The Gospel According to Lost
Written by Chris Seay
Narrated by Chris Seay
3/5
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About this audiobook
“Chris Seay is one of my favorite people. He’s a shepherd at heart. His insights on culture always take me into a better understanding of the world we live in. I’m grateful for him in so many ways.”
—Don Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz
An epic journey into the deepest mysteries of faith
Lost is not just a television show. It has become much larger than that, growing into a complex, mystery-filled epic that has garnered over twenty-three million participants. Some might call these people viewers, but you don’t just watch Lost—you participate in it. It demands that you dialogue with the story, seeking theories, discussing with friends, and comparing yourself to the characters.
Lost has broken all the formulas for television, and in doing so has drawn together millions of people on a shared journey that explores life, faith, history, science, philosophy, hope, and the basic questions of what it means to be human. It’s the seemingly infinite ideas, philosophies, and biblical metaphors that draw us in and leave us wanting more.
The Gospel According to Lost explores each of these elements in an analysis of faith and metaphor—a perfect resource for those who want to go even deeper into the journey.
Inside, you’ll discover what Lost has to say about
- The clash between faith and reas0n, on the island and in real life;
- The struggle with guilt that consumes each character—and sometimes us too;
- The dichotomy between fatalism and fate, and what the Bible advises;
- How being lost—on an island or in society—presents an opportunity for reinvention that liberates some and paralyzes others.
Chris Seay
Chris Seay is the pastor of Ecclesia, a progressive Christian community in Houston, Texas, recognized for exploring spiritual questions of culture and breaking new ground in art, music, and film. Chris is the author of The Gospel According to Tony Soprano and The Gospel Reloaded. He lives in Houston with his wife, Lisa, and their four children.
More audiobooks from Chris Seay
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Reviews for The Gospel According to Lost
19 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Gospel according to lost is what happens when a pastor enjoys a television series.This book is not a book of theories and speculation about Lost. (With one season to go, that would be a foolish endeavour!) It’s a reflection on the religious and philosophical themes that permeate the award winning television show. Seay (with a few exceptions) has written a chapter on each of the main characters, reflecting on what they bring to questions of faith.As a pastor, I often found myself making the same connections that Seay did: * Eko with his bible-stick of scripture * Locke with his insistence on faith * Shephard’s stubborn anti-supernatural stance * Sawyer’s bad-boy-seeking-redemption story * The list goes on . . .On the negative side, Seay often took the easy road when reflecting on the characters—there are a lot of deeper connections that could have been plumbed. Also, the structure of the book was quite scattered. There was no unifying arc to the book as a whole. Maybe a second edition released following the final season could clear things up!If you love the show Lost, and are curious to see how a believer puts the pieces together, give this book a try.Disclaimer: I received this book as a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5"The Gospel According to Lost" is not normally a book I would blindly pick up. I am not a major fan of any of the "Gospel According to" books. To say that Chris Seay pleasantly surprised me would be and understatment. As an avid viewer of LOST, I generally enjoyed this spin on the show.
The book begins by explaining how LOST is different from other shows and why it has become an import influence to the people who watch it every week. After this introduction, each chapter examines a specific character by looking at the main philosophical theme they represent and how their character changes throughout the show in regard to their theme. He then compares the LOST narrative to stories found in the Bible.
I often found myself making the same connections that Seay did:
* Eko with his bible-stick of scripture
* Sawyer's bad-boy-seeking-redemption story
* Locke with his insistence on faith
* Shephard's stubborn anti-supernatural stance
On the negative side, Seay often took the easy road when reflecting on the characters--there are a lot of deeper connections that could have been plumbed. Also, the structure of the book was quite scattered. There was no unifying arc to the book as a whole. This book provides a great review of certain characters and mysteries the show has created, which is especially useful before the final season this spring. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Being a fan of the TV show Lost, I couldn't help putting my hand up for a copy of Chris Seay's The Gospel According to Lost through ThomasNelson's Booksneeze program. This book looks at how life, faith, science, philosophy, hope and the basic questions of what it means to be human are explored in the TV show and relates them back to biblical stories and characters.If you have watched Lost you will know that there are always questions and as an answer for each question is found more questions result. I like what Chris has to say in the first chapter - "We were created from mystery to live in mystery - to trek an adventure of faith - but instead of embracing the process, we stir and squirm until we find an answer to anchor us, to make us feel safe." The book is a short easy read, broken down into chapters, most of them dealing with one character and the issues they face. I felt some of the parallels drawn were a bit of a stretch and some issues could have been delved into more deeply. Just as things started to get interesting the chapter would finish and he would move onto the next character. As a starting point for thinking and discussion though it is a great resource.Now I'm impatiently waiting for the last season of Lost to start over here and carefully avoiding any spoilers on the internet.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ultimately, this book offers just what the back cover copy suggests: examples of Biblical truths using observations taken from the television show LOST. On more than one occasion, Seay takes things a bit far, but he admits on a few occasions “this may seem far-fetched, but…” and I commend him for that.But I suppose the main fault I see with the book is its simplicity. I’m not entirely sure who the target audience is for this book – Christians? Seekers? – because the simplistic presentation of the gospel will likely bore the believer, while being too watered-down for a seeker to truly get the point of Jesus’ message.Seay methodically looks at each main character in the TV show, drawing examples from the episodes and relating their experiences to Scripture. The main point he tends to draw out is that we’re all broken people, especially the figures on LOST, but we’re not actually lost forever. Jesus’ truth can save us, in the same way that the island seems to be the redemptive point for many of the characters on the show.This isn’t a book for someone who’s never seen the show. In fact, if you haven’t seen the show, I’m not sure why you’d bother with this book at all, since it already assumes a level of familiarity with the characters. I appreciate what Seay is trying to do, but without a clear target, I’m afraid that the reaction he’s aiming for falls badly off course… much like Oceanic 815.At the very least, for a Christian, it might provide a good starting point for discussions with friends of all backgrounds — and I suppose that’s something.