USA (MNN) — Using cultural issues to share the Gospel. That’s what the American Tract Society is gearing up to do when the feature-film The DaVinci Code releases next week in cinemas worldwide.
ATS has produced six different tracts designed to address questions that arise from the movie. Donna Skell with ATS says, “My prayer is that Christians would take advantage of this movie and take advantage of this book because, you know, you can debate the history, but nobody can debate with you the difference that Jesus has made in your life.”
It’s a powerful chance to share Christ. “And so it becomes a real opportunity to stand up for Christ and really to say, ‘Well, I know Jesus to be who He says He is in the Bible because He proves it to me.’ So my prayer is that this will open up the door for lots of talk about who Christ really is but that we might rightly point people to His Word and to the Jesus that the Bible tells us about.”
This isn’t the first time a film has stirred up people to think about who Christ really is, and Skell hopes Christians again rise to the occasion. “I can’t think of a better opportunity for Christians to speak up about who Christ really is in their lives, than The Da Vinci Code. We saw it when Mel Gibson’s The Passion came out – people were just talking about it everywhere, and so it was so ideal for us to say ‘Would you like to know the Jesus that can change your life?’ And it’s the same way with The Da Vinci Code. People are already asking questions and we’ve got the answers.”
Designed as tools for sharing your faith, ATS’s tracts are available on their website or in printed format. Skell says it’s a real opportunity in the midst of a culture that is questioning, “I really think that there are a lot of seekers out there, that they may go to see a movie but I’m just hoping and praying that something just doesn’t sit right and they continue to explore and that maybe The Da Vinci Code opens their thought process to who is Jesus, but as they seek out the answers, I know God will show them the way.”
The American Tract Society sends out more than 40 million tracts each year for distribution in the United States and internationally. Each year between 35-50 new tract ideas and formats are developed to help believers more effectively reach people for Christ through this outreach tool.
Skell asks prayer for upcoming outreach that many believers will be doing when The Da Vinci Code releases. “I just hope that everybody will join me in praying that this could be one of the great circumstances that really cause more people to seek out the true answer as to who Jesus Christ really is.”
