NATALIE BATTAGLIA | THE TIMES Pastor Steve Munsey, of the Family Christian Center in Munster, with an award he won for "Exposing the Da Vinci Code," a documentary addressing the controversial issues in Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code." Munsey narrates the hourlong documentary. The move version of the novel starring Tom Hanks is due in U.S. theaters on May 19.
Debunking the Da Vinci Code his crusade
RELIGION: Pastor Steve Munsey gains acclaim for his award-winning documentary
BY ELIZABETH EAKEN
eeaken@nwitimes.com
219.933.4183
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Monday, December 12, 2005 12:14 AM CST
MUNSTER | A documentary on the best-selling novel "The Da Vinci Code" stars a local minister and is catching the national eye for taking a stand against the book's ideas.
Steve Munsey, senior pastor of Family Christian Center, narrates the documentary "Exposing the Da Vinci Code," available for purchase at major retail outlets and through cable television at On Demand-Pay Per View.
The hourlong documentary distributed by Highland Entertainment was named "best documentary" at the "What You See is What You Get" Christian Film Festival in San Francisco this fall. The documentary addresses controversial ideas from Dan Brown's novel concerning Christianity.
Among suggestions advanced in the book are Jesus was not divine and Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and they had a child.
The documentary is making Munsey a hot subject among interviewers in the national press. He says he will be featured in a Time magazine article, in USA Today and will appear in early February on Larry King Live. He is also scheduled to appear on the Fox network, on every Christian talk show in the United States, as well as the Trinity Broadcasting Network on Jan. 18, he says.
Munsey predicted the release of the movie "The Da Vinci Code," based on the novel, will create a huge stir among Christians and the Catholic Church. The movie starring Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard is scheduled to be released on May 19.
"I know this will be bigger than 'The Passion (of the Christ),' " Munsey said of the motion picture by Mel Gibson.
In fact Munsey believes the movie will spark an unprecedented debate concerning biblical doctrine.
Munsey, who narrates the documentary on a set decorated with knights in armor, invites people to join his "crusade" against the ideas in the novel that go against historical Christian doctrine.
His Web site, www.exposingthedavincicode.com, features a petition that visitors can sign asking Sony Pictures not to release the movie.
