Christopher L. Hodapp (born 1958) is an American

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

and

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

, noted for his writings about

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, fraternalism, the

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

secret societies A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...

and

conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...

. He is the founding editor in chief (now Editor Emeritus) of the ''Journal of The Masonic Society'', the associate director of the Masonic Library and Museum of Indiana, and public relations director for the

Grand Lodge of Indiana The Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Indiana is one of two statewide organizations that oversee Masonic lodges in the state of Indiana. It was established on January 13, 1818. In 2016 the number of Freemasons in the Grand Lodge of India ...

Career

Hodapp studied film production between 1977 and 1983 at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

, the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Los Angeles Valley College Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC, Valley College, or Valley) is a public community college in Los Angeles, California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, ...

and

California State University Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge), is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. With a total enrollment of 36,848 students (as of Fall 2024), it has the ...

. In 1984, he became a commercial filmmaker with Dean Crow Productions in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. He has edited hundreds of television commercials and feature films, and his voice has appeared in numerous broadcast productions. Hodapp became a Freemason in 1998, and is a 33rd degree

Scottish Rite The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is a List of Masonic rites, rite within the broader context of Freemasonry. It is the most widely practiced List of Masonic rites, Rite in the world. In some parts of the world, and in the ...

Mason in the Valley of Indianapolis. He is a Past Master of Broad Ripple Lodge No. 643, and Lodge Vitruvian No. 767, one of the first "European Concept" lodges in the U.S. He is a member of the

York Rite In Anglo-American Freemasonry, York Rite, sometimes referred to as the American Rite, is one of several Rites of Freemasonry. It is named after York, in Yorkshire, England, where the Rite was supposedly first practiced. A Rite is a series of ...

and a

Knight Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

. He is a Past Sovereign Master of the

Allied Masonic Degrees The Allied Masonic Degrees (AMD) are a series of Masonic degrees conferred by ''Councils of the Allied Masonic Degrees''. The Allied Masonic Degrees form an appendant order of Freemasonry that exists in some Masonic jurisdictions; its degrees are ...

, a member of the

Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society. Founded in 1872 in New York City, it is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and has over 200 chapters ...

(Shriners), and numerous other Masonic organizations. In 2004, as part of a Masonic think-tank known collectively as the Knights of the North, he co-wrote and edited ''Laudable Pursuit: A 21st Century Response To The Questions Of Dwight Smith,'' which is widely recognized as a major influence in the so-called 'traditional observance" Masonic movement in the U.S. His 2005 book ''Freemasons For Dummies''. has become the world's best-selling introductory guide to the Anglo-American Freemasonry, and it has been adopted by several Masonic grand lodges as part of their education programs for new members. In 2006 Hodapp wrote ''Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C.'', which explores the early history of the United States and the role Freemasons played in its revolution and founding. It contains a guide to Masonic landmarks in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

In 2007, in collaboration with his wife, Alice Von Kannon, he wrote ''The Templar Code For Dummies'', a guide to the medieval Knights Templar, the subsequent mysteries and myths that have surrounded them, and their connections with

Dan Brown Daniel Gerhard Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author best known for his Thriller (genre), thriller novels, including the Robert Langdon (book series), Robert Langdon novels ''Angels & Demons'' (2000), ''The Da Vinci Code'' (2003), '' ...

The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is “the best-selling American novel of all time.” Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon—the first was his 2000 novel '' Angels & Demons''� ...

. In 2008, Hodapp and Von Kannon published their second collaboration, ''Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies'', which was required reading in a 2010 course on conspiracy at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. In 2009, he authored ''Deciphering The Lost Symbol: Freemasons, Myths and the Mysteries of Washington, D.C.'', a Masonic guidebook to Dan Brown's novel ''

The Lost Symbol ''The Lost Symbol'' is a 2009 novel written by American writer Dan Brown. It is a thriller set in Washington, D.C., after the events of ''The Da Vinci Code'', and relies on Freemasonry for both its recurring theme and its major characters. Relea ...

''. In 2010, Hodapp and Von Kannon developed episodes for the History Channel program, '' Brad Meltzer's Decoded'', and contributed material on conspiracies and secret societies for

TruTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable Television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts reruns of Television comedy, comedy, Reality television, docusoaps and reality shows, with a rec ...

. They are both frequently interviewed on the subject of Freemasonry and other 'secret societies' by the History, Discovery, and American Heroes channels. Their most recent collaboration is ''RVs and Campers For Dummies'' for John Wiley and Sons Publishing in 2021. Hodapp's long membership in the Masonic fraternity in the state of Indiana led to his being commissioned to write an updated history book for the

F&AM's bicentennial year of 2018 – ''Heritage Endures: Perspectives On 200 Years Of Indiana Freemasonry.'' That same year, he was given the Caleb B. Smith Medal of Honor, the highest honor awarded by the Grand Lodge F&AM of Indiana for his service to Freemasonry. He has written for ''Templar History Magazine'', ''Masonic Magazine'', ''The Indiana Freemason Magazine'', ''Knight Templar Magazine,'' ''The Phylaxis Magazine'', ''The Scottish Rite Journal, The Square,'' and ''Indianapolis Monthly Magazine.'' Between 2005 and 2008, he wrote a monthly humor column for the Texas-based ''Living Natural First Magazine'', ''A Pilgrim's Progress: True Tales of an Organic Greenhorn''. Hodapp's ''Freemasons For Dummies'' blog started in 2006. In reviewing Masonic websites for the ''Scottish Rite Journal'', author James Tresner called it "thought provoking and is often the first place on the web where new ideas and matters of interest are posted." In 2012, Hodapp was named as Friar #101 in

The Society of Blue Friars The Society of Blue Friars (SBF) is a Masonic organization established in 1932 with the explicit purpose of recognizing Masonic authors. It is widely regarded as one of the smallest and most distinctive appendant bodies within Freemasonry. His ...

, an organization created in 1932 specifically to recognize international authors of books about Freemasonry. In 2019, he was named Worshipful Master of the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research U.D. in Indiana.

Works

*''Laudable Pursuit: A 21st Century Response To The Questions Of Dwight Smith'' (editor, co-author), 2004. *''Freemasons For Dummies'', 2005. * ''La Franc-maçonnerie pour les Nuls'', Editions First, (with Philippe Benhamou), 2006. *''Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C.'', 2006. *''The Templar Code For Dummies'' (with Alice Von Kannon), 2007. *Foreword to ''The Compasses and the Cross'' by Stephen Dafoe, 2008. *''Conspiracy Theories And Secret Societies For Dummies'' (with Alice Von Kannon), 2008. *Foreword to ''My Book, My Opinion: Thoughts Garnered on My Masonic Journey'' by Hugh Young, 2009. *Foreword to ''Cracking Codes & Cryptograms For Dummies'' by Denise Sutherland and Mark Koltko-Rivera, 2009. *''Deciphering The Lost Symbol'', 2010. *''Freemasons For Dummies, 2nd Edition'', 2013. *Foreword to ''George Washington's Rules For Freemasons In Life And Lodge'' by Mark A. Tabbert, 2016. *Foreword to ''The Masonic Pageant: The Scottish Rite Degrees of the Supreme Council, NMJ'' by Frank Conway, 2017. *''Heritage Endures: Perspectives On 200 Years Of Indiana Freemasonry'', 2018. *''RVs and Campers For Dummies'' (with Alice Von Kannon), 2021. ISBN 978-1119790341

Video appearances

*''Secrets of the Founding Fathers'' (History) 2009 *''Hunting The Lost Symbol'' (Discovery) 2010 *''Templars: Last Stand'' (Arcadia Entertainment) 2011 *''America's Book of Secrets: Freemasons'' (H2) 2012 *'' Hardcore Pawn: Chicago: "Paranormal Pawn"'' (TruTV) 2013 *''Codes and Conspiracies: “Freemasons”'' (American Heroes Channel) 2014 *''Inside Secret Societies: “Priory of Sion”'' (American Heroes Channel) 2016 *''America: Facts vs. Fiction: “Secret Societies"'' (American Heroes Channel) 2017 *''Curse of Oak Island: Drilling Down "Oak Island and the Founding Fathers"'' (History) 2020 *''America's Book of Secrets: "The Freemason Factor"'' (History) 2021 *''The UnXplained: Secrets of the Founding Fathers'' (History) 2022

References

External links

Author's websiteChristopher Hodapp
on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

The Masonic SocietyJournal of The Masonic Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodapp, Christopher American non-fiction writers 1958 births Living people Writers from Indianapolis

Career

Works

Video appearances

See also

References

External links