Dan Brown's America
This is an interesting critique not only of Brown's novels (and the new movie based on his second), but about our generalized, fuzzy, DIY religiosity. I consider myself a moderately liberal Christian but I have to say that the older I get the more orthodoxy appeals to me. Maybe I'll spend some time unpacking that. But for now I commend this op-ed piece for your edification.
I think the key word in your post is the word "OR" in the title line.
ReplyDeleteOne has to choose between either Brown's Jesus "who’s a thoroughly modern sort of messiah — sexy, worldly, and Goddess-worshiping, with a wife and kids, a house in the Galilean suburbs, and no delusions about his own divinity," (all of which sound utterly ridiculous) OR the historical Jesus of the New Testament: the unmarried, itinerant preacher who was crucified by Pontius Pilate, who rose again the third day, and who is the Son of God.
In short, the Brownian "theology" exhibited in the third through fifth paragraphs from the bottom is nothing less than heresy. While I am not easily offended by this sort of thing, I can understand how others may take offense.
I forgot to add, that the author nails my point exactly in the last two paragraphs. Brown isn't just writing fiction - he's propagating dishonesty and lies under the guise of entertainment.
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