What Can Be Found in Lost?: Insights on God & the Meaning of Life from the Popular TV Series »

What can Christians learn from one of the most popular TV series of all time?

In its first season, LOST averaged 15.5 million viewers per episode. The show features a cast that struggles with the eternal issues of identity, conflict, relationships, and spirituality. Though the show does not have a Christian foundation or theme, there is much believers can learn about social and cultural attitudes and perspectives through its episodes—such as...

• the selfish bent of human nature
• the darkness of evil
• the hunger people have for acceptance and success
• the realization of our need for God
• the hope for a positive future

Many of the problems and difficulties of everyday life are captured succinctly in LOST—making it a useful “point of reference” for understanding how different people view issues of a spiritual nature. Ankerberg and Burroughs offer practical suggestions for Christians who desire to talk effectively to others about the various themes in the show.

Publishers Weekly

Since it debuted in 2004, the ABC drama Losthas sparked intense discussions about its complex themes, some of which are deeply religious. Ankerberg and Burroughs, coauthors of The Da Vinci Code Controversy, write as ardent fans of the series who are intrigued by its mysteries and discussions of faith, miracles, dreams, prayer and God. This is not the book for fans seeking compelling speculation about what will happen in future seasons; section two, which briefly addresses some popular theories, does little more than scratch the surface of other people's musings. And although Ankerberg and Burroughs state at the outset they're "not saying that Lostis a Christian show," their book is primarily concerned with how various plot lines and characters point to the Bible and to Jesus Christ. Sometimes this yields interesting fruit, as when they analyze each Bible verse listed on Eko's Jesus stick, but mostly the effort to pigeonhole the drama for apologetic purposes feels forced. This book will be best enjoyed by evangelical youth groups, who will resonate with its explicitly Christian focus and the "Lost Talk" discussion questions at the end of each chapter. (Dec.)