The success of The Da Vinci Code and its ideas about early Christianity has resulted in substantial controversy over many of the "facts" within its pages. Not only is the novel influencing the views of non-Christian readers, it is raising difficult questions in the minds of many Christians.

Honestly, reading the book shook my whole faith. I realize that the book is fiction, but much of what he wrote about seemed like it was based on historical facts aside from the characters. Since I am not a Christian scholar I don’t even know where to begin to refute these claims. As the church holds much of the evidence that would refute the drivel in The Da Vinci Code, I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction to a book that might help me make better sense of the whole historical chain of events. If Christianity is nothing more than a big accommodation, it becomes relegated to a lifestyle choice and not a religion, which I do not want to believe.

The Da Vinci Code has proven to be an effective tool for attacking Christian doctrine and undermining the faith of those uncertain of how to respond to the many accusations leveled against the church. Sadly, it’s not surprising that a work of fiction has produced confusion among some Christians about church history and doctrine at a time when basic knowledge of the faith is so poor. It is even less surprising that non-Christian readers would be taken in by Brown’s revisionist history of the church. Fiction, especially best-selling popular fiction such as The Da Vinci Code, has become a major means of "educating" the masses about many, varied topics, but especially issues that are controversial and can be easily sensationalized. The belief that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, had children, and was not divine has existed for several decades in pop culture and can even be traced back to feminist groups in the nineteenth-century. Yet many, if not most, readers of Brown’s novel seem unaware of this — even though the novel provides the titles of several books written in the last two or three decades proposing such beliefs.

A serious question ignored by The Da Vinci Code is this: Why should the writings of the Gnostics be considered more dependable than the canonical writings, especially when they were written some fifty to three hundred years later than the New Testament writings? It’s easy for writers such as Brown, who are sympathetic to the Gnostics (or at least to some of their ideas), to criticize the canonical gospels and call many of the stories and sayings contained in them into question. But without the canonical gospels there would be no historical Jesus at all, no meaningful narrative of his life, and no decent sense of what he did, how he acted, and how he related to others.

The "Gnostic gospels" aren’t gospels at all in the sense of the four biblical gospels, which are filled with narrative, concrete details, historical figures, political activity, and details about social and religious life. Contrary to the Da Vinci Code's assertion that "the early Church literally stole Jesus" and shrouded his "human message... in an impenetrable cloak of divinity", and used it to expand their own power, the church was intent, from the very beginning, on holding on to the humanity and divinity of Christ and on telling the story of his life on earth without washing away the sorrow, pain, joy, and blood that so often accompanied it. The church fought to keep Christianity firmly rooted in history and fact "rather than the random mythologies reinvented at the whim of each rising Gnostic sage. The church was struggling to retain the idea of Jesus as a historical human being who lived and died in a specific place and time, not in a timeless never-never land." The Jesus of the Gnostic writings is rarely recognizable as a Jewish carpenter, teacher, and prophet dwelling in first century Palestine; instead, he is often described as a phantom-like creature who lectures at length about the "deficiency of aeons", "the mother", "the Arrogant One", and "the archons" — all terms that only the Gnostic elite would comprehend, hence their secretive, Gnostic character.

Excerpts from The Da Vinci Hoax:Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code by Carl E Olson and Sandra Miesel

The world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics deserve a lot of credit. Despite their religion being the target of sacrilegious lies and historical inaccuracies in The DaVinci Code and other anti-Christian works, not a single Catholic has rioted in the streets, burned down properties or killed an "infidel." And unlike Islamic jihadists, who'd kill at the drop of a satirical cartoon about the Prophet Muhammad, not a single Catholic has called for the violent death of author Dan Brown, whose best-selling DaVinci Code — now an international blockbuster movie — has spread more slanderous untruths about Jesus in 400 pages than the devil could himself in 21 centuries of work. — The Lowell Sun

What do you think is the correct Christian response to The Da Vinci Code? Has Dan Brown's book caused you to reflect on your faith?

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The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown’s best selling novel, purports to be more than fiction: it claims to be based on fact and scholarly research. Brown wants his readers to believe that he is revealing the long-concealed truth about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and early Christianity, a truth that he says has been suppressed by the malevolent and conspiratorial forces of the church. The novel alleges that there has been throughout history a secret group of true followers of a Gnostic Jesus and his wife, Mary Magdalene, the true “Holy Grail”. Almost everything most Christians and non-Christians think they know about Jesus, according to Dan Brown, is completely wrong, the result of propaganda designed to hide the truth from the world. But are The Da Vinci Code’s claims fact or just plain fiction? Is the novel well-researched as claimed? What is the truth about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the early church? Has the church distorted the real Jesus? Why is the novel so popular? USA UK Canada

The Da Vinci Codebreaker: An Easy-to-Use Fact Checker Jesus: Was he married and the father of a daughter? Mary Magdalene: Was she Jesus’ choice to lead the church until some men took it away from her? Christianity: Did it really borrow everything from paganism? Women: Did the church really kill 5 million females? The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper: Do these paintings contain secret clues? This easy-to-use fact checker provides answers to the questions readers most often ask about The Da Vinci Code. Historically and theologically correct explanations are given for the more than 500 entries that include terms, concepts, people, locations, and events. Arranged alphabetically, dictionary style, this book is a must for thoughtful readers who seek more information about the claims of the novel and film. USA UK Canada

Discussing the Da Vinci Code: Examining the Issues Raised by the Book and Movie First as a runaway bestselling novel and then as a blockbuster movie, The Da Vinci Code has fascinated millions. Its allegations against historic Christianity are colorfully portrayed — but are they true, or merely inaccurate accounts of centuries-old myths and heresies? Enjoy riveting DVD interviews with noted experts — and prepare for some lively discussions as your group explores provocative issues raised by The Da Vinci Code. This DVD-guided small group forum is designed for use with an accompanying discussion guide that includes questions, sidebar information, background material, Bible verses, and relevant quotes. Each session includes interviews with experts and concludes with facilitator Lee Strobel’s perspective. The kit includes a copy of Exploring the Da Vinci Code, and outreach book designed to be shared with friends, family, neighbors — anyone struggling with the misunderstanding fostered by The Da Vinci Code. USA UK Canada

The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code: A Challenging Response to the Bestselling Novel Nationally recognized researcher Richard Abanes, author of Harry Potter and the Bible, looks at three of the most fascinating people in history: Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, and Leonardo Da Vinci. Based on his extensive research, Abanes explores the answers to many of the questions that Dan Brown’s fictional thriller raises. Unlike other books that appear in response to Brown's riveting novel, Abanes' book is concise, inexpensive, and formated in such as way as to help Christians and non-Christians alike find the facts they need in order to form their own conclusions about the contents of Brown's volume. Each chapter of The Truth About the Da Vinci Code includes a short introductory section so readers can gain a greater understanding of the issues, then immediately provide a point/counter-point segment that details some of the most fascinating and controversial statements contained in Dan Brown's book. USA UK Canada

Cracking Da Vinci's Code In Cracking Da Vinci's Code, top Christian researchers tackle the ideas presented as historical data in the Doubleday novel The Da Vinci Code. James L. Garlow, PhD, and Peter Jones, PhD, address the growing controversies and the historical misconceptions that form the basis for much of Dan Brown’s bestseller. In their easy-to-follow style, Garlow and Jones confront what many consider the novel’s heresy with compelling evidence that supports Christianity’s foundations and exposes the possible agenda behind the fiction. Cracking Da Vinci's Code will help readers understand the roots of the modern heresy found in The Da Vinci Code — where it began, what it means — and its possible hidden agenda! USA UK Canada

The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? People are talking. The DaVinci Code has been on the New York Times best-seller list for over a year and is raising a variety of responses from Christians and non-Christians alike. Some are outraged and upset by the claims of Dan Brown, while others are left utterly confused and don't know what to believe. The DaVinci Code: Fact or Fiction? explodes the myths of the book and shows the reliability of Scripture, the divinity of Christ, as well as the historical facts for the Priory of Zion and the Knights Templar. This is the only hands-on accessible reference guide. The DaVinci Code: Fact or Fiction? helps you turn debate about the book into an evangelistic opportunity. USA UK Canada

The Missing Gospels: Unearthing the Truth Behind Alternative Christianities The Da Vinci Code has spawned a thriving cottage industry of both supporters and critics. One of Brown's more controversial assertions is that the emergence of Christian orthodoxy was based not on its merit but on the politics of the winning side. Here, Bock sums up the evangelical perspective as he challenges the idea that orthodoxy "emerged" at all. Rather, he argues, it survived its many challenges in the early centuries of the Christian church because it best reflected the thoughts and teachings of Jesus and the apostles. The author, who teaches New Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary, considers the idea that Christianity needs to be "reimagined "— reformed in the image of recent archeological and literary discoveries — to be an ill-advised attempt to rewrite history. He takes on those scholars who want to reinterpret Christianity in light of early Gnostic teachings that denied the oneness of the Father and the Son and spiritualized the gospel stories into myths. USA UK Canada

The last three years have seen a great assault upon faith in the publishing world. Titles such as Letter to a Christian Nation, The God Delusion, and God Is Not Great have hit the bestseller charts by denouncing religious belief, specifically Christianity, as both violent and socially dangerous. The Delusion of Disbelief

Discover magazine recently called Richard Dawkins "Darwin's Rottweiler" for his fierce and effective defense of evolution. Now Dawkins turns his considerable intellect on religion, denouncing its "faulty logic" and the "suffering it causes". A Christian Response to Richard Dawkins

Modern historical study of the Gospels seems to give us a new portrait of Jesus every few weeks. Why are scholars so prone to fabricate a new Jesus? Why is the public so eager to accept such claims without question? What methods and assumptions predispose scholars to distort the record? Fabricating Jesus

Is the Bible we have today trustworthy? Why were certain books included and others left out? What is the reliability of the missing gospels — such as the gospel of Thomas and the gospel of Judas — mentioned in The Da Vinci Code but not included in scripture. The Missing Gospels

The Christian apologetic of "Lord, Liar, or Lunatic," made famous by C S Lewis, has gained recent skepticism. Many modern critics of Christianity believe the biblical portrait of Jesus Christ is based on myth. Lord or Legend? puts skeptics' claims to the test to uncover the historical Jesus. Lord or Legend? Wrestling with the Jesus Dilemma