May 19, 2006
Actor Tom Hanks, who stars in the controversial movie The Da Vinci Code, is encouraging pastors to use the film to share the Christian faith. “If [churches] put up a sign saying: ‘This Wednesday we’re discussing the gospel,’ 12 people show up. But if a sign says: ‘This Wednesday we’re discussing The Da Vinci Code,’ 800 people show up,” Hanks told Entertainment Weekly. “I think the movie may end up helping churches do their job.”
The film—and the novel that inspired it—is seen by many believers as an attack on Christianity, with its specious claims about Jesus’ alleged marriage to Mary Magdalene. But others say the release of the movie is an opportunity to dsicuss the truth about Jesus. In a recent Leadership magazine poll, more than half of church leaders said they are offering classes, seminars, or sermons on The Da Vinci Code.