“The Da Vinci Code” is finally here. The P.R. machine that had Tom Hanks and his “Da Vinci” ‘do at the Oscars and trailers running for a year has succeeded. The reviews are out. Ministries around the world are spreading the word about the “fiction” of The Code. This week’s water-cooler question is, “Are you going to see it?” Next week’s will be, “What’d you think of it?”

I think the most important question will not be what we think about the film, but instead, “What do we think about its main character?” And that main character is not Leonardo da Vinci or Tom Hanks or Mary Magdalene. The main character—The One whose identity and purpose is at the center of the story—is Jesus Christ.

“Almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false,” says the book on page 235. What do you think about that? What do I? Those questions about Him far outweigh what we think of the film. Each of us has the right—and the responsibility—to make our own decisions about who He is and what that has to do with our lives. Our decision in that regard far transcends opinions and discussions about how good this movie is.

And for me, that is the most exciting and continuing drama—the one about how God has reached out to His creation to explain and reveal who He is through Creation, the Incarnation, the Bible, and His providential acts. It is not only more lasting and intriguing than any movie, it’s a drama in which you and I play a significant part.