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Customer Reviews for Thomas Nelson The Gospel According to Lost
Thomas Nelson The Gospel According to Lost
Take an epic journey into life's deepest spiritual mysteries with the television phenomenon Lost! In a spinning analysis of faith and metaphor, Seay explores how the characters and their situations provoke thoughtful discussions on what it means to be human---addressing topics such as fate, guilt, truth, and philosophy. Includes 12 character portraits. 224 pages, softcover from Nelson.
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(17 Reviews) 17
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Customer Reviews for The Gospel According to Lost
Review 1 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:August 17, 2010
feather
The Gospel According to Lost by Chris SeayViewers of LOST recognize the show is full of spiritual connotations at every turn. In our search for deeper understanding, we ask ourselves questions in an attempt to discover the significance of the events. Chris Seay examines the spiritual and personal battles of Losts characters and how to apply the solutions of these struggles to our daily lives. The chapters delve into the character of each of the main Losties and portray a clear examination of the spiritual implications of their struggles. It successfully takes the reader into a deeper examination of each characters journey and the choices they have made. The author provides a fascinating look at the redemption available through Christ. As a fan of LOST, this look at the characters was interesting and enjoyable. It provided both confirmation of current thoughts and stimulation for expanding thoughts on various spiritual parallels in the show. *Disclosure: Thomas Nelson Publishers provided a copy of this book to me as part of their program. I have given an honest review and am disclosing this in accordance with the FTCs 16 CFR, Part 255.
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Review 2 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:June 28, 2010
Mike Singletary
Its hard to not be aware of the buzz revolving around the epic ABC show LOST. Never before have I seen such discussion, wonder, love, hatred, confusion, and excitement over a television series as I have with this show. In his book, The Gospel According To LOST, Chris Seay dissects the vast array of characters and subplots into paths that lead to an entrance into deep spiritual dialogue regarding humanity, depravity, moral conflict, and redemption. This book does not aim to solve anything or answer questions, so dont expect that. What you can expect is a great guide into taking your discussions, debates, and dialogue about LOST into deeper spiritual realms. Rarely do we have a form of secular media that so naturally leads us into these discussion and this book serves as a great tool for getting there.
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Review 3 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:February 22, 2010
Matt Wilkie
I really love Jesus, and I love LostThe Gospel According to Lost by Chris Seay is a fun book. April and I hesitantly joined the Lost bandwagon about 1 years ago. Great choice. Weve watched each episode, and smile as time deepens our confusion. In the midst of our wonder, we love the show and cant wait to see what happens next.Seay describes the purpose of the book as not to erase the mystery, but to allow each of us to seek a posture that celebrates the things we do know and to embrace the mystery of things that have yet to unfold. He does this well.To show the connection of Lost and the Gospel, Seay points out references to faith, philosophy, history, literature, and relationships from the plot thick program. He also shares lessons from our faith that perhaps the writers never intended. Most chapters serve as a character study, highlighting the ways faith, doubt, fear, pain, guilt, insecurity, and history are seen in a certain Lost character. I enjoy the over coffee (or sushi) conversational style of the book. He writes things I can hear him say, such as, If you didnt cry in season fours episode The Constant, something is wrong with you; you were either distracted or, worse; it is possible you have no soul.Seay uses humor, insights, a love for Jesus, a respect for elements of pop culture and obvious passion for the program to craft the book. If youre a Lost fan, I recommend the book as a fun read. Also, The Gospel According to Lost could be a great eye opening gift to Lost fans who may not be on your faith journey. Disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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Review 4 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:February 5, 2010
Ok I admit it, up until recently I never really understood or followed the TV show lost on ABC. However many friends and coworkers could not get enough of the mysterious show which generally leaves you with more questions than answers each week.Recently I had the privledge of reading Chris Sealy's book the gospel according to Lost. After merely reading the publishers synopisis I was inspired to seek out the first season of lost on DVD and begin the journey that many Lost fans have been on for a few seasons now.The parrellels and symbolism explained with respect to the gods word encourages you to use lost as a Mechanism to share your faith as well as see normal everyday things and events as events to share God's word. From the beginning I was challenged. Following lost, you become connected and drawn toward a cast of strangers who were compossed of a surgeon with addiction problems, a murderer, a con man, a junkie, a lottery winner and an Iraqi soldier. The book expands on each character. It challenged me to consider the people whom I surround myself. None of them would beaccepted qs characters on lost. It encouraged me to expand my circle of friends to allow "the others" in.One word of warning if you are a few seasons behind there may be a few secrets revealed in this book. You may want to finish wathomg season 5 before reading this book.
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Review 5 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:January 30, 2010
Katelyn Collison
The Gospel According to Lost by Chris SeaySo, I had a hard time getting through this book. Maybe it was because I've only watched the first season of Lost.When I ordered this book, though I knew it was pertaining to Lost, I didn't actually think it would be about it. At least, not in such great detail. I thought maybe the author would talking about how until we find Christ, we are all in a sense lost.The book goes to great detail to show and explain how each character is similar to characters in the Bible.While sometimes that was very interesting, usually it just seemed long and unnecessary.Perhaps it would have been better if I had watched more of the show. Maybe not. The book had it's strong points though. Where the actual story lacked, good writing made up for it.Here's one of my favorite quotes: "Our eyes are not meant to see what lies in every shadowed corner, but to blindly, faithfully, and thrillingly take steps toward an unforeseen ending."One of the chapters talks about Jin Kwan's father. I had watched enough to know what the author was describing. He was talking about to scene were Jin goes back to his father and explains everything. He apologizes for being something he had become. After that, the author talks about our Father's unfailing love and forgiveness. I liked that chapter. Props.While I didn't understand or enjoy the majority of the book, it stills has good lessons in it. So if you have a day off and nothing to do, pick it up. You might learn something.
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Review 6 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:January 27, 2010
John
Oceanic Flight 815. The island. John Locke. Jack Shepherd. Ben Linus. The Others. The television show Lost has quickly become a global phenomenon. Perhaps most impressive is how the writers weave together numerous philosophical, scientific, and ethical strands. With such attention to detail, it comes as no surprise that Lost has attracted religious dialogue. Christ Seay addresses the show from a theological perspective in The Gospel According to Lost.Fans of Lost will be pleased to know that Seay does not spoil anything for the final season. Instead, Seay looks for the theological echoes within the lives of the characters. He often finds them in their narratives, as they grow and develop over the course of the show. Sometimes the revelations of their flashback scenes show how much they have matured even before the crash.Unfortunately, many of Seays examples are fairly surface-level. He does not tend to delve deeper into the characters. For example, he considers the implications of various names among the Losties. While not insignificant, his insights are hardly ground-breaking to the committed fan. Furthermore, Seay shows a tendency to rely too heavily on particular scriptural themes. While several characters may all share particular motifs, I would have preferred to see Seay develop different ideas rather than continuing to return to the same ones.Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 : Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
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Review 7 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:January 19, 2010
Courtney M
LOST. If you dont know what this word means to pop culture, youve been living in a hole for the past five years. A phenomenon that hit TV screens in 2004, LOST has been the catalyst for many deep discussions on science, romance, psychology and, as seen with Chris Seays book, The Gospel According to LOST, religion. As soon as I saw that this book was available for Thomas Nelson bloggers through their book review program I was ecstatic! Ive been following LOST since the first episode and am pretty knowledgeable, if I do say so myself. I was really looking forward to seeing how Chris would connect my Christian faith with happenings in the show.I was disappointed. Chris does a great job recapping what happened throughout the show, giving us examples from different shows. However, I felt as those most of the time he was telling me things I already knew. Being an avid watcher, I already came to many of the conclusions that Chris presented. Nothing jumped out from the pages for me. I didnt find that ah-ha! moment. I was waiting for it the entire way throughout the book and it never showed up.Yes, Chris does connect the show with the Christian faith. Yes, he is knowledgeable about the show. Dont get me wrong. But, I feel that if you are going to write a book about one of the most followed television shows, that it cant just be good. It has to be great. Otherwise, you are going to have a lot of disappointed readers.
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Review 8 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:January 16, 2010
The Gospel According to Lost, a new book by Chris Seay, is touted as being an "Epic Journey into the deepest mysteries of our faith." Although I would not call this book itself an "epic journey" (I will leave epic journeys to Homer, Virgil, and V.S. Naipaul, among others), it is certainly an entertaining read. The constant tension between faith and reason as well as the theme of spirituality do all figure prominently into the Lost television series. This book examines these themes and others in an engaging, entertaining, thoughtful manner. Yet while contemplating these spiritual matters it promises no ultimate answers as to what the final sixth season will reveal.I knew from reading his bio information that Seay was a pastor and church planter as well as a book author, so I was intrigued about what his "take" would be on what I consider a very interesting television series. Insightful, reflective analysis from Seay, yet I was hoping for a bit more. Truth be told, I had anticipated insights into engaging neighbors, friends or co-workers into coffeehouse or water-cooler conversations about these issues and even how to use these conversations to share the gospel. Still, this book does inspire personal reflection on a variety of spiritual matters, which could certainly spill its way into these very witnessing opportunities. Lost will still remain a mystery after the final page of Seay's book is turned, yet he might inspire you to see a little bit of the gospel message with a fresh eye. I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review.
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Review 9 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:January 14, 2010
When my husband and I were browsing through a local bookstore a few weeks ago, we stumbled across a whole series of books devoted to the religious ideas of popular sci-fi/fantasy shows. We laughed and laughed. We didn't buy any of those books, but then Thomas Nelson offered this one for review. I was just too curious.And it was a fun read.It isn't really the Gospel according to Lostit's the Gospel for the lost. At the end of Chapter 3, author Chris Seay says, But the Lost narrative is uniquely intertwined with the Judeo-Christian story, and the beauty of Christianity is found in its unyielding proclamation that no one is beyond redemptionnot even a torturer, murderer, or con man. If Seay could visit the Losties, he'd tell them they don't have to stay lost.Through the lives of the characters, Seay discusses several of the philosophical ideas the program explores every week. He also shows how our culture wrestles with these same concepts regularly. Then he points us to some of the biblical answers to Lost's and society's life questions. Sometimes he's very profound.I would caution the reader not to take it too seriously, though. I wasn't comfortable with Seay's comparisons of some of the characters to Christ. The people on the island are lost and in need of a Savior; I don't think any of them are that savior. And without a conclusion to the series, Seay is speculating just like other viewers. He's just done a lot of speculating and has written his theories into a book. But Seay is right about the show itself. It makes the viewer think about life's deep issues. Seay helps his readers to think more deeply and to consider what God's Word has to say about each topic that comes up. Fans of the show will enjoy this quick, yet thought-provoking read. Even if they disagree with Seay, the resulting wrestle of thoughts will appeal to them for the same reason they like the show. The discussion goes on as Seay adds his voice.
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Review 10 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:January 14, 2010
Laura Hartness
Chris Seay is a devoted fan of the TV show Lost. So much so that he's written The Gospel According to Lost, his take on how the program's themes and characters are echoes and examples of faith, theology and philosophy.The initial chapters reflect on Lost in general and begin to draw his first parallels between the show and his Christian faith. Chapters 3-17 are each devoted to one or two of the shows characters at a time. He analyzes their histories, their struggles and how their development frequently can be compared to Biblical themes. He ends with recommendations on how to enjoy the upcoming season in light of what hes presented to his readers.As a Lost fan and a Christian, this title was quite fun to read. It was great preparation for the upcoming season, debuting on February 2nd. Many months have passed since Ive seen a fresh episode, and going through all the major characters in this way was very enriching. The only criticism I have is that sometimes I found Seay's writing to be a little distracted, one moment spouting high-end vocabulary words, and the next moment making parenthetical jokes about pop culture. By the end of the book Seay had found his voice, which made the reading of the book much smoother.Overall, The Gospel According to Lost would make a great read for Christian fans of the program. Its not suited for those who have never seenthe show, but thats okay. Readers can easily take the ideas presented and share them with others out there, even those who havent seen the show. As he suggests in his Epilogue, use the shows popularity and the concepts he shares to be a springboard to deeper discussion with those around you. We are all searching, but in having faith in Christ, none of us are truly Lost.Disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review.
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Review 11 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:January 13, 2010
N McCorkindale
The Gospel According to Lost surprised me in the depth and theological solidity with which it was written. I was preparing myself for the Gospel being stretched to somehow fit Lost. I was pleasantly surprised. The author writes through each character in detail, and it was both enlightening and inspiring to read. Now, Im not sure that someone who hasnt watched a good deal of Lost would really grasp everything that the author is saying, but for any avid Lost fan, this book will open your eyes to yet another layer of the already intriguing story. Definitely a must read!I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 : Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
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Review 12 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:January 12, 2010
I love the series LOST, LOVE it! It took me a while to get into the show, and I still don't get all the mysteries of the island, but it's still one of my favorite T.V. shows. So, when I heard about Chris Seay's book The Gospel According to LOST, I knew I had to read it.While it is a little strange he didn't wait until the end of the series to write this book, it is a book I think will still have relevance at the end of the 6th season.He discusses many of the most beloved characters, and draws parallels from within the show to the Bible, in a much more Biblical (and less religious) way than in the show itself.Don't worry about being literally "lost" in this book, If you've never seen this show before, Chris Seay is thorough and detailed, He retells the back story of every major character in the show. There are a few spoilers here and there, but not too many to worry about ruining the show for you.Loved this book just as much as i do the Series and I'll certainly be passing this around to the other "losties" i know.
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Review 13 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:January 12, 2010
The Gospel According to Lost by Chris Seay intrigued me. We have rented/borrowed four seasons of Lost, and have had some interesting conversations in this household about it. I thought it would be interesting to see what Biblical messages we've been missing, and (I have to confess) maybe to rationalize continuing to watch the series.The basic premise is that Lost is more than just a television show, it is an epic -- a narrative that demands your participation, not just your viewership. That following Lost is a vehicle for exploring "life, faith, history, science, philosophy, hope, and the basic questions of what it means to be human."Obviously, Chris Seay spends more time thinking about the implications of what happens in this series than I do, but that was part of the appeal to the book.The book is accessible, organized and an easy read. Much of the book is devoted to chapters exploring individual characters. The last third of the book focuses on the "lost" parables of Luke 15 (lost sheep, lost coin, lost son) and viewing the series in light of what Jesus had to say about lost stuff.If you are a Lost fan, I think this book is well worth a read. I couldn't put it down. Though I have to confess, my next stop after writing this will be to see if my library has Season 1 available. Reading the book has me wanting to rewatch the series, and we will be having some serious philosophical, historical, and theological conversations based on it.I received a review copy from Thomas Nelson. For more information about the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers program, visit their website at http://booksneeze.com/.
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Review 14 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:January 1, 2010
Eileen and Melissa Burmester
The Gospel According to Lost by Chris Seay is an enjoyable and interesting read. Although I have never gotten into the Lost phenomenon, I am familiar with the show. I have seen a few episodes in which I have enjoyed.Chris Seay is a Pastor, speaker and a wonderful writer. He describes all the characters of the series as The Patron Saints of Lost." He also calls them Losties. The author delves deeper into the personalities of each character. He describes the flaws and quirks that each of the characters has, and he intertwines stories from the Bible to help describe them fully. Each chapter recaps the characters history in the show.Chris Seay is definitely a Lost fan and I wonder what he will write about when the sixth season airs in February. I recommend the book to all Lost fans.
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Review 15 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:December 29, 2009
mzzterry
The Gospel According to Lost by Chris SeayI began this book with a preconceived notion that I might be offended by it. The Gospel, to me, is precious, as it is the news of my Lord Jesus Christ. I am a huge fan of the TV show Lost, however, and the fact that the author was someone I had heard of reassured me that the book probably would back up my own beliefs in the end. The book was a fairly easy one to read, not too deep in theology or even hard to follow if you are not a follower of Lost. It is under 200 pages and you have to read until page 89 before there is any mention of Scripture at all. After That Seay seems to compare the television show to the story of the Lost Son in Luke 15 more than a few times.The book has a chapter dedicated to most of the main characters of the show. In the middle of the book there are color reproductions of artwork depicting the Losties as patron Saints done by Scott Erickson, a member of Seays church in Houston, Texas. I really didn't learn anything new about the show, nor about the Gospel from this book. It strikes me as being a ploy to sell books by playing into the most popular phenomenon on television right now, and oh, by the way, here is a bit about God too.I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone, unless they just wanted to skim through it as a fan of the show. There are better places to discuss theories about the television series, namely the internet. There are also better books on the market that tell the story of Jesus Christ, namely the Holy Bible.Lost is a fun diversion for me. This book was mostly just a waste of a few hours. I recieved this book as a part of the Thomas Nelson Bloggers Book Review Program. Checkout their website for info on how you might get free books too
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Review 16 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:December 28, 2009
Paula Harrington
Every Christian Lost lover should spend a few hours with Chris Seays new book, "The Gospel According to Lost". Filled with tidbits of plotlines, back-stories, and trivia for Lost connoisseurs, Seays new book wont disappoint. For the diehard fan who silences their cell phone, logs off Facebook, and forgets about Twitter for the entire 60 minutes or the one who doesnt mind missing a few episodes and playing catch-up via water cooler discussion or ABCs message boards, this book will entertain while offering valuable insight and application into Scripture and for our lives.Several times during the book, I found myself being reminded of past storylines relevant to the program and even though I was intrigued, I never took the time to research certain trivia (such as every book, chapter, and verse on Ekos 'Jesus stick'). Thanks to Chris Seay, now I know.Whether we get our Lost questions answered in Season 6 or not, life is about two types of people- those lost and those saved. Seays book is a reminder that life is that simple. If only our favorite television show was.Disclaimer: I received this book as a member of Thomas Nelson's Book Review Blogger program.
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Review 17 for The Gospel According to Lost
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Date:December 21, 2009
William Colburn
Frankly, I've never watched more than a couple of moments of Lost. It never seemed to click with me. So, based on that admission, reading this book was measurably less interesting for me than it would have been to one of the initiated. On the other hand, having read this book, I now want to rent the series and then re-read this book again!Don't get me wrong. Seay is, despite my Lost naivet, an engaging author. He sees, as did Mother Teresa, the many faces of Jesus in the 'distressing disguises' of this mostly sordid cast of characters. He observes what Michael Frost & Alan Hirsch describe as communitas - as each individual, tied to one another on this island, 'become much more likeable than their old selves'. God appears to work through each person's demons to create something beautiful. Chris captures that process well.The book introduces us, one by one, to the characters of Lost. Each role is imagined in it's past and present in the light of a providential hand. Seay cleverly takes the core message of Andy Andrews' The Noticer and applies it to the cast and setting of Lost. The result is a new way to see TV. The characters portrayed on the tube are simply projectives of who we are as 21st century people, operating within the context, parameters, and plan of God's universe. The scriptures remind us of the divines favored method for molding human character - through struggle and narrative.Thank you, Chris, for this book. Now pardon my absence as I indulge my need to watch all five seasons of Lost.
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