AMY WELBORN IS SMARTER THAN ME. So I haven’t been following this whole Da Vinci Code craziness at all. But Amy makes key points in a post which is important for everyone, whether you’ve ever heard the phrase “Gospel of Judas” or not.

…I had a long conversation with a magazine reporter this morning about the appeal and impact of this, in which I reiterated the points I made in my piece at the Jesus Decoded website–that there are levels to readers’ “belief” in DVC. Of those who buy the history presented within, there are those who indeed believe the Jesus/MM – bloodline business. There are more, however who fit it into what they’ve picked up from pop culture and even from their church’s “religious education”–that the “real Jesus” is essentially unknowable, a construct of various communities, who all had different views and experiences, so this story is as good as any other. …

The sniffing at the “offense” at a Jesus/MM marriage does not indicate an enlightened view of sexuality. It indicates an ignorance of Scripture and a startlingly low Christology, if you even want to call it “Christology.” Jesus is married. His bride has a name: Church. In the mystery of this union, we are all wedded to Christ, we all have the holy bloodline coursing through our veins.

When we were at St. Peter’s, Katie commented that the baldacchino over the altar looked like a 4-poster bed.

Our guide, seminarian Jeff Kirby from Charleston, said, “Exactly.” That is not the whole point–but it certainly part of the imagery. Here, God and His people enter into intimate Communion, becoming, in a sense, one.

A wedding of Jesus and MM isn’t “offensive.” It’s diminished.

more!