If you thought you'd heard the last from detractors of Christianity after the movie The Da Vinci Code faded out of theaters, think again. It seems their mission never rests. The most current installment of their efforts to deceive the world has come in the form of a purported archaeological discovery.
About 27 years ago, during the construction of an apartment building in the Talpiyot neighborhood of Jerusalem, construction crews chanced upon a tomb containing six ossuaries, or stone boxes for human bones. The ossuaries are purportedly inscribed with Jewish names that were common for that place and time, some of which are apparently not very clear.
The Discovery Channel, and its accomplices in this latest attack on the truth of Jesus Christ (James Cameron of Titanic fame, and lightly-regarded movie director Simcha Jacobovici) claim the inscriptions on the boxes say "Jesus, son of Joseph," "Mary," "Joseph," "Matthew," "Maria the Master," and "Judah, son of Jesus." They insist that Maria the Master really refers to Mary Magdalene and on that basis, conclude that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and had a son. Apparently, they commissioned certain "scientific" studies that they believe bear out their claims.
Interestingly, an additional "James Ossuary" somehow "surfaced" (whatever that means) apparently in another location and is not only claimed to be from the same tomb, but to contain the bones of a brother of Jesus. Israeli authorities have pronounced it a forgery and are prosecuting its owner. Jacobovici made a 2003 film on the forgery. So of course, to keep from losing credibility, he maintains it's real.
Do you need any more background to realize that these claims are nothing more than desperate attempts to garner more fame and fortune for those involved? In fact, their agenda, particularly in maintaining patient silence for 27 years while they worked behind the scenes, was to develop a significant money-making project in the form of a book and documentary film.
But you have to ask, "Why did it take so long to develop these projects, and why come out with them now?" Here's what I think. They understood their book and movie projects relied on such specious and intellectually dishonest arguments that they formed serious doubts as to their likelihood of commercial success. However, having seen the commercial success of The Da Vinci Code, fueled largely by the atheist and humanistic movements, and the wishful thinking of those whose consciences may be bothering them, they chose to piggy back on that success and hedge their bets that the world didn't get enough the first time.
Never mind that world-renowned archaeologists, anthropologists and scholars from all walks of life, including non-Christians with no real stake or interest in the promotion of Christianity, summarily dismissed it as hogwash and denounced it as a publicity stunt. And never mind that the Discovery Channel and its filmmakers chose to ignore and scorn the legitimate archaeological methods normally employed in such discoveries, including the ensuing tests for validity and peer-reviewed scientific writings. Instead, they commissioned secret testing and held a news conference to announce their movie.
In fact, the detractors ignore all sense of fact and reason in reaching their conclusions, including the facts that Jesus would probably not have been buried in the rock-cut tomb of rich families, in Jerusalem, and with an inscription bearing a first name and father's name. Instead, as a Galilean, Jesus would have been buried in a common grave, in Nazareth, and with a first name and home town inscription. This is what we are told by experts in the field. But, it seems our latest Christian haters considered them minor details that could be ignored.
You may be tempted to think, at first blush, that with nothing more than a few boxes with bones and unclear inscriptions, this latest effort to challenge the divinity of Jesus Christ and the facts of his life, are relatively harmless and will go nowhere. After all, The Da Vinci Code was presumably based on much more research and evidence, if no less blatant hyperbole.
But here's why these claims are dangerous in every way. The filmmakers intend to suggest that Jesus never rose from the dead and the Holy Scriptures are completely mistaken about the true life of Christ as a man. With that in mind, they intend to further suggest that Christianity is entirely based on a lie and therefore, an illegitimate faith. So, they aren't merely unscrupulous opportunists, they espouse a distorted view whose goal it is to destroy the faith of many and popularize the religion of self, fame and fortune.
We could ignore this, knowing the truth about Jesus, and understanding not only the sweetness of our faith, but also the power of God in our lives. We could turn the other way, realizing that God is all-powerful and will not be mocked. And we could go about our lives, feeling secure in the realization that God Himself metes out justice.
But the truth is that, if there were a vulnerability in the Christian faith, it would be the unwillingness of disciples to speak out. The evil one commands his minions to lie to the world by suggesting that we should be concerned about what the world thinks and how we will be viewed if we stand up to the popular culture. Now you know where that little voice that tells you there is no real concern or urgency comes from.
Many of the faithful will admirably take on this debate and expose the Discovery Channel and its accomplices for the Charlatans they really are. But there is something that every faithful Christian can do, even if it doesn't involve the high-minded world of archaeology, history and religious debate. We can share our faith. We can start new churches. We can take the good news of the gospel to the far ends of the world like never before.
We can go! And we can open our mouths. We can proclaim the truth of Christ and show the fruit of God in our own lives. There will always be those who can't or won't escape the pseudo-intellectual lure of this issue. And many simply can't separate fact from fiction. Unfortunately, some of them will fail to experience the grace of Jesus Christ. But most people respond to the miracles in their lives and the changes God brings, which they never before thought were possible.
This is where we can and should make a difference. I teach my children that if we don't stand for something, we fall for everything. So, the best way to counter the misguided, ill-intended detractors of Christianity is to stand for something. Stand for the truth of the gospel. And do it by sharing your faith and helping to powerfully and forcefully advance His kingdom.
Our children are watching, so it's absolutely essential that we give them the right example. Aside from ignoring the upcoming book and movie, unless you approach it as pure fiction, which it is, the best thing we can do is to live out the Great Commission. Go! And make disciples!
(For more on the story this posting is based on, go here: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/26/AR2007022600442.html)
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