Where do you run to when you are being chased by what you cannot see? Whom do you trust when everyone is a stranger? What conclusion do you come to about hundreds and possibly thousands of coincidences? When nothing is of the ordinary, how do you cope? If you are LOST, will counting to ten help you? One would hope so if you are stranded on the mysterious island of the “Others” (the mysterious island dwellers), and a monster that appears out of thin air.
In case you’ve missed out on the wonderfully amazing and odd television series, LOST, you need to do yourself a favor and go out and buy both Season 1 and 2 or borrow them from a friend to get yourself caught up with the show before you start watching the premiere of Season 3 today. You have been warned: If you jump into the show now, you will be more lost than the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815.
LOST has and will affect tens of millions of people in numerous ways during the next few years before the show finally comes to an end. The writers engage the viewer through the use of inordinately involved story telling and multiple tie-ins through various media avenues. There are dozens of official, un-official, and unofficial-official websites dedicated to continuing the weekly story or discussing the millions of various theories as to what is really going on with the island. Go to Amazon.com or any major bookstore and you will find a fictional book written by (make sure you pay attention) a fictional author about the fictional characters on the show with the premise that everything about their backgrounds is fact. Remember, this is a television show we’re talking about.
The show has become a cultural phenomenon, not just in America but also around the world, partly because of the various ethnicities portrayed with real life stories to which we as viewers can relate. Also, the creators have developed a worldwide scavenger hunt with clues that help flesh out the TV show. The catch is, not all of the clues and answers are the same for every country so there is networking to be done to get all of the answers.
To really grab a wide range of viewers, both casual and obsessive, the writers have filled each episode with references from film, literature, religion, pop-culture, history, etc. This not only makes the show entertaining to watch, but as various viewers watch LOST, they will ultimately relate in different ways to the characters and events. The philosopher may enjoy deciphering how the odd John Locke and creepy Danielle Rousseau characters fit in with the writings and teaching of their real life counterparts. Or, maybe you, as a Christian, enjoy the company of Mr. Ecko because he is a priest and is always able to spout off some useful wisdom, sometimes in the form of a parable. If you are like me, Sawyer the wisecracking redneck fits the bill perfectly as a good balance to all of the intellectualism involved and allows for some perfectly delivered one-liners.
No other show in history has pulled so much from the past and present culture into a weekly TV production. Christians should take note. God calls us to be the “light of the world.” If Christians want to be taken seriously and not be thrown into the dustbin of history, we need to start creating meaningful “stuff” through all the different avenues available that captures the unbeliever’s attention along with fellow Christians. So often, movies are made or books are written with just Christians in mind. Jesus’ message was for the lost of this world along with the believer.
Relate the Bible and God’s Word to everyone. I don’t believe the creators of LOST expect to save anyone’s soul or even care, but it may actually stimulate more people into reading scripture and plant that needed seed more so than Bible thumping, yelling and screaming that we so often see on college campuses. At least LOST doesn’t portray Christians as wackos. LOST is a show that engages and intrigues. Why can’t Christians do the same?
If you want to see faith and science pitted against one another, prepare a large bowl of popcorn, get comfortable, and view LOST on Wednesday.
James is a graduate of Kennesaw State University with a B.S. Degree in Finance. He joined American Vision's staff in the fall of 2008. Prior to joining American Vision, James was an accountant for S.P Richards Co. Canada. James and his wife reside in Kennesaw, Georgia and are members of Midway Presbyterian Church. 
