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Lost and Found
Dr. Orville Boyd Jenkins
A review of the book by Chris Seay
The Gospel According to Lost (Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 2009.  195p.)

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I was interested in this title not because I was a fan of the TV series Lost, but just the opposite.  I had been living overseas, and was only vaguely familiar with Lost.  I had seen a couple or maybe three episodes, and did find the interactions intriguing.  Not being able to keep up with the story link however, I was not able to grow familiar with the plot, to get to really know the characters.

Seay is a great fan of Lost.  Here he analyzes the social and personal themes he perceives in this fascinating popular medium.  Seay is a writer, church planter, and missiologist.  He looks for gospel themes in the popular art of the society.  These would be themes of hope, redemption, reconciliation or restitution.  Here he produces some important insights about the story line and the personalities in Lost.

The flashbacks of previous life that each character experiences often express guilt, one of the themes Seay perceives in the series.  The contrast of emotional and rational approaches to their problems also are prominent and reflect our common struggle to find and make meaning in our lives.

Seay notes the pattern of drifting into tribal relationships, and the power struggle that develops as the lost group try to establish order and develop leadership.  He keeps returning to Jack's role of shepherd, and in this portrait Seay finds reflected the shepherd-savior role of Jesus.  The savior is a common figure/theme in science fiction and adventure in general.

In a similar way he expands on the role and character of each personality in the series and analyzes the dynamics of their relationships to portray the moral and relational values of the Gospel.  The analyses are not strained, but seem authentic.  Seay has perceived active threads woven into the epic and masterfully produced in the final product we see on the TV screen.

I think you will enjoy this stimulating reflection on this life epic that has captured the attention of 3 million viewers.

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OBJ

Reviewed on Amazon and OJTR 2 May 2010

Orville Boyd Jenkins, EdD, PhD
Copyright © 2010 Orville Boyd Jenkins
Permission granted for free download and transmission for personal or educational use.  Other rights reserved.

Email:  orville@jenkins.nu
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