Dr. D. James Kennedy seems to have joined the ranks of those who embrace Catholicism as another denomination of Christianity. In the same way that the issues of abortion, gay marriage, and Judeo-Christian “values” are being used to unite Catholics and Evangelicals, The Da Vinci Code (book and movie) became a tool for the same end. In his 2006 expose titled “The Da Vinci Delusion” Kennedy featured both Catholic and Protestant teachers alongside one another – referring to all of them as “Christians.” The ad in his newsletter tells us that the documentary: “Features Respected Christian Scholars and Authors.” Next to these words, he provides a list, among which is William Donohue, president of the Catholic League and a very outspoken defender of Catholicism. Donohue often appears on Fox News (with fellow Catholics, Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity) speaking against anti-Catholic issues. Also shown is Sandra Miesel, a Catholic journalist and medievalist, and Amy Welborn, a well known Catholic author (who is revered on websites such as americanpapist.com). Perhaps most remarkable is that, if you ask the average Catholic, “Are you a Christian?” he will likely respond, “No. I’m Catholic.”
Not only this, but The Da Vinci Delusion goes out of its way to defend Constantine the Great (who founded Catholicism in the fourth century) as a likely “Christian.” In response to Dan Brown’s assertion that the Roman emperor was a pagan, Kennedy says that “God alone knows the heart,” ignoring the fact that Constantine worshiped Sol Invictus (the sun god), murdered members of his own family, continued to officiate at pagan ceremonies (all of this after his alleged conversion!) and wasn’t baptized until he died. Despite these things, Kennedy discourages discernment about how God judges a true convert, and protects the foundation of the Catholic faith. The strange thing about the whole “Constantine” episode was that it seemed out of place. The purpose of the documentary was to debunk Brown’s book for the purpose of defending the Gospel. Why bring Constantine into it? The only reason is to defend the faith of Catholics, whom Kennedy embraces as fellow “Christians.”
-- CJP
