Christian Missionary Role In India - 5

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Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Guest - 04-15-2006

QUOTEAny idea how the Orissa RSS function went (the conversions of tribals)? It was supposed to be held on April 8-10.
Went well, except as usual Dayal made his regular rant before function.

98 + families revert to Hinduism.

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Guest - 04-15-2006

Isn't Dayal chief of the Dalit Network? Or was it some D'Souza? I forget.
Anyway, no news must be good news, else our secular media would have been running extra editions.

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - acharya - 04-16-2006

http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=10934

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - acharya - 04-16-2006

http://www.ptsem.edu/iym/downloads/athol.PDF

trained in India and the government has spent large amounts of money on them (our ... Women in India: Problems and Prospects. ISPCK: Delhi. Desgupta, Sati ...
www.ptsem.edu/iym/downloads/athol.PDF - Similar pages - Remove result - Filter

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Guest - 04-16-2006

Two Christian women arrested for promoting conversion in MPQUOTEOfficials said the women -- Mariamma Mathew, 36, and B Godwil, 65 -- were arrested on Friday after they were found distributing pamphlets telling people how they could overcome their problems by following the Bible.

Several other "objectionable" pamphlets were also seized from them, an official said

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Guest - 04-17-2006

In the storm of Controversy
M BHASKAR SAI
QUOTE

Chennai, Apr 16:Â Â Â Â Last week, Chennai port welcomed MV Doulos, the world's largest floating book fair, which has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest, active ocean-going passenger ship. Stocked with more than five lakh books, the book fair was inaugurated by Governor Surjit Singh Barnala last Wednesday and had occupied a major space in almost all the newspapers. And it was also said that the book fair would give an ultimate experience to book worms.
Â Â Â Â While all of us were thinking that the ship had brought a lot of cheer, it had also brought some controversies. Some visitors who had been on a visit to the ship said that the vessel is owned by Christian missionaries. 'The crew was trying to spread Christianity among the visitors rather than promoting reading habit,' said a visitor who had been aboard the ship. 

Â Â Â Â 'Everyone who visits the ship is given a cassette which has messages of Christianity in it. Apart from that, most of the books in the ship are about Christianity. I had been with my family to the ship by paying Rs 50 for every person, thinking that we might get a good variety of books. On seeing this, all of us were very disappointed,' said another visitor.
Â

Â Â Â Â 'The only thing in which the crew members of the ship are keen on is spreading Christianity. Majority of books here are with Christianity content and the response from these people is also not good when we ask for something,' says Sekar, a bank employee. 

Â Â Â Â Another shocking thing, which came to be known, is that one among the crew members of the ship had used insulting words to a visitor, calling him a 'nasty' Indian.

Â Â Â Â Immediately, the visitor had complained it to the police but the police had reportedly said that they could not do anything as it is election time and a complaint might create some unnecessary problems. However, the police made the crewman apologise to the visitor, it is said.

Â Â Â Â When News Today contacted Emilie Noteboom, project coordinator of MV Doulous, she denied all the charges and said they had come here only to serve the people. 'We have all kinds of books here including medical and children's books. We are here to spread hope and happiness among people. It is ridiculous to hear the charges against one of our crew members,' she said.Â <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' />

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Guest - 04-18-2006

Foreign ship in Chennai carrying hazardous cargo

Throughout its existence, xianity has propagated itself through
death and destruction by waging war on people of other faiths,
demolishing their places of worship and setting fire to their
libraries. It also inspired muhammad's copycat islam.

Confiscate and dispose of those books as you would hazardous
industrial waste.

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Guest - 04-18-2006

To understand the venom, virulence and wanton aggression
of historical xianity, you must understand the Jesuits. Here's
their oath:

http://www.ianpaisley.org/article.asp?ArtKey=jesuit

The Jesuit Oath Exposed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Go ye, then, into all the world and take possession of all lands in the name of the Pope. He who will not accept him as the Vicar of Jesus and his Vice-Regent on earth, let him be accursed and exterminated."
Professor Arthur Noble

[The following is the text of the Jesuit Extreme Oath of Induction as recorded in the Journals of the 62nd Congress, 3rd Session, of the United States Congressional Record (House Calendar No. 397, Report No. 1523, 15 February, 1913, pp. 3215-3216), from which it was subsequently torn out. The Oath is also quoted by Charles Didier in his book Subterranean Rome (New York, 1843), translated from the French original. Dr. Alberto Rivera, who escaped from the Jesuit Order in 1967, confirms that the induction ceremony and the text of the Jesuit Oath which he took were identical to what we have cited below. â A. N.]

When a Jesuit of the minor rank is to be elevated to command, he is conducted into the Chapel of the Convent of the Order, where there are only three others present, the principal or Superior standing in front of the altar. On either side stands a monk, one of whom holds a banner of yellow and white, which are the Papal colours, and the other a black banner with a dagger and red cross above a skull and crossbones, with the word INRI, and below them the words IUSTUM NECAR REGES IMPIUS. The meaning of which is: It is just to exterminate or annihilate impious or heretical Kings, Governments, or Rulers.

Upon the floor is a red cross at which the postulant or candidate kneels. The Superior hands him a small black crucifix, which he takes in his left hand and presses to his heart, and the Superior at the same time presents to him a dagger, which he grasps by the blade and holds the point against his heart, the Superior still holding it by the hilt, and thus addresses the postulant:

(The Superior speaks Smile

My son, heretofore you have been taught to act the dissembler: among Roman Catholics to be a Roman Catholic, and to be a spy even among your own brethren; to believe no man, to trust no man. Among the Reformers, to be a Reformer; among the Huguenots, to be a Huguenot; among the Calvinists, to be a Calvinist; among other Protestants, generally to be a Protestant; and obtaining their confidence, to seek even to preach from their pulpits, and to denounce with all the vehemence in your nature our Holy Religion and the Pope; and even to descend so low as to become a Jew among Jews, that you might be enabled to gather together all information for the benefit of your Order as a faithful soldier of the Pope. You have been taught to plant insidiously the seeds of jealousy and hatred between communities, provinces, states that were at peace, and to incite them to deeds of blood, involving them in war with each other, and to create revolutions and civil wars in countries that were independent and prosperous, cultivating the arts and the sciences and enjoying the blessings of peace; to take sides with the combatants and to act secretly with your brother Jesuit, who might be engaged on the other side, but openly opposed to that with which you might be connected, only that the Church might be the gainer in the end, in the conditions fixed in the treaties for peace and that the end justifies the means. You have been taught your duty as a spy, to gather all statistics, facts and information in your power from every source; to ingratiate yourself into the confidence of the family circle of Protestants and heretics of every class and character, as well as that of the merchant, the banker, the lawyer, among the schools and universities, in parliaments and legislatures, and the judiciaries and councils of state, and to be all things to all men, for the Pope's sake, whose servants we are unto death. You have received all your instructions heretofore as a novice, a neophyte, and have served as co-adjurer, confessor and priest, but you have not yet been invested with all that is necessary to command in the Army of Loyola in the service of the Pope. You must serve the proper time as the instrument and executioner as directed by your superiors; for none can command here who has not consecrated his labours with the blood of the heretic; for "without the shedding of blood no man can be saved". Therefore, to fit yourself for your work and make your own salvation sure, you will, in addition to your former oath of obedience to your order and allegiance to the Pope, repeat after me:

(Text of the Oath Smile

I_______________ , now in the presence of Almighty God, the blessed Virgin Mary, the blessed St. John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, and all the saints, sacred host of Heaven, and to you, my Ghostly Father, the superior general of the Society of Jesus, founded by St. Ignatius Loyola, in the pontification of Paul the Third, and continued to the present, do by the womb of the Virgin, the matrix of God, and the rod of Jesus Christ, declare and swear that His Holiness, the Pope, is Christ's Vice-Regent and is the true and only head of the Catholic or Universal Church throughout the earth; and that by the virtue of the keys of binding and loosing given to His Holiness by my Saviour, Jesus Christ, he hath power to depose heretical Kings, Princes, States, Commonwealths, and Governments, and they may be safely destroyed. Therefore to the utmost of my power I will defend this doctrine and His Holiness's right and custom against all usurpers of the heretical or Protestant authority whatever, especially the Lutheran Church of Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and the now pretended authority and Churches of England and Scotland, and the branches of same now established in Ireland and on the continent of America and elsewhere and all adherents in regard that they may be usurped and heretical, opposing the sacred Mother Church of Rome. I do now denounce and disown any allegiance as due to any heretical king, prince or State, named Protestant or Liberal, or obedience to any of their laws, magistrates or officers. I do further declare the doctrine of the Churches of England and Scotland of the Calvinists, Huguenots, and others of the name of Protestants or Masons to be damnable, and they themselves to be damned who will not forsake the same. I do further declare that I will help, assist, and advise all or any of His Holiness's agents, in any place where I should be, in Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Ireland or America, or in any other kingdom or territory I shall come to, and do my utmost to extirpate the heretical Protestant or Masonic doctrines and to destroy all their pretended powers, legal or otherwise. I do further promise and declare that, notwithstanding, I am dispensed with to assume any religion heretical for the propagation of the Mother Church's interest; to keep secret and private all her agents' counsels from time to time, as they entrust me, and not to divulge, directly or indirectly, by word, writing or circumstances whatever; but to execute all that should be proposed, given in charge, or discovered unto me by you, my Ghostly Father, or any of this sacred order. I do further promise and declare that I will have no opinion or will of my own or any mental reservation whatever, even as a corpse or cadaver (perinde ac cadaver), but will unhesitatingly obey each and every command that I may receive from my superiors in the militia of the Pope and of Jesus Christ. That I will go to any part of the world whithersoever I may be sent, to the frozen regions north, jungles of India, to the centres of civilisation of Europe, or to the wild haunts of the barbarous savages of America without murmuring or repining, and will be submissive in all things, whatsoever is communicated to me. I do further promise and declare that I will, when opportunity presents, make and wage relentless war, secretly and openly, against all heretics, Protestants and Masons, as I am directed to do, to extirpate them from the face of the whole earth; and that I will spare neither age, sex nor condition, and that will hang, burn, waste, boil, flay, strangle, and bury alive these infamous heretics; rip up the stomachs and wombs of their women, and crush their infants' heads against the walls in order to annihilate their execrable race. That when the same cannot be done openly I will secretly use the poisonous cup, the strangulation cord, the steel of the poniard, or the leaden bullet, regardless of the honour, rank, dignity or authority of the persons, whatever may be their condition in life, either public or private, as I at any time may be directed so to do by any agents of the Pope or Superior of the Brotherhood of the Holy Father of the Society of Jesus. In confirmation of which I hereby dedicate my life, soul, and all corporal powers, and with the dagger which I now receive I will subscribe my name written in my blood in testimony thereof; and should I prove false, or weaken in my determination, may my brethren and fellow soldiers of the militia of the Pope cut off my hands and feet and my throat from ear to ear, my belly be opened and sulphur burned therein with all the punishment that can be inflicted upon me on earth, and my soul shall be tortured by demons in eternal hell forever. That I will in voting always vote for a Knight of Columbus in preference to a Protestant, especially a Mason, and that I will leave my party so to do; that if two Catholics are on the ticket I will satisfy myself which is the better supporter of Mother Church and vote accordingly. That I will not deal with or employ a Protestant if in my power to deal with or employ a Catholic. That I will place Catholic girls in Protestant families that a weekly report may be made of the inner movements of the heretics. That I will provide myself with arms and ammunition that I may be in readiness when the word is passed, or I am commanded to defend the Church either as an individual or with the militia of the Pope. All of which I,_______________, do swear by the blessed Trinity and blessed sacrament which I am now to receive to perform and on part to keep this my oath. In testimony hereof, I take this most holy and blessed sacrament of the Eucharist and witness the same further with my name written with the point of this dagger dipped in my own blood and seal in the face of this holy sacrament.

(He receives the wafer from the Superior and writes his name with the point of his dagger dipped in his own blood taken from over his heart.)

(Superior speaks Smile

You will now rise to your feet and I will instruct you in the Catechism necessary to make yourself known to any member of the Society of Jesus belonging to this rank. In the first place, you, as a Brother Jesuit, will with another mutually make the ordinary sign of the cross as any ordinary Roman Catholic would; then one crosses his wrists, the palms of his hands open, and the other in answer crosses his feet, one above the other; the first points with forefinger of the right hand to the centre of the palm of the left, the other with the forefinger of the left hand points to the centre of the palm of the right; the first then with his right hand makes a circle around his head, touching it; the other then with the forefinger of his left hand touches the left side of his body just below his heart; the first then with his right hand draws it across the throat of the other, and the latter then with a dagger down the stomach and abdomen of the first. The first then says Iustum; and the other answers Necar; the first Reges; the other answers Impious. The first will then present a small piece of paper folded in a peculiar manner, four times, which the other will cut longitudinally and on opening the name Jesu will be found written upon the head and arms of a cross three times. You will then give and receive with him the following questions and answers:

From whither do you come? Answer: The Holy faith.

Whom do you serve? Answer: The Holy Father at Rome, the Pope, and the Roman Catholic Church Universal throughout the world.

Who commands you? Answer: The Successor of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus or the Soldiers of Jesus Christ.

Who received you? Answer: A venerable man in white hair.

How? Answer: With a naked dagger, I kneeling upon the cross beneath the banners of the Pope and of our sacred order.

Did you take an oath? Answer: I did, to destroy heretics and their governments and rulers, and to spare neither age, nor sex, nor condition; to be as a corpse without any opinion or will of my own, but to implicitly obey my Superiors in all things without hesitation or murmuring.

Will you do that? Answer: I will.

How do you travel? Answer: In the bark of Peter the fisherman.

Whither do you travel? Answer: To the four quarters of the globe.

For what purpose? Answer: To obey the orders of my General and Superiors and execute the will of the Pope and faithfully fulfil the conditions of my oaths.

Go ye, then, into all the world and take possession of all lands in the name of the Pope. He who will not accept him as the Vicar of Jesus and his Vice-Regent on earth, let him be accursed and exterminated.

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - acharya - 04-28-2006

Vacation Bible school at Kurnool

Staff Reporter

10-DAY COURSE: A class in progress at Vacation Bible school at Cole's Centennial Church in Kurnool on Thursday. - Photo: U. Subramanyam

KURNOOL: Cole's Centennial Church is conducting vacation Bible school here between April 24 and May 5. Coordinator of the school G. Sudheer George said a total of 1,000 students from the city and the rural areas were expected to take part in the Bible school. A total of 70 instructors and 30 volunteers were drafted for the purpose. The students would be made to undergo Bible tests and Bible quiz during the ten-day course.

Mr. George said the course was intended to introduce the Bible to students and expose them to moral education. Pastors Rev. Paskal Prakash, Sujeevan, Church president Kripanandam, Treasurer A. Lincoln and others were present.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/28/stories/2006042808170200.htm

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Guest - 05-02-2006

In TN village, families face church boycott for sending away kids to studyQUOTEââThis year I will put my daughter Tina in Kindergarten in the same school,ââ he says defiantly. But the family is facing a social ban. They are left out of church functions and the threat that their family members who die would be deprived a Christian burial hangs heavily over them.

In fact, when the tsunami swept away 88 huts and damaged several houses, including that of Bengar, only government relief reached his family. He and 15 other families facing the boycott, were deprived of the NGO largesse, routed through the church.

ââNo one dares to defy the church. Everyone bows to its commands,ââ points out Balan Sesuraj. He would soon be defying the ban himself and sending his five-year-old daughter to an English medium school. His four-year-old son will follow suit next year.
.................
Defending the church, Manohar, a parish council member, claimed the school rolls had been dangerously thinning and something had to be done to increase the number of students. ââThat is why the restriction was brought in.ââ 

Livid villagers pointed out that their basic rights were being snatched with the church dictating to them what they should do. ââBut no one has the guts to fight the church,ââ says Balan.

Father Joseph Justus, the present parish priest, was not available for comment

They have choice, change religion.

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Guest - 05-11-2006

Folks, we have all seen the various intellectually deficient and logically bankrupt garbage articles in the NYTimes, BBC and the usual "Indian" Media outlets against the 'protests" by "Hindu Fundamentalists" against the treasures that are Deepa Mehta's [sarcasm]Fire and now, Water[/sarcasm].

What we do not hear, are the protests against the "The Da Vinci Code" in INDIA.

I will let the Pictures do the talking.

<img src='http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/afp/20060509/capt.sge.qcw62.090506171025.photo01.photo.default-278x373.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

QUOTEIndian Christian protesters burn a huge replica of the bestselling book "The Da Vinci Code" by author Dan Brown during a demonstration outside a church in Mumbai. A local group called The Catholic Secular Forum has called on Christians to "fast unto death" to try to halt the release of the movie adaption in India.

<img src='http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/afp/20060509/capt.sge.qcw62.090506171025.photo00.photo.default-384x284.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

QUOTEAn Indian walks past a banner demanding a ban on films "The Da Vinci Code" and "Tickle My Funny Bone" in Mumbai. A Catholic group called on Christians to starve themselves to death in protest at the release of "The Da Vinci Code" at cinemas in India as others burned copies of the novel

<img src='http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/afp/20060509/capt.sge.qbl38.090506150656.photo00.photo.default-378x267.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

QUOTEA man walks past a banner calling for a ban on the film "The Da Vinci Code" and "Tickle My Funny Bone" at a church in Mumbai. The Catholic Secular Forum(CSF) has called on Christians to starve themselves to death in protest at the release of the "The Da Vinci Code" at cinemas in India

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Guest - 05-11-2006

Thanks for that information.

I am not surprised. When The Passion of the Christ showed in theatres in Kerala, some converts to Christianity held up posters near a showing protesting the presence of Jews in India (as alleged killers of Christ) in reference to the film they had seen. It's amazing how Christianity churns out anti-Semites from people who never had a problem before.
The Indian media would not have known how quickly to hush it up, if in fact they ever bothered to check up on it. Neither would the international media. Or maybe I'm wrong and they did report it and I missed it? Has anyone else heard or read of the incident? I had to hear it from a Malayali who was held up in traffic at the time. (Need a second person to confirm this, as it is hearsay otherwise.)

But there's little surprise. When even the supposed 'enlightened' western Christians, especially in America, burnt down theatres for the old film The Last Temptation of the Christ, why should not the more rabid and fundamentalist Christians in India do the same?

Role on the Da Vinci Code, it promises to entertain. I'll make sure I vote with my wallet <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Guest - 05-11-2006

I hope they will dub this movie in local language. <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

Western media knows how to ridicule Hinduism, and Indian media's inferiority complex keeps them towing western media line.

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Guest - 05-11-2006

I believe, one Christian municipal corporator in Mumbai has put a Khomeni type fatwa on Dan Brown. Details anyone?

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Bharatvarsh - 05-11-2006

I think this is what you were talking about:

QUOTEDon't tolerate intolerance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
epaper.hindustantimes.com

WHEN IS one considered to be misusing the right to freedom of expression guaranteed to us in the Constitution? This is the fundamental question that needs probing when a former Mumbai corporator, Nicholas Almeida, offers a bounty of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who brings Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, to him âdead or aliveâ. Instigating and actively seeking the death of anyone cannot be tolerated in civil society. Yet, this is exactly the kind of intolerance that was validated when UP Minister Mohammed Yaqoob Qureshi was allowed to go scot-free after having offered Rs 51 crore for the head of the Danish cartoonist in the Prophet Mohammad cartoon controversy.
While it is inconceivable that anyone will take up Almeida on his offer, his pronouncement reflects an air of extreme intolerance. It wouldnât be wrong to say that this is a direct result of having tolerated such intolerance for so long, and that it portends real danger for the future.

There are valid vehicles of protest available, including the right to be heard in a court of law. But lately, more and more individuals and groups â and lawmakers themselves â have started bypassing these to create an atmosphere of fear and reprisal. It is difficult to forget the extreme reaction over James Laineâs Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India in Maharashtra in 2003, when Puneâs Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute was ransacked and a scholarâs face blackened for having helped Mr Laine with the research. The secular body politic of India is being stabbed repeatedly by such actions. It would not be surprising if one fine day, that entity keels over and dies and is replaced by a Frankensteinâs monster we have collectively allowed to be created. 
I will try and get the exact url, the media seems to have covered this up because I googled it and found no news reports on this.

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Guest - 05-11-2006

Rs 11 lakhs is what? About approx US$ 25,000 ? <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' />
Dan Brown probabily makes that every day just on interest from his royalties from Da Vinci Code <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' />

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Guest - 05-11-2006

Indian bishops demand ban on two controversial moviesQUOTEThe bishops' statement said Da Vinci Code movie "is a false and an irreverent portrayal of Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity, as a married man and having progeny, which insidiously attacks the very root of Christian Faith."

The other controversial movie, also set for release this month, is offensive to Christian life as it shows nuns in a poor light, say Christians who have been opposing it.

Promotion of the movie showed the female lead of the movie in the foreground of a church, wearing a nun's habit that has been designed to look skimpy.

It makes "caricature of religious persons of the Church, who sacrifice their life in the service of God and people," said the release issued by Conference Spokesperson Fr Babu Joseph.

These movies "belittle what is at the heart of Christian Faith and cherished in Christian Life, they hurt the religious sentiments of the Christian Community."

They are "blasphemous and totally unacceptable to the Christian community." Besides the movies are bound to bring into disesteem the Christian Community in the country and create misgivings about the minority Christian community in the country, it said.

Archbishop Fernandes said Christians take "strong exception to the release of these movies" in secular India, where "every individual has a right to his religious beliefs."

Both movies are based on falsehoods about Christian faith and life and will hurt the faith of individual Christians and bring Christian Communities into disrepute among people of other religions.

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - Guest - 05-11-2006

BishopAccountability.org
documenting the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic church

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - acharya - 05-11-2006

Actor Tom Hanks, Pastors Believe Church is Place for 'Da Vinci' Talk
http://www.earnedmedia.org/cti0509.htm

To: National Desk

Contact: Michael Herman, 630-260-6200 ext. 4309, mherman@christianitytoday.com; Elizabeth Diffin: 630-260-6200 ext. 4244, ediffin@christianitytoday.com, both with Christianity Today International

MEDIA ADVISORY, May 9 /Christian Wire Service/ -- The summer blockbuster is coming, but it might have effects beyond the local cinema. On May 19, "The Da Vinci Code" arrives on the big screen, and churches across the country are gearing up for the film's release. The catch is, they're not planning boycotts or protest marches. They're seeing it as a tool to spread the gospel.

A recent poll by Leadership, a popular magazine for pastors, revealed that 53 percent of the churches surveyed are planning sermons, classes, or seminars in response to the film. Many of these discussions will focus on the real truth of the gospel and consider the historical and biblical background of the novel and movie.

"The trend that started with the release of The Passion of the Christ in 2004, whereby churches used a movie for evangelistic opportunity, was refined with the release of The Chronicles of Narnia last year," Eric Reed, Leadership managing editor said. "Now, with The Da Vinci Code movie, the challenge for church leaders is to encourage meaningful theological discussion rather than waging war on a film that refutes basic truths of the gospel. Christians boycotted the last major film that alleged a sexual relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988. With this film, it appears many pastors are preparing to turn a negative portrayal of the gospel into a faith-sharing event."

Even the star of The Da Vinci Code, Tom Hanks, sees potential for church outreach amidst the movie's controversy. "If they put up a sign saying: This Wednesday we're discussing the gospel, 12 people show up. But if a sign says: This Wednesday we're discussing The Da Vinci Code, 800 people show up," Hanks told Entertainment Weekly. "I think the movie may end up helping churches do their job."

As The Da Vinci Code is released and churches across the country respond to the controversy, Christianity Today International has experts available to discuss different aspects of the book and film.

-- Mark Moring, managing editor of Christianity Today Movies, provides information about The Da Vinci Code movie. He can also speak to the recent trend of marketing movies to pastors, churches, and Christians, in general. For more information, visit http://ChristianityToday.com/go/davinci

-- Lisa Ann Cockrel, associate editor of Today's Christian Woman magazine has written for a number of other publications, including this article for Outreach magazine: http://ChristianityToday.com/outreach/arti...deintrigue.html

-- Peter Chattaway is also available for comment. He studied history, religious studies, and film at the University of British Columbia and can speak about issues of Christianity and spirituality in film. His reviews are among the most insightful critiques included on Christianity Today Movies. Peter also runs his own "FilmChat" blog at: http://filmchatblog.blogspot.com/

-- Collin Hansen has spent three years researching and writing about Da Vinci from various angles. He is able to discuss the connections between The Da Vinci Code and biblical history. He is also a valuable resource on opening the dialogue concerning the truth of the book and movie. (NOTE: Collin will be available after May 16)

Collin's Latest Feature: 5 Big Questions from The Da Vinci Code http://ChristianityToday.com/biblestudies/...es/060426b.html

Christian Missionary Role In India - 5 - acharya - 05-11-2006

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060511/20060511005700.html?.v=1

Press Release Source: Josh McDowell

``The Da Vinci Code'' Spurs a 'Quest for Answers' Across the Country
Thursday May 11, 12:45 pm ET
Coast to Coast, Readers Look for Truth Using New Book by International Speaker and Religious Researcher Josh McDowell

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 2006--Before the semester ended, the president of Phoenix College's Christian Club was busy handing out Josh McDowell's The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers.

The books were designed to aid any student who may have questions about the new Tom Hanks movie opening May 19.

Joseph Martinez, 21, routinely hands out soda, water and information, especially when it comes to issues of faith.

"When The Passion of the Christ came out, there was a lot of discussion on campus. People had a lot of questions," said the third-year nursing major. "Now, they definitely have a lot of questions, even though clearly it's a work of fiction. People want answers. The book had a lot to do with the culture of the history."

As religious historian McDowell speaks this month with thousands about the truths and falsehoods inherent in Dan Brown's best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code, thousands of other people are reading about and spreading the information themselves. They are either familiar with McDowell's religious-based historical study and speaking persona, or they are hearing about him through the media and ordering his recently released book at http://www.josh.org.

The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers is a 128-page conversational-style book that addresses Brown's imagery with easy-to-grasp answers about Jesus Christ's relationship with Mary Magdalene and the origin of the Holy Grail.

On the other side of the country in Alabama, Anna King, like Martinez, was handing out the books. She said her husband, Pastor Michael King of North Brewton Baptist Church, was planning to use the book and study guide in service. King also purchased books to give to the pastors in the Escambia Baptist Association of 35 area churches, and she planned to send copies to her grown children. She learned about McDowell's book after hearing him on a morning radio show.

"In this rural area, it's amazing what our people don't know. We were shocked that so many didn't know about (the motion picture, 'The Chronicles of Narnia Smile

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,' when it came out. You have to educate people."

As part of his current book tour, McDowell will speak at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. The church ordered 22,000 copies of his book to give away to anyone who attends weekend services on May 20-21. Aaron Kerr, Saddleback's Personal Peace Pastor, said he heard that one man is sharing The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers with his family to help his children answer questions posed at school.

And in Allen, Texas, Dr. James Toney is leaving the books in his waiting room for anyone who may be planning to see the movie after getting their teeth cleaned.

Author, speaker, researcher and theologian Josh McDowell has spoken to more than 10 million people in 84 countries at more than 700 universities and colleges. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 books with more than 42 million in print worldwide. McDowell's most popular works are The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict and More Than a Carpenter. His most recent books are The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers and The Last Christian Generation. He holds a graduate degree from Talbot Theological Seminary. He has been married to his wife Dottie for 34 years and has four children. The McDowells live in Dana Point, California.