Let author and pastor Mike Gunn be the guide through both "The Da Vinci Code" itself and the dizzying maze of Scripture, contemporary scholarship, philosophy, historical documents, Church tradition, and faith-oriented films that tell the rest of this intriguing story.

This book provides a philosophical overview of Umberto Eco's historical and cultural development as a unique, internationally recognized public intellectual who communicates his ideas to both an academic and a popular audience. It describes Eco’s intellectual development from his childhood during World War II and student involvement as a Catholic youth activist and scholar of the Middle Ages, to his early writings on the "openness" of modern works such as Joyce's Finnegans Wake. Merrell also explores Eco’s pioneering role in semiotics and his later career as a novelist.

Exploring the Da Vinci Code takes you on a fascinating journey to London, Paris, and California with Lee Strobel and Garry Poole as they investigate the claims made by Dan Brown in his novel, The Da Vinci Code. It provides quick, straightforward answers to the most troubling aspects of the popular novel and major motion picture, which is scheduled to release in theatres May 19, 2006. This outreach book is designed so readers can give multiple copies to friends, family, coworkers—anyone who may be struggling with the misconceptions fostered by The Da Vinci Code. Exploring the Da Vinci Code is not to be confused with Zondervan’s DVD Group discussion resource, Discussing the Da Vinci Code. The latter links a DVD to a group discussion guide and equips group members to personally combat the misunderstandings that many readers of The Da Vinci Code have.

Dr. Thomas Lourds, internationally-renowned linguist and archaeologist, has just arrived in Istanbul to lecture at the University. But before he even leaves the airport, Lourds is kidnapped and finds himself fighting for his life―and for all mankind. Deeply hidden somewhere in the city is an ancient scroll written by the author of the Bible's Book of Revelation―a scroll whose secrets might save or destroy humanity. Lourds' religious extremist captors need him to help find the document to achieve their evil ends. After a desperate escape and chase, Lourds searches for the scroll with the help of a former lover, Olympia Adnan, and a deadly Irish mercenary he cannot trust. Lourds and his dangerous allies must navigate ancient Constantinople's darkest depths to find the scroll before the Devil himself brings the world down around them and the war between good and evil comes to a final showdown.

As millions of readers worldwide react to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, so do many scholars. The novel has become a proxy debate for two compelling scholarly and social issues of our time: the feminist/post-feminist challenge to patriarchal authority; and the textual construction of meaning and value. Presenting the feminine as both dominant and sacred brings attention to every text which argues for dominance or divinity. Traditional scholars are being challenged to defend their disciplines and practices, to reassert the authority of their knowledge base. Postmodern scholars are finding an opportunity to explain to the world at large how texts construct meaning and maintain power structures. These essays examine resistance to the sacred feminine in religious, cultural, and literary histories. Robert Davis explores the return of the goddess to academic and popular discussions. Deanna Thompson examines the apocryphal evidence brought into the debate by the novel. Rachel Wagner looks at the larger issue of postmodern textual authority, and how Brown’s novel has brought Biblical interpretation to popular awareness. Arlette Poland reviews current feminist and academic thinking on textual versus spiritual authority regarding the feminine divine. Other essays identify the elusive and misunderstood sacred feminine in religion and literature; in church teachings and practices; in the variant Grail stories; in the mystery genre itself. Together, these essays place the reaction to these issues into broader social and contemporary contexts.

A thrill-seeking Harvard linguistics professor and an ultra-secret branch of the Catholic Church go head-to-head in a race to uncover the secrets of the lost city of Atlantis. The ruins of the technologically-advanced, eerily-enigmatic ancient civilization promise their discoverer fame, fortune, and power… but hold earth-shattering secrets about the origin of man. While world-famous linguist and archaeologist, Thomas Lourds, is shooting a film that dramatizes his flamboyant life and scientific achievements, satellites spot impossibly ancient ruins along the Spanish coast. Lourds knows exactly what it means: the Lost Continent of Atlantis has been found. The race is on, and Lourds' challengers will do anything to get there first. Whoever controls the Lost Continent will control the world. "Short, gripping chapters move the action from Egypt to Russia to Africa to London. Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code. Look out, Dan Brown, Brokaw can play this game a lot better than most of your imitators." —Booklist "In the 19th century, the equivalent of a blockbuster movie was a tense, thrilling novel, often told in serial form. We tend to forget that the modern novel need not be anything more significant than excellent entertainment, which is the perfect description of Charles Brokaw's The Atlantis Code. …A rollicking adventure, with nonstop action and suspense. Readers can only hope that Brokaw is prepared to send Professor Lourds on further quests." —Publishers Weekly "If you enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, The Atlantis Code will take you to a new level of mystery, wonder, adventure and excitement. This book will enthrall you and at the same time connect you in a very intimate way with the mystery of your sacred existence." —Deepak Chopra “A winning combination of all the ingredients an adventure addict could want: great action, intrepid archeologists, dark conspiracies, cliffhangers, and a real sense of wonder." —Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times-bestselling coauthor of Paul of Dune and author of The Edge of the World "Brokaw's hero is Indiana Jones without the whip. Who knew archeology could be so exciting? Wonderful entertainment." —Stephen Coonts, New York Times-bestselling author of The Traitor “Storytelling doesn’t get much better than this. I’ve set this one aside to read again!” —David Hagberg, New York Times bestselling author of The Expediter

How has the culture affected the gospel of Jesus Christ, and how has that affected the witness of the church in the 21st century? This book intends to address those questions and then work toward a healthy correction to recapture the truth of the gospel, and the glory of God, and help people engage the culture instead of separating from it.

It was the most renowned and respected shrine in the Roman Empire, the object of veneration by Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Octavian, and a host of other luminaries. It stood for centuries within a sacred precinct the size of a large town at the heart of the greatest Greek city in the world. Yet it disappeared without a trace, creating the greatest archaeological enigma of the ancient world. What became of the tomb of Alexander the Great? Does any part of it still survive? Find out in the latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series by Charles Brokaw, THE ORACLE CODE. When word of the tomb’s secret location and the treasured wisdom of the Oracle of Delphi it may hold materialize in the code of an ancient scroll in Afghanistan, Harvard linguist and archeologist professor Thomas Lourds must quickly find out. That is if the evil forces that wish to obtain the treasure that the tomb holds doesn’t stop him first. Russian President Nevsky and his secret police will stop at nothing to harness the power of what the tomb may hold—power to control the world as Alexander the Great did. When the Taliban catches wind of the discovery they’re also dangerously hot on the trail.

With more than 300 original annotations in some 60 thematic lists, this one-of-a kind compilation opens the world of audiobooks to listeners and librarians alike. The demand for audiobooks is booming, yet materials that help listeners make choices of what to listen to have been in short supply. Read On...Audiobooks: Reading Lists for Every Taste fills that gap, helping match reader interests and mood to titles that might please them. Written by Joyce G. Saricks, a well-known writer and speaker on readers' advisory, the book offers original annotations for more than 300 audiobook titles, grouped according to some 60 themes, fiction and nonfiction. Lists are organized by character, story, setting, language, and mood/tone. Each entry provides a plot description and discusses the appeal of the narrator. In addition to helping patrons, the book will assist librarians with collection development and listener's advisory, creating displays that include audiobooks, promoting the collection, and especially, with understanding the special dynamic that exists among listeners, narrators, and audiobooks.

#1 WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER • While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. “Blockbuster perfection.... A gleefully erudite suspense novel.” —The New York Times “A pulse-quickening, brain-teasing adventure.” —People As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.