National Council of Churches of Singapore
Official Statement
RESPONDING TO THE DA VINCI CODE
A Statement Prepared by the National Council of Churches of Singapore
In May 2006 The Da Vinci Code will be released as a movie in cinemas in Singapore. It is based on a book of the same name by Dan Brown.
This work of fiction makes serious allegations against the basic beliefs of the Christian faith. It asserts that the divinity of Christ was an invention of Constantine in AD 325, that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, and that they had produced a royal bloodline. These and other outlandish claims are made to sound plausible, thus confusing many Christians.
To confront Brown’s false claims and to help Christians separate fact from fiction, the National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) will be offering three talks by a noted scholar, Dr Ben Witherington III.
The details of the talks, to be held at the St Andrews Cathedral (courtesy of its Dean & Vicar) are as follows:
Pastors’ Session
Date:Thursday 1 June 2006
Time:9.30 am-12 noon
Subject:”Seizing the Teaching Moment: How the Da Vinci Code Phenomenon can be used as an Opportunity for Evangelism”
This session is open to pastors only. To attend, please register with Doreen Mohan by telephone (63142883) or email [email protected] disclosing your name, church and contact number.
Public Talk 1
Date:Thursday 1 June 2006
Time:7.45 pm-10 pm
Subject:”The Da Vinci Code—Historical Fiction or Hysterical Fiction?”
Public Talk 2
Date:Friday 2 June 2006
Time:7.45 pm-10 pm
Subject: (1) “What were Jesus and Mary Magdalene really like?”
(2) “The Reliability of the Canonical Gospels”
Each session will include a question-and-answer time. Admission to the talks is free. Seats are limited; do come early.
About the Speaker
Bible scholar Ben Witherington III is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. A graduate of UNC, Chapel Hill, he went on to receive the M.Div. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the University of Durham in England. He is now considered one of the top evangelical scholars in the world, and is an elected member of the prestigious SNTS, a society dedicated to New Testament studies. Witherington has written over thirty books, including The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by Christianity Today. His recent book The Gospel Code has been described as “a much-need antidote to the history-twisting misinformation” that one finds in our culture and particularly in The Da Vinci Code.
Do plan to attend and help publicise these talks to your congregation.
Yours in Christ’s service,
LIM K THAM
General Secretary (Hon)
