Finding the Lost with Brown's Symbol
Littered with split infinitives, mangled historical facts and figures and ridiculous details superfluous to requirement; yes, it's Dan Brown's latest brainteaser, The Lost Symbol. The italics and reproductions of mystical symbols from the ancients break off the otherwise rip-roaring narrative almost as regularly as the 133 chapters. But this isn't quite the break-neck speed fans are used to - the relentlessness being dissipated by injections of mystic ponderings on deeper topics.
If his writing is so bad, why the cult following which honoured him with the appropriate witching hour launch for The Lost Symbol? Could it be that Brown has captured the Zeitgeist of the West today; that we are, as a culture, fascinated by dark arts?
Brown is hard to read: Jesus is repeatedly referred to as akin to Krishna or Allah - one of many voices of wisdom crying out from the ancients; the Bible is twisted to substantiate lies; Christian ideas and values are repeatedly misrepresented.
For example, Bellamy, a high ranking mason, argues, 'If we accept, as Genesis tells us, that "God created man in his own image," then we also must accept what this implies - that mankind was not created inferior to God. In Luke 17:20 we are told, "the kingdom of God is within you."' Sadly for Bellamy, he fails to read both his citations in context. We are made in God's image (Genesis 1-2) but not as his equals. This is abundantly clear: 'The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden...' - Eden was hardly a democracy. And there is no suggestion whatsoever in Jesus' words about the kingdom of God being 'in your midst' (Luke 17:21, to be precise) that we are all gods.
The danger, of course, is that readers, having a vague notion that the statements Bellamy utilises are biblical, will accept and absorb Brown's 'interpretations' as fact. Which means that the cultural conversation around The Lost Symbol is in urgent need of some Christian input.
That doesn't mean that every Christian with a desire to engage with culture needs to rush out and read the book, though you might like to. But it does mean being prepared to engage our faith in dialogue with those who have read it and are reading it. And if striking up conversation with a stranger on the tube, deeply engrossed in the rollicking exploits of Langdon and Co.'s hunt for the wisdom 'available to all, accessible to few' isn't your thing, don't worry; with 300,000 Brits already having bought one of the 5.6 million copies printed, it's a safe bet one of them might collar you for a chat...
Naomi Carle
Links
You can read Mark Lawson's Guardian review of The Lost Symbol here
You can explore a biblical view on exorcism, sorcery and other topics raised by The Lost Symbol here
Read about the importance of evangelism here
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