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Is this the same DaVinci who painted the "Mona lisa?"

Yep, that's the one. The book even claims that the Mona Lisa has some religious connotations, but those claims are not historically-supportable. If you read through the material on the link I provided, it addresses that, plus a bunch more.

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I wouldn't be surprised if it tried to have some spiritual connotations. My reasons are historically based on the fact that Leonardo DaVinci was one of the painters who competed with Micheangelo to paint frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, was one of the great men of science of his time. In his drawings is even included a sketch of a helicopter!!!!

Yep!! It looks like the gays have been digging their nails at the Church for quite al long time now, all the way to Sodom and Gomorrah. Do you know that that woman in the Mona Lisa is actually the face of Leonardo himself????? Maybe, the wife of the Florentine Francesco del Gioconco looked like him, but, even then, why choose to paint this portrait, unless he himself enjoyed seing himself dressed as a woman???

Eric, I can completely relate to your reluctance. But if this pastor really does debunk the book's claims and uses Scripture to do so, this could be a big outreach opportunity for your church, drawing in people who would normally never go hear actual Scripture being preached.

This book is huge. It's been number one on the best-seller list for months. I just went to the Barnes & Noble, where it was right up front, along with an earlier, similarly heretical book by the same author. Other heretical books like the "Bloodline of the Holy Grail" series are getting new press because of this book. I know what you mean that it's probably peaking, but I don't think we should miss an opportunity to disabuse some of its millions of readers of the notion that it contains the truth about God.

Dawn, you're probably right. I've paid absolutely no attention to the book, and I'm sure I've failed to grasp its potential impact on people both inside and outside the Church.

You're probably right that seminars discrediting the book will, inevitably, generate some additional interest. I think I can understand your distaste for that. Every person who buys a copy of the Mr. Brown's fabricated facts at retail, does, indirectly, enrich the author.

So why bother? The best reason is because it's very unwise to let a falsehood go unchallenged, particularly one that masquerades itself, however indirectly, as "fact". I don't think it's an exaggeration to say the Christian faith in the US is currently at the center of an undeclared, but very real "culture war". It hasn't gotten to the overt levels seen in China, at least not yet.

There's a lot of political, economic, and (yes) religious groups who would love to utterly discredit Christianity, to marginalize it and its followers into embarrassed obscurity. Positive reviews to factually incorrect material (like the one given Mr. Brown's book on Amazon) is one of the best ways the media aids these efforts. Suddenly a religiously or politically slanted work is "important" or "exhaustively researched", to use Amazon's words. That's the same as saying it's largely or completely "fact".

If allowed to remain unchallenged, anti-Christian forces will feel entirely justified in citing the book's "facts" during a debate.

You see, this has already happened not once, but twice before with similar groups deeply embattled in a very different "culture war". Firearms ownership advocacy groups have been dealing with the media's promotion of "important" books and lately movies for close to 30 years. The media lauded the lies advanced by author Michael Bellesiles as correcting the "myth" of firearms ownership in Colonial times.

I'm sure everyone is familiar with film maker Michael Moore and his movie "Bowling For Columbine". What most people don't know is that Moore deliberately falsified most of his facts and spliced footage to present his "documentary". The media rewarded his efforts with glowing reviews and the final stamp of legitimacy, an Oscar. There hasn't been one mainstream exposé on Moore's fabrications. Not one.

Isn't it so peculiar that a movie like "The Passion" has been constantly attacked on the grounds of historical "accuracy" and there hasn't been a peep about "Columbine"? Funny thing.

A lot of the people attending the seminar most likely have read Mr. Brown's book and some haven't. Everyone is attending the seminar to see what the commotion is about. Guess what's going to happen after they attend and discover the book is bunk?

A lot of them are going to feel very stupid for paying $24.95 full retail for a hoax. A bunch more are going to be very glad they didn't!

Maybe some of them will, in fact, pick up the book on clearance and, yes, Mr. Brown will get some benefit from that.

At the same time, those people are going to read the book in an entirely different manner. They're going to know what's historically incorrect and their faith will likely be stronger for it. At that point, Mr. Brown's book is going to be nothing more than an innoculation against a spiritual "disease".

Best of all, they'll be able to speak with authority on the subject when it comes up in conversation, completely undermining the position of the book's fans.

The whole point is to never, ever allow a lie to stand unchallenged. If handled properly, a good debunking NEVER gives an air of legitimacy. Just the reverse.

The whole point is to never, ever allow a lie to stand unchallenged. If handled properly, a good debunking NEVER gives an air of legitimacy. Just the reverse.

I think that's a great summary of the goal of this gathering, and I also agree that it's a worthy endeavor, from that respect. Perhaps I was hasty in decrying the use of worship time for such a purpose. Thanks for helping me get my perspective back on straight!

[Ever think about starting up a blog? I'm afraid your excellent insights aren't getting the attention they merit when they're buried in the comments section of this humble publication.]

"Perhaps I was hasty in decrying the use of worship time for such a purpose. Thanks for helping me get my perspective back on straight!"

Touché, Eric! Point taken.

I should have asked for clarification of these key points:

"I'm still struggling a bit with the appropriateness of devoting a worship service to such a topic."

...Sunday evenings in Baptist churches have traditionally been used for messages that are perhaps more educational than evangelical (at least, that's my observation)."

I was under the impression that when you said "Sunday services", this took place directly after, not during, the actual service. It was ignorance, in the literal sense, on my part. I took you literally when you said it was a "seminar". *Frankly, Freen feels foolish!* (running Four Word Film Review gag)

You're absolutely right. The service is a time to worship God, it should have no other focus. The sermon's goal, I believe, is to relate God's message to the world in which we live. The danger of course is allowing that goal to become overly secularized, overly politicized, or to dominate all other aspects of the service.

The sermon isn't a seminar, nor should it be used as such. A post-service event or a separate event altogether would serve the purpose much better.

...blog? Me? I wish I had the time...

Okay I admit it... I wish I had the talent, too.

I wasn't aware that "excellent" had become a synonym for "verbose". :p

Besides, you've got one of the best blogs out there! The content and your insights on it are terrific.

In a sense, blogs like yours are what the evening news should be: a look at what's going on through the perspective of a thoughtful commentator.

That's probably why I'd rather spend an evening reading your blog than watching Peter Jennings or Ted Koppel.

Hell will freeze over before the mainstream media EVER approaches the news like The Fire Ant Gazette.

Besides, you've got one of the best blogs out there! The content and your insights on it are terrific.

OK...now you're just scaring me! ;-)

That's probably why I'd rather spend an evening reading your blog than watching Peter Jennings or Ted Koppel.

Not sure how much of a compliment that is. I'd rather spend an evening reading my blog than listening to those guys (especially Jennings). But, thanks anyway.

There's been a lot of discussion of Brown's book over on Amy Welborn's blog, open book, over the last few months (in fact, she's written her own book debunking it).

From the comments I've read there, apparently some folks have been reading Brown's book, and then going to their priests in tears (or rage) asking why the Church has been lying to them all this time. So people are definitely being misled by it.

Will, thanks for the link to Amy's blog and book. It looks like another good resource to refute the mistakes and heresies in Brown's book.

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As far as people trying to make big bucks out of the bible, Jesus does say in the gospels that if you really believe it comes from God, don't charge. I wish I knew exactly the verse I got this from.