JACKSON, Tenn. — April 25, 2006 — With an upcoming feature film and a best selling book, 鈥淭he Da Vinci Code鈥� by Dan Brown is a hot topic these days.
To help people think through the issues raised by the book, 51社区 professors will discuss 鈥淭he Da Vinci Code鈥� May 2 in an event that is free and open to the public.
鈥淒ecoding 鈥楾he Da Vinci Code鈥欌�� will be a panel discussion that is part of Union鈥檚 鈥淭own and Gown鈥� series. It will begin at 6 p.m. in Harvey Auditorium in the Student Union Building.
Four professors will discuss various topics relating to the book:
- Gene Fant, chairman of Union鈥檚 English department, will discuss the literary context of the book. He will examine other books in this subgenre of literature and discuss how Brown develops his themes within the text, focusing on the ideas of 鈥渇iction鈥� and 鈥渢ruth鈥� in literary works.
Fant will conclude with a brief perspective on how Christians should respond to these kinds of literature.
- Christian studies professor George Guthrie will look at three main questions raised by Brown鈥檚 novel: What do historians really know about Mary Magdalene from the various literatures of the first Christian centuries? What is the evidence that the deity of Christ really was a late development in Christian thinking? Were there really more than 80 gospels considered for inclusion in the Bible?
- Chris Nadasky, chairman of Union鈥檚 art department, will focus on refuting the claims made in the book regarding specific works of art. His lecture will center primarily on Da Vinci鈥檚 鈥淟ast Supper.鈥�
- Christian studies professor Hal Poe will explore how the book interprets historical material of the Middle Ages. He will discuss the background of the Cathari heresy and conspiracy theories related to the Knights Templar.
For more information on the panel discussion, call (731) 661-5356.