``The Da Vinci Code'' Spurs a 'Quest for Answers' Across the Country; Coast to Coast, Readers Look for Truth Using New Book by International Speaker and Religious Researcher Josh McDowell.

LOS ANGELES -- Before the semester ended, the president of Phoenix College's Christian Club was busy handing out Josh McDowell's The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers.

The books were designed to aid any student who may have questions about the new Tom Hanks movie opening May 19.

Joseph Martinez, 21, routinely hands out soda, water and information, especially when it comes to issues of faith.

"When The Passion of the Christ came out, there was a lot of discussion on campus. People had a lot of questions," said the third-year nursing major. "Now, they definitely have a lot of questions, even though clearly it's a work of fiction. People want answers. The book had a lot to do with the culture of the history."

As religious historian McDowell speaks this month with thousands about the truths and falsehoods inherent in Dan Brown's best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code, thousands of other people are reading about and spreading the information themselves. They are either familiar with McDowell's religious-based historical study and speaking persona, or they are hearing about him through the media and ordering his recently released book at http://www.josh.org.

The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers is a 128-page conversational-style book that addresses Brown's imagery with easy-to-grasp answers about Jesus Christ's relationship with Mary Magdalene and the origin of the Holy Grail.

On the other side of the country in Alabama, Anna King, like Martinez, was handing out the books. She said her husband, Pastor Michael King of North Brewton Baptist Church, was planning to use the book and study guide in service. King also purchased books to give to the pastors in the Escambia Baptist Association of 35 area churches, and she planned to send copies to her grown children. She learned about McDowell's book after hearing him on a morning radio show.

"In this rural area, it's amazing what our people don't know. We were shocked that so many didn't know about (the motion picture, 'The Chronicles of Narnia:) The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,' when it came out. You have to educate people."

As part of his current book tour, McDowell will speak at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. The church ordered 22,000 copies of his book to give away to anyone who attends weekend services on May 20-21. Aaron Kerr, Saddleback's Personal Peace Pastor, said he heard that one man is sharing The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers with his family to help his children answer questions posed at school.

And in Allen, Texas, Dr. James Toney is leaving the books in his waiting room for anyone who may be planning to see the movie after getting their teeth cleaned.

Author, speaker, researcher and theologian Josh McDowell has spoken to more than 10 million people in 84 countries at more than 700 universities and colleges. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 books with more than 42 million in print worldwide. McDowell's most popular works are The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict and More Than a Carpenter. His most recent books are The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers and The Last Christian Generation. He holds a graduate degree from Talbot Theological Seminary. He has been married to his wife Dottie for 34 years and has four children. The McDowells live in Dana Point, California.