Denver, Colo., Apr 23, 2006 / 22:00 pm
Catholic and Protestant churches in Colorado are joining forces to rebut the claims made about Christianity in the The Da Vinci Code before it hits movie theaters May 19, reported the Denver Rocky Mountain News. They say they want to counter the story's fabrications, not boycott the book or movie.
Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs is encouraging viewers to also look at resources by Christian scholars at go.family.org/davinci.
The Catholic Church wouldn't be responsible if it ignored the questions generated by Da Vinci, said Jeanette DeMelo, communications director for the Archdiocese of Denver.
“We want to make sure the truth is known," DeMelo told the newspaper.
The archdiocese launched a mega campaign to educate clergy and lay people last week through a website (www.archden.org) inviting readers to learn the facts about Church history and Opus Dei.
In coming weeks, all priests will receive a book, The Da Vinci Deception, as well as talking points for homilies. The site also lists free, two-hour workshops given in Denver-area parishes by about a dozen seminarian volunteers.
Evangelical churches also have a stake in the fight, said Kyle Fisk, executive administrator of the National Association of Evangelicals.
“Evangelicals place a high, high, high value on the role of Jesus Christ; that's our focus," Fisk told the newspaper. "We certainly have theological differences [with Catholics] but there's a lot of unity in the body of Christ right now and we recognize we have some common world views, and we can work together."
The National Association of Evangelicals is distributing materials put out by Mission America. Mission America has scheduled national conference calls with 480 pastors and church leaders to talk about the movie.