Author Robert Vaughan was at his desk last Monday, his dog, Sir Charles, curled by his feet, when he opened his computer and saw fighting words.

Titanic director James Cameron had produced The Lost Tomb of Jesus. The film, which aired Sunday on the Discovery Channel, struck at the core belief of Christianity, that Jesus rose from the dead (and thus, says Christianity, cannot be entombed anywhere).

"You know those commercials with the caveman - that one where he has that look of disgust? Well, I was that caveman," recalled Vaughan, whose books tend to a Christian or military bent.

Within days, Vaughan's publisher had him on the media circuit debunking the debunker: "It's obvious Cameron's capitalizing on The Da Vinci Code," Vaughan said. "I think he's pimping the Bible, that's what he's doing."

In 1988, Martin Scorsese's Last Temptation of Christ, arguably the first major media assault on traditional Christianity, sent outraged housewives to picket theaters. Today, when the entertainment industry takes on Christianity, it sets in motion an impromptu, nationwide refutation machine. Protestant to Catholic, all offered one, seamless message this past week: The "tomb" is old news. Israeli archaeologist Amos Kloner, who first examined it 27 years ago, dismissed it as not credible then. Even the names on the caskets are in dispute.

"It seems every Christmas and Easter, Hollywood comes out with material to neuter the Christian faith. I say enough is enough," said Jerry Johnson, a former Baptist pastor in Colorado. Today, Johnson is president of Criswell College in Texas and a radio host. Last week, he fired out e-mails to say he's demanding on-air that Cameron apologize. Does he think he will?

"If he's an honest man, he will," Johnson said. "It's a patently false publicity ploy. Hey, I'm on the air! Gotta go!"

Focus on the Family referred outraged Christians to the American Family Association Web site, which organized an e-mail protest to the Discovery Channel. In New York, The Catholic League swung into action, calling the film "a Titanic fraud."

Spokeswoman Kiera McCaffrey traced the entertainment industry's now-routine efforts to debunk Christianity to the 1985 Jesus Seminar, a popularized, ongoing academic project to deconstruct traditional biblical claims, including Jesus' divinity. So, did the Christian push-back work? Last week, the filmmakers gently were suggesting that viewers make up their own minds. Even some pop culture outlets poked fun at the Tomb's feverish tone.

On Talk Soup, the E! Entertainment Network's gleefully irreverent look at the media, the host speculated that Cameron's next blockbuster might be "exploring what's hidden inside Martin Scorsese's bushy eyebrows."

torkelsonj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5055