So You Have Proof Against the Biblical Account of Jesus? Again?

It no longer seems coincidental. It no longer seems ironic. It no longer seems even conspicuous. Now, it’s just downright predictable—and shameful, at that.

What is this “it” I speak of? “It” is the continuous, repetitious attack on Christianity—the Biblical account of Christ’s life and resurrection in particular—that is so often well-timed to Easter Season, but, in fact, is a year-round event.

The latest episode is “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” produced by award-winning director James Cameron. In this documentary, accompanied by the release of the book The Jesus Family Tomb, which is set to air on the Discovery Channel, it is claimed that the tomb Jesus was actually buried in has been found. Supposedly, the tomb is a family one, containing the Hebrew or Greek equivalent inscriptions, “Jesus, Son of Joseph,” “Mary Magdalene,” and “Judah, Son of Jesus,” as well as others, including another Mary.

The implications here are rather obvious: first off, the supposed DNA of the deceased "Mary Magdalene" and "Jesus" are different, therefore, to be buried together in a family tomb, they very well could’ve been married. Plus, the film’s claim that Jesus had a son also lends weight to that conclusion.
Another natural conclusion of this conspiracy theory is that the resurrection didn’t happen—and, therefore, the Bible is not true and infallible, and hence the same end-goal of liberal theologians and unbelievers reveals itself once more. The filmmakers and film-supporters would likely deny this is their goal in making and supporting the documentary. On “Larry King Live,” the makers made it clear that “they are not theologians,” and they are “just asking questions,” "showing the evidence," and "reporting the news." In other words, “perhaps theologians might come up with a different explanation, now that their main one has been debunked,” such as the spiritual, not literal, resurrection of Christ….or, maybe, preposterously, Christ’s second death. Of course, few persons would actually come to these conclusions. Christ’s bodily, literal resurrection and ascension are central, foundational tenets of the Christian faith. Anyone, claiming to be a Christian, who would accept any lesser explanation of Jesus’ life and death, would show too much faith in man, and virtually none in God and His Word.

Besides, there is no need, as usual when one of these controversies boils down, to abandon your beliefs. In reality, each bombardment of this sort backfires against Satan, at least in my life. The truth is revealed; the fallacies, hoaxes, and frauds are uncovered; and Christ remains sitting on His throne in heaven. As unbelievers try to demolish my faith, they only succeed in solidifying and strengthening it. It happens on a frequent basis in the Creation/Evolution Debate; it happens annually during the Christmas Season; and it happens most regularly during this time of the year, pertaining to the resurrection. William Donohue, head of the Catholic League, whom I’m sure to disagree with on a myriad of theological issues, stated on “Larry King Live” last night that you can find on his website a list compiled detailing the annual attempts to discredit Christianity and the resurrection at this time of the year. They all, as far as I know, fall flat on their faces. Any that don’t really don’t prove anything significant anyways. Christianity has been refined by fire for two thousand years, by everyone from Julius Caesar to Transcendentalists, and it is still golden, though false Christian “dross” pervades the Church.

This work, paired up as book (The Jesus Family Tomb) and documentary ("The Lost Tomb of Jesus"), is no different than the others. It is outlandish, and, to be honest, amateurishly immature. William Donohue called it “science fiction,” while Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, referred to it as “laughable”—something that would be “laughed out of court.” While defending the documentary, the makers hold to the assertion that they are just “asking questions.” But, really, they should hold themselves to a higher-standard for questions. After all, they did spend two million dollars making this documentary……

Ah….money… A root of all sorts of evil, eh? Thanks to the controversy—“hell,” if you will—that this work is raising, it will probably garner a boatload of money. The book will probably make a brief appearance on the New York Times’ Best-Seller List, and the documentary will probably be pretty popular—as far as documentaries go. James Cameron and “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” aren’t Dan Brown and The DaVinci Code, another hoax of preposterous proportions and success, but they are proportionally “disciples,” like Peter is a disciple of Jesus. Though the makers of the film are doing the devil’s work—however God will decide to make it backfire—money was, in all likelihood, a persuading factor to their decision to make this documentary. It becomes increasingly clear that publicity (which is money in the entertainment business) is the most important thing with comments such as: “I think everyone should watch the documentary, read the book, and then make up their minds. First the questions, then the answers, not the other way around. Or, as Larry King, clearly biased as a Jewish atheist, said: “I think everyone should watch this documentary, to get at least a little enlightened.”

The thing is, I don’t really care about the money. That’s capitalism for you, and, if you want to speak in spiritual terms, it’s dirty money. Now, I’m not saying James Cameron and his minions—including Director Simcha Jacobovici—are going to hell. In fact, I hope they don’t. But, regardless, they’re going to have a lot to answer for. “Why are you persecuting Me?”

So, if I’m not jealous of someone making money trying to disprove the very core of who I am, what am I worried about? As I said, my faith will only grow stronger from this. As Bill Donahue stated, he’s not scared about the truth coming out because he’s confident in the truth. Christians have nothing to be afraid of. God’s ways—and truth—are higher than man’s ways—and truth. Even if some illustrious “indisputable evidence” came out, as has been claimed before—at least with other issues—it is eventually thrown in the trash pile as just that—trash.

So why am I concerned? Well, mainly, I am concerned for uneducated Christians and non-Christians alike. Dozens upon dozens of books came out dismantling all the ridiculous assertions of The DaVinci Code. But, how many people do you think read those books? How many people are still walking around saying, “You’re a Christian? But what about The DaVinci Code?” Damage will likely be unavoidable. That’s troublesome.

However, having said that, perhaps this will purify the church—making it stronger and more effectual. Perhaps this will make 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 all the more poignant and applicable. Plus, this is another opportunity to witness to people.

Nevertheless, though we know that God will cause this to work towards His will and together for the good of those who love Him, I wanted to write this article and an ensuing one--with some of the points against this film--in order to equip, encourage, and instruct.

I encourage you to listen to today’s broadcast of The Albert Mohler Show. Today’s show was dedicated to the topic.

~Kingdom Advancer