SAN FRANCISCO- In respond to the heated debate over the controversial movie Da Vinci Code, Chinese evangelicals in the Bay Area are going to hold a press conference.
Hosted by the Traditional Family Coalition (TFC) and Great Commission Center International (GCCI), a press conference with the theme "The Respond of the Christian Church to Da Vinci Code" will be held on Wednesday at 2: 00 p.m. at the GCCI office in Sunnyvale, California.
The key speakers include the chairman of GCCI and leading evangelical Rev. Thomas Wang; professor for Pastoral Ministries at the Christian Witness Theological Seminary Rev. Andy Ching; pastor from Bay Area Christian Church Rev. Jenny Chu; director of TFC Dr Bill Tam and others. The aim of this press conference is to clarify the biblical viewpoint for the movie and to defend the Gospel.
There are three key critics against Da Vinci Code as pinpointed by many Chinese pastors. First of all, Da Vinci Code alleged that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. In fact, there is no such recording in the Bible. The Bible mentioned about Jesus’s family- his mother, brothers and sisters- but not his wife. At the moment of crucifixion, the scene described Jesus entrusted his mother Mary to Apostle John.
The author of the book, Dan Brown, claimed that the Emperor Constantine rejected about eighty gospels which spoke of Jesus' human traits, and rewrote the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to make him "godlike". Many rebuke that it was not Constantine who decided that only the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were acceptable, even though he is one of the key characters in the advancement of Christianity in the history.
Thirdly, the novel alleged that "before the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet, not the Son of God." Jesus’s divinity, however, is not determined by Constantine but the Church and the apostles have recognized it from the very beginning, according to biblical references.
TFC has invited reporters from the leading Chinese newspapers in the U.S. to be presented and asked questions on the press conference tomorrow. Any other interested parties are also welcomed.
