book, but he does have one positive thing to say about it: It has created an opportunity for more people to learn who Jesus really was. In the follow-up to his sermon last week, Delashmutt takes up this question as well as the question of whether Jesus was married.If The Da Vinci Code is to be believed, Jesus was a great, but

clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14108731782738102468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28386487.post-1149533243242189352006-06-05T11:31:00.000-07:002006-06-06T10:30:11.046-07:00

Gary Delashmutt, a senior pastor at Xenos Christian Fellowship, has a bone (actually several bones) to pick with best-selling author Dan Brown over his novel The Da Vinci Code. In his June 4 sermon, Delashmutt presented a series of arguments as to why the four gospels in the Bible have every right to be there, while the 20-27 rejected "gospels" are justifiably omitted. Before presenting his

clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14108731782738102468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28386487.post-1148863067933831372006-05-28T17:21:00.000-07:002006-06-05T12:29:57.390-07:00

I saw the movie version of The Da Vinci Code yesterday, and came away with mixed feelings -- mostly positive. Because Brown did not describe the characters in deep detail, the movie helped give some flesh and blood to them. With the exception of Tom Hanks in the role of Robert Langdon, the characters came across as quite plausible. Paul Bettany's Silas was especially strong in my opinion,

clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14108731782738102468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28386487.post-1148331644188868512006-05-22T13:05:00.000-07:002006-06-06T12:00:35.753-07:00

The Da Vinci Code is an interesting, amusing book that is prompting a great deal of discussion about the origins of Christianity and the life of Jesus. Brown does relatively little to develop his characters and his use of language is not the best. He is, however, quite clever with his plot development. There is a question or unresolved issue at the end of nearly every chapter that goads the

clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14108731782738102468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28386487.post-1148147986007475442006-05-20T10:25:00.000-07:002006-06-05T12:23:17.673-07:00

Aside from Silas, the only other Opus Dei member of significance in The Da Vinci Code is Bishop Aringarossa, who heads that organization. He is not portrayed unfavorably at all. In a flashback, we learn that he showed kindness to Silas and gave him a home after the mistreated albino was able to escape from prison during an earthquake. He actually gave Silas his name, drawing on the experience

clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14108731782738102468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28386487.post-1148046828286052712006-05-19T06:51:00.000-07:002006-06-06T11:56:10.953-07:00

The controversy surrounding The Da Vinci Code stems in part from the portrayal of Opus Dei, especially Silas, an albino monk, who kills several people over the course of the book. Silas is a fanatic, to be sure. He beats himself with a knotted rope and wears a spiked belt (called a cilice) on his upper leg, keeping it on much longer than the expected 2 hours a day. But Brown is not

clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14108731782738102468noreply@blogger.com2