Click to see all unlaminated wall charts or PowerPoints.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Ben Laurro, Pure Publicity
818.753.4056 or Ben@purepublicity.com

Is Angels and Demons Distorting Religious History?

Dr. Timothy Paul Jones separates truth from fiction in the film Angels and Demons and its impact on Christian history

Nashville, TN - Controversy has ignited with the upcoming film release of Dan Brown's Angels and Demons (May 15th), the prequel to The DaVinci Code, as Catholic leaders accuse filmmakers and author of smearing the Catholic church. Dr. Timothy Paul Jones, a bestselling author of The DaVinci Codebreaker and Christian History Made Easy, warns religious audiences to remember this film is based on a novel and they have a responsibility to decipher truth from fiction.

“This film, like The DaVinci Code, has caused some upset with people of the religious sector but it now gives them the perfect opportunity to educate themselves on religious history and defend their faith against Dan Brown's fiction,” says Jones.

Wake-Up Call for the Religious Sector
“As in The Da Vinci Code, Brown blends history and fiction so smoothly that it's difficult to tell where one begins and the other ends. The difficulty comes when readers fail to explore the claims and inadvertently trust fiction as a fact. According to Angels and Demons, 'References to all works of art, tombs, tunnels, and architecture in Rome are entirely factual, and the brotherhood of the Illuminati is also factual,'” says Jones.

Jones is a nationally-respected Christian historian that points out a number of problems with Angels and Demons, including “a couple of almost-comical historical errors” in Angels and Demons. Below are insights from Jones on some of these errors:

Christianity and Science
“Christianity and Roman Catholicism in particular are portrayed in the book as an opponent to science, with the case of Galileo referenced frequently. 'Since the beginning of history,' hero Robert Langdon declares in Angels and Demons, 'a deep rift has existed between science and religion.' As historian Rodney Stark has demonstrated it was the Christian worldview that nurtured and gave birth to science,” Jones says.

To Boycott or Not to Boycott?
Boycotts to protest films in the past seems to draw more curiosity and attention to a film, instead, Jones advocates, Christians should engage history and look at the facts. “Boycotts give the impression that Christians are incapable of intelligent conversation to defend false or alternative ideas...this film should encourage believers and non-believers alike to explore historical truths about everything from the church's relationship with science to the internal process of papal elections,” Jones says.



-more-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Ben Laurro, Pure Publicity
818.753.4056 or Ben@purepublicity.com

Pluralism
“For persons who believe Scripture as uniquely authoritative and Jesus Christ as the only way to know God, there are valid concerns in Angels and Demons. For example, the character Vittoria Vetra promotes a pluralism, which doesn't square with the claims of Jesus. For this fictional character, 'Some of us pray to Jesus, some of us go to Mecca, some of us study subatomic particles. ... In the end, though, we are all proclaiming the same thing,' while God is presented as 'Gaea'-the life of the universe,” Jones says.

“Yet, from the book of Genesis forward, God is presented as the transcendent creator of a cosmos separate from himself (Gen. 1:1; 2 Kings 19:15-19; Isa. 43:7; 45:15). What's more, Jesus as well as his first followers portrayed explicit faith in Jesus as the sole pathway to God (John 14:6-8; Acts 4:12). So, we cannot be 'all proclaiming the same thing,'” Jones says.

The Illuminati
“In Angels and Demons, The Illuminati is depicted as an organization that began in the 1500's, whereas it actually began in 1776,” Jones says.

Holy Communion
“According to the character Robert Langdon in the book, 'The practice of god-eating-Holy Communion-was borrowed from the Aztecs.' The truth is that references to Holy Communion can be found in documents from the first and second centuries A.D., while Aztec culture arose in the 14th century A.D. and did not make contact with Western culture until the 16th century A.D.!,” says Jones.

Persecution of Galileo?
“And as for the supposed persecution of Galileo: While Galileo was correct that the earth moved around the sun, his reasoning was wrong. Galileo's 'proof' was the movement of the ocean; he said that the tides came in and out because they were sloshing around on a spinning earth. We know now that that's not what causes the tides. He was never tortured, and he wasn't convicted in court because of scientific irregularities. It was because he lied under oath. He was exiled to a luxuriant villa where he carried out scientific research until the day of his death,” Jones says.

The Death of Copernicus
“Angels and Demons declares that Copernicus was murdered by the Roman Catholic Church for his scientific research when, in truth, Copernicus was a Polish priest who died a natural death,” Jones says.

Christians and History
“Christians especially are woefully unaware of their own history that, while glorious, also has its share of blots and blemishes. If this movie motivates people to explore their own history, it will help them to interact more intelligently with the questions that others bring to them. This book and film also features the biblical truth that every human being is seeking some greater order, a transcendent reality that ties together all that we see and more,” Jones says.

-more-


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Ben Laurro, Pure Publicity
818.753.4056 or Ben@purepublicity.com

Christian History Made Easy
Jones' book Christian History Made Easy (Rose Publishing, June 2009) is a summary of the church's story written in accessible language, written to equip readers with an accurate picture of the history of Christianity. “Christian history deeply affects every Christian. It affects how we read the Bible, how we view governments, how we worship,” Jones says. Unfortunately, many Christians remain uninformed. Jones wants to change that.

Christian History Made Easy is broken down into 13 weeks for small groups or churches to go through and learn about Christian history, a topic that many are unfamiliar with.

“Christians especially are woefully unaware of their own history-a history that, while glorious, also has its share of blots and blemishes. Angels and Demons may provide a starting-point around the water cooler to discuss the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and the historical truths of the Christian faith,” Jones says.

About Dr. Timothy Paul Jones:
Dr. Timothy Paul Jones is a bestselling author and professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Visit www.timothypauljones.com.

About Christian History Made Easy:
Christian History Made Easy by Dr. Timothy Paul Jones. Published by Rose Publishing. Revised edition releasing in June 2009.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Ben Laurro, Pure Publicity
818.753.4056 or Ben@purepublicity.com

Suggested Interview Questions

For Dr. Timothy Paul Jones, author of Christian History Made Easy

Should there be controversy surrounding Angels and Demons? Why or why not?

If Christians choose to boycott the film, will that have a reverse affect? Will it only help the movie?

What should Christians know about the film? What is the main controversy?

Despite it being a novel, is there any truth behind the controversy?

How does Dan Brown weave fact and fiction together?

What are some major historical errors in Angels and Demons?

What is the deep relationship between Christianity and Science? How have so many people become misinformed over the years?

How can people of the religious sector use this and other films to share spiritual beliefs with others?

Why is the study of Christian history so important?

Why are so many Christians uninformed about their own history?

_For an interview with Dr. Timothy Paul Jones, contact Ben Laurro at Pure Publicity at 818.753.4056 or Ben@purepublicity.com.

###
















FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Ben Laurro, Pure Publicity
818.753.4056 or Ben@purepublicity.com

Bio: Dr. Timothy Paul Jones

Author, Christian History Made Easy

In addition to bachelors and master's degrees in biblical literature and pastoral ministry, Timothy Paul Jones has earned the doctorate in educational leadership from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

In addition to Christian History Made Easy, Dr. Jones has written numerous books, including Answers to The Da Vinci Code (Rose Publishing) and coauthoring The Da Vinci Codebreaker (Bethany House), Dr. Jones has authored Christian History Made Easy (Rose Publishing), Prayers Jesus Prayed (Servant Publications), Praying Like the Jew, Jesus (Messianic Jewish Publications), Finding God in a Galaxy Far, Far Away (Multnomah Press), Hullabaloo: Reflections from the Intersection of Faith and Life (Cook Communications), and Misquoting Truth: A Guide to the Fallacies of Bart Ehrman's “Misquoting Jesus” (InterVarsity Press).

Nearly one-half million of his books and pamphlets are in print around the world, while Dr. Jones' articles have appeared in numerous magazines, including Discipleship Journal, Preaching, Biblical Illustrator, Perspectives in Religious Studies, Religious Education, Christian Education Journal and Bibliotheca Sacra. Dr. Jones has also contributed more than 200 entries to two popular reference works, Nelson's New Christian Dictionary and Nelson's Dictionary of Christianity (Thomas Nelson).

Dr. Jones served as the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Rolling Hills, a growing congregation on the outskirts of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 2007, he became the Assistant Professor of Leadership and Church Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has also served Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Oklahoma Baptist University's Ministry Training Institute as a visiting professor of biblical languages.

He has also received the Baker Book House Award for excellence in theological scholarship as well as the North American Professors of Christian Education Scholastic Recognition Award for his doctoral research in the field of spiritual formation.

Dr. Jones has been married to his wife, Rayann, since 1994. They also are the adoptive parents of Hannah, a girl from Romania.
_For an interview with Dr. Timothy Paul Jones, contact Ben Laurro at Pure Publicity at 818.753.4056 or Ben@purepublicity.com.

###









Topics include: apostles, Christian history, church history, gospels, Augustine, Billy Graham, C.S. Lewis, Calvin, Calvinism, Canon of Scripture, Catholicism, Charismatic Movement, Christian Scientists, Christopher Columbus, Church of England, Crusades, Dead Sea Scrolls, Deism, Easter, Ecumenicalism, Finney, Francis of Assisi, Fundamentalism, Gnosticism, Inquisition, Islam, Jehovahs Witnesses, Johann Gutenberg, John Bunyan, King James Version, Loyola, Luther, monks and nuns, Muslims, Nicene Creed, Pentecostalism, Polycarp, Presbyterianism, Process theology, Protestant, Puritanism, Quakers, Renaissance, Roman Catholicism, Seventh-Day Adventists, the Great Awakening, Vatican First Council, William Tyndale