Deirdre Good teaches at General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in New York. She has written about early writing outside the accepted body of Christian texts. She writes and lectures widely on the role of women in historical Christianity and in the present.

Some Catholics were angry about the portrayal of Catholicism in the book, finding it prejudiced. Linked to the novel’s villains, the organization Opus Dei rebuts at length the book’s characterization of the group and offers speakers about the organization.

Sam Pollard is a professor of film and television at New York University in New York, N.Y. He has produced and directed several documentaries, including one about black preachers for the History Channel.

A Jan. 28, 2006, Orlando Sentinel article says that some Christians viewed the film as an opportunity to evangelize. It’s posted by the Washington Post.

Read a Feb. 7, 2006, New York Times article about the Catholic organization Opus Dei, portrayed as villainous in the novel, mounting a public awareness campaign to counter any potential negative portrayal in the film.

Jeremy Gunn is director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s new Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. The ACLU filed an amicus brief in support of UDV.

The Jewish Outreach Institute is an independent, national organization that works to bring unaffiliated and intermarried families closer to the Jewish community.

Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald is founder of the National Jewish Outreach Program, which tries to keep Jews engaged in Jewish life, particularly when the cause was assimilation or lack of Jewish knowledge. It sponsors the annual Shabbat Across America program.

The Lindisfarne Community is a neomonastic network that offers various links and an FAQ on the movement.