by Pastor Joel Lawler

I recently traveled to Boston for a conference. As I was preparing to leave, I picked up a copy of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code to read on the plane. I know that this has been out for quite a while and that the movie has even came and went in theaters. I am most always far behind the trends by about a year or two.

If you have not read the book or seen the movie and do not wish to know the ending you are going to want to stop reading this. I bet there are few who have not heard what happens but I thought it was only fair to give a "heads up" before I go any further.

The basic premise of the book is that there has been an ongoing battle between a secret society who holds the hidden truth about Jesus Christ and the Catholic church who wants the information to never get out. The great secret that has been suppressed is that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and that they had children.

The story revolves around a college professor and a French agent who are unraveling the secret and while doing so, their lives are put into jeopardy numerous times. The story's climax is revelation that the French agent is actually a direct descendent of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

My intentions in writing this article are not to review The Da Vinci Code. I also am not going to address the inaccuracies. There are plenty of resources that serve that purpose. What I would like to focus on is the key element of the book which is the idea that the church throughout history has been abusive, manipulative and less than honest. While Dan Brown's book has very little historical accuracy, there is a reason why it is, after all it is in the fiction category, I do believe that there is some validity to his attack on the institution of religion.

When Jesus was here on earth, he spoke some very harsh words regarding the corruption of religious leaders. In the book of Matthew chapter 23, Jesus lashes out at  church leaders for "shutting the door to the kingdom of heaven in men's faces." He goes on to call them hypocrites and snakes.

The church leaders were using people's faith to manipulate people and to wield power over the masses. They had no concern for God or bringing people into closer relationship with Him. They burdened the people with excessive rules and regulations. They made it nearly impossible for anyone to feel as if they could have a relationship with God. They used guilt as a weapon to impose their will.

Unfortunately, not much has changed in 2000 years. People are abusing the name of God and twisting His message as much today as they did when Jesus confronted them. The great news is that you do not need an organization or any group of people to deem you worthy of God's approval. He came, lived a sinless life, died a horrible death and rose from the grave so that He could have a relationship with you. Upon Jesus last breath, the temple curtain ripped from top to bottom  to signify that the boundary separating us from God had been destroyed. He took all the penalty for our mistakes upon Himself so that we could come to Him and be blameless in His sight.

Seek out God and you will find Him. Do not be distracted by what others may do or not do who claim to be His representatives. No one has any greater standing in God's eyes than you do. We are all equal, wanted and loved. .
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