Customer Reviews

The Da Vinci Deception

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Lutzer's book is straightforward and easy to read. He points out all of the blatant lies and more subtle half-truths found in Dan Brown's book. People already opposed to true Christianity won't like this book because, through careful examination of the facts, it shows why the Bible is accurate and true. Lutzer demonstrates that what the Bible tells us about Jesus is much more based on fact than Dan Brown's work of fiction. I highly recommend it to anyone who is seeking answers to the questions raised by The DaVinci Code.

This handy little tract does a fairly nice job of debunking the novel. It's easy to read and hits some very important historical points people should understand before reading "The Da Vinci Code". In particular, the author pokes so many holes in the Gnostic gospels (upon which most of Dan Brown's bizarre speculations rest) that in the end they seem about as convincing as Swiss cheese. Lutzer,from the Moody Bible Institute, draws heavily from Catholic Tradition to make his case, so I applaud his ecumenical spirit.

With an attack on Christianity of the size spawned by "The Da Vinci Code" one might expect a mass of apologetic works to roll off the shelf, which is exactly what happened. This little book is one of those. It is easy to read and does it job plainly, but it is not the best of its type out there. I would urge the serious reader toward either "Cracking Da Vinci's Code" by James L. Garlow & Peter Jones or "Breaking the Da Vinci Code" by Darrell L. Bock.

This is a great book for the reader without a theological degree who doesn't want to wade through a thick, jargon-filled treatise on the history of the Bible and Christianity. Probably the best resource for a book group or adult Sunday school class about the DaVinci Code.

I have not read the Da Vinci Code, because what I have heard about the book through sources I trust. Erwin Lutzer describes the history according to the Code and how evangelical Christianity understand the history of the church described in the bible and later sources. The Da Vinci Code is an argument for Gnosticism, but not all Gnostic would agree with the Da Vinci Code. The Da Vinci Code would argue that Gnostic sources are a more accurate description of the teachings of Jesus. Lutzer makes clear one cannot rationally accept both the traditional Bible and Gnostic sources as complimentary. He also presents arguments why the historic Bible is the accurate portrayal of Jesus and God the Father.

The Da Vinci code written by Dan Brown is a novel that presents concepts and teachings that are contrary to scripture. In the work the characters discover sexist and power grabbing reasons why the church fathers were antagonistic to the Gnostic writings. The Gnostic writings teach a hidden wisdom to enlightenment and self improvement:Theology of an inner light and free thinking. Erwin Lutzer argues that's what makes the Da Vinci
Code attractive to feminist and believers in relativism. Pluralistic society do not trust the one truth that is in Christianity.

This book is about debunking the arguments in the Da Vinci Code. It is only a starting point to understanding how the bible is formed. Gnostic writings are an alternative gospel and should not be incorporated with Bible. I agree with the one reviewer that if Evangelical and Roman Catholic churches taught on weightier subjects. The Da Vinci Code would lose its attraction as new revealed truth. But instead be understand as old rejected falsehoods.

I own and have read a number of these books by both Catholics and Protestants.
I heard Lutzer on a radio program and had to get this book.
It is well written and provides accurate rebuttals of most if not all of Brown's errors.
The writing is clear and concise. While he does not provide a bibliography the endnotes do list his sources.
I have only two minor complaints. The type face is a little small for my eyes, but the alternative would be a longer book with more pages and higher cost.
My second complaint is that the FAQ's appear either before or well after the material in the main text. this could have been organized a bit better.
All in all if you want a clear explanation of Brown's errors buy this book or the one by the same title written by Mark Shea and Edward Sri.

Finally, a book which delves into real verifiable history and lays it up against Brown's fictional book.

As a person who studies church history and early writings, I am very pleased with how Lutzer clears up the confusion generated by Brown's non-studied fictional book.

I just wish Dan Brown had set his book in "a far off land" so that I wouldn't be confronted with people asking me, as a christian researcher, "What do you think of the Da vinci code?".

Apart from the names, pretty much all the events in Dan's book are fiction.

Fiction is fiction. Ancient history is history. One of these things is not like the other.

Other books of interest may include "I don't have enough faith to be an atheist" by Norm Geisler.

The only complaint I have about this presentation is that it was a little less brutal than I would have been had I written a similar response to Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. The kindest thing Lutzer said about it was "As fabrications go, The Da Vinci Code is right up there with Elvis sightings". Obviously, that statement may not endear anyone to read Lutzers issue but you do yourself a disservice if you do not read it, especially if you are impressed by supporting documentation. I dislike unsupported allegations and broad stroke criticism sponsored by anyone with an obvious agenda. No so with Mr. Lutzer. In a brief span of 117 well supported pages, he makes chopped liver of Dan Browns controversal novel which , had Brown been honest about its whole cloth content from the beginning, none of this factional divergency would exist. But then, controversy sells copy. It's just too bad that it is at the expense of Jesus Christ or is it? The only other complaint I have is that I had to buy my book from a secondary source. Shame on you Amazon. You should have this issue on hand. Good read. Good sources.

I found Dr. Lutzer's response to the "da Vinci Code"'s fantasy to be excellent. Point by point, citing both historical and Biblical references, he refutes the main points of the book. He also shows the danger in such literature as this. An intelligent discussion of Christianity is welcome, but a constant stream of anachronistic fabrications that strike at the very heart of Christian beliefs is to be answered in the strongest terms. Dr. Lutzer's book does this.

People throughout recent history have questioned who Jesus really was. Erwin Lutzer believes The Da Vinci Code offers a Jesus that is contrary to the real Jesus. In The Da Vinci Deception, Lutzer seeks to set the record straight, showing how much fiction is really in the novel.

Before analyzing the novel, Lutzer provides a summary of the narrative. The following six chapters address the Council of Nicea, the Gnostic Bible, Jesus' relationship with Mary Magdalene, the New Testament canon, the "Historical Jesus" debate, and the accusation that Christianity borrowed from pagan mythology. He concludes with a presentation of the Gospel based on the real Jesus and what He did. At the end of the book is a short list of resources and some discussion questions for each chapter.

Erwin Lutzer's book, The Da Vinci Deception, covers the most of the major problems with Dan Brown's novel, including Gnosticism. It is very accessible, but also very simplistic. This is a good book for those who just want the basics, but readers should look elsewhere for a more in-depth critique of The Da Vinci Code.