Lost was groundbreaking in many ways, and it will certainly take its place in history as one of the most thought-provoking dramas to grace the airwaves. It was not perfect (remember the sluggish pace of Season 3 or the introduction of Nikki and Paulo?), but I’m confident that it will be remembered for setting a new standard for television drama.
What are some lessons that Christians can take away from this pop culture phenomenon?
1. People are interested in the big questions of life.
2. People are looking for the purpose behind pain and suffering.
3. There is a crisis of fatherhood today that has caused immeasurable pain, sorrow and anger.
Lost often centered on the “daddy issues” in the back stories of many of the characters.
4. People long to be part of a story bigger than their personal story, but which is able to incorporate and add meaning to their individual experiences.
Why did Lost strike such a chord? Because this desire for meaning and purpose behind our individual stories is very much wired into us as humans. Lost never fully succeeded at satisfactorily tying the stories together into the show’s meta-narrative. But there is one Story that will.
The Christian faith teaches that we are part of a Story that is about Jesus Christ, the King of the universe. The slain Lamb is the conquering king – through whom and for whom our world exists.
Ironically, when we live as if our personal story is at the center of our universe, we struggle to find meaning and significance. But when Christ is at the center and we are pushed to the periphery, it is then – in that place of seeming obscurity and insignificance – that we find true worth and value, by giving glory to the King with whom we can become united through faith.
Read the rest here
Showing posts with label Lost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lost. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The Final Act of Lost
“Lost” captivated millions because it drew upon a variety of universal themes. It was self-consciously theological and philosophical—an approach that really sticks-out among the mind-numbing pabulum offered daily on television. Characters were named after famous philosophers (e.g., John Locke, Desmond David Hume), storylines were mistaken for religious narratives (e.g., the theory that the island is purgatory), and classic metaphysical dilemmas appeared throughout (e.g., fate vs. free-will, good vs. evil).
As I’ve said before, the Lost story was not your run-of-the-mill postmodern critique of metanarratives. Good and evil were in a pitched battle, and the good won in the end. Viewers saw in this story what they already perceive to be true about their own story. The world that they live in is broken, something has gone wrong, there is evil afoot, and something needs to be done about it. Everyone living in this broken-down world is broken-down themselves and in desperate need of redemption.
I think it’s easy to see why viewers have been attracted to Lost’s mythology. They feel a yearning that what was true in Lost’s story might be true in their own. They hope to find that what they did here did have meaning and a purpose and that good will win-out in the end. The Christian gospel teaches that this universal human yearning does have an answer. It teaches that good does in fact win-out in the end, that there is a purpose to it all, and that redemption is possible—even for the vilest characters in this drama (1 Timothy 1:15). There was really a man who was pierced for our transgressions to make a new world and new life possible (John 19:34; cf. Isaiah 53:5; Zechariah 12:10). Only this man didn’t live in a mythological TV-world. He lived here, was one of us, and has gone on to prepare a place for those who know Him by faith (John 1:14; 14:2-3).
“Lost” highlighted the itch that only the gospel can scratch. This was the unwitting genius of the show, and it is why people will be talking about it for years to come.
Read The Rest Here
As I’ve said before, the Lost story was not your run-of-the-mill postmodern critique of metanarratives. Good and evil were in a pitched battle, and the good won in the end. Viewers saw in this story what they already perceive to be true about their own story. The world that they live in is broken, something has gone wrong, there is evil afoot, and something needs to be done about it. Everyone living in this broken-down world is broken-down themselves and in desperate need of redemption.
I think it’s easy to see why viewers have been attracted to Lost’s mythology. They feel a yearning that what was true in Lost’s story might be true in their own. They hope to find that what they did here did have meaning and a purpose and that good will win-out in the end. The Christian gospel teaches that this universal human yearning does have an answer. It teaches that good does in fact win-out in the end, that there is a purpose to it all, and that redemption is possible—even for the vilest characters in this drama (1 Timothy 1:15). There was really a man who was pierced for our transgressions to make a new world and new life possible (John 19:34; cf. Isaiah 53:5; Zechariah 12:10). Only this man didn’t live in a mythological TV-world. He lived here, was one of us, and has gone on to prepare a place for those who know Him by faith (John 1:14; 14:2-3).
“Lost” highlighted the itch that only the gospel can scratch. This was the unwitting genius of the show, and it is why people will be talking about it for years to come.
Read The Rest Here
Friday, April 16, 2010
Is the Island a Purgatory? Or Not?
Chris Seay weighs in on the meaning of Tuesday's LOST episode, "Everybody Loves Hugo" by Chris Seay
Chris Seay, author of The Gospel According to Lost, chimes in on the developments in Tuesday's episode of LOST, "Everybody Loves Hugo." (SPOILERS AHEAD) Among Seay's observations: "It's great to know what all these whispers [on the island] have been, and to see Hurley's interactions with Michael. But the inference that Michael is stuck there in a purgatory kind of sense is at least a disappointment." Seay also notes that Desmond's importance "can't be underestimated," and that he still seems to be sort of a messianic figure, with his "ability to withstand this evil magnetic energy without being harmed." And Seay notes how he was "stunned" how the episode ended.
CTEntertainment
Chris Seay, author of The Gospel According to Lost, chimes in on the developments in Tuesday's episode of LOST, "Everybody Loves Hugo." (SPOILERS AHEAD) Among Seay's observations: "It's great to know what all these whispers [on the island] have been, and to see Hurley's interactions with Michael. But the inference that Michael is stuck there in a purgatory kind of sense is at least a disappointment." Seay also notes that Desmond's importance "can't be underestimated," and that he still seems to be sort of a messianic figure, with his "ability to withstand this evil magnetic energy without being harmed." And Seay notes how he was "stunned" how the episode ended.
CTEntertainment
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