Many thanks to some very dear friends in California for the heads up on this one: This afternoon, Reuters reported the launch of Jesus Decoded, a web site by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops disputing the central points of the best-seller novel, The DaVinci Code, and upcoming film.According to Reuters, the bishops’ group said the Web site "presents authentic Catholic teaching about Jesus and the origins of Christianity and corrects misinformation that appears in current popular media."
I looked over the site and found it gives an aggressive though basic response to the book's errors about Jesus and Christianity. A question and answer section, however, provides the potential for a growing collection of resources in response to the novel's premise and notions. Interestingly, it also provides a small section on the errors Brown made concerning Renaissance art. The site also announces a TV special:
Jesus Decoded, a new hour-long documentary that presents clear and accurate information about the person of Jesus, his disciples, and the formation of the books included in the official canon of the Bible.This film is definately bringing God-talk into open spaces. For more analysis on the novel and upcoming movie from a Christian perspective, visit The DaVinci Dialogue.
Shot on location in Israel, Turkey, and Italy, and making use of an international group of scholars versed in art, history, and Scripture, Jesus Decoded offers a solid Catholic response to “DaVinci Code believers,” concentrating especially on the first three centuries of the development of the Church. The documentary will be distributed to NBC TV stations for broadcast the weekend of May20 and it will be available to purchase on DVD and video at the same time.