My Daughter's L O S T Trinity Theory

My 9-year-old (almost 10) daughter, Kasidy has a theory on L O S T. And, quite frankly, she blows my mind. Her theory is a Trinitarian island theology. If you are a fan, please read on. If not, this will make no sense and you may be bored.

Now, after she came up with her theory, I checked around on line to see if anyone else had blogged about similar things. I found a couple but, her insights are even better than what I found.

THE FATHER
The Island is the Father. The island is also known as “Jacob.” The island has a will. A plan. The island is living. The island is eternal.

THE SON
The Son is the physical representation of the island. Richard Alpert is the Son. Richard doesn’t age, he understands the island, and he is part of the island. Richard could also be a “John the Baptist” figure talking about and searching for the one who is to come. This could also mean that John Locke is a possible Jesus figure. John rose from the dead or, in fact, the island (Father) raised him from the dead. He also seems to exhibit some healing powers. It is possible others have been healed simply by being around John Locke.

THE HOLY SPIRIT
The smoke monster. Mysterious. Truth teller. Judge/One who convicts.

This theory plays out in so many ways. No one has “seen” Jacob (at least not yet). Jacob may only be known through those who do his will.

The Others (disciples of John?) have been looking for “the one” to come and had hopes that John Locke was “the one.” Their test for John Locke was to see if he would kill his father. He refused. So, they abandoned their hope of him being their “messiah.” The “one” the Others have been looking for seems to be someone who will finally settle their battle with those who don’t belong on the island. Isn’t this much like the biblical account? The Jews believed their Messiah would come to be a conqueror who wielded a sword and set things right with their enemies. The real Messiah came to “conquer” through peace.

The smoke monster convicts Ben of his sin and makes him face his demons. It is also a protector—though it is a bit scary.

Ben is a bit of an anti-Christ figure. He is likeable to an extent yet highly manipulative, a poseur, and thinks too highly of himself. He wants to be “the One” but knows he isn’t. Still, he presses forward consumed by his addiction to power.

And, John Locke . . . who is his father? We know who his mom is. We thought we knew his dad but, it wasn’t “really” his dad. There’s really no father in the picture. Unless . . . there was some sort of immaculate conception for him who always seems to know his job is to do the will of the island, even when it doesn’t make sense to everyone. Father knows best.

As we teased this out a bit more, the possibilities are endless for this theory. In what other ways can you see a Trinitarian model in L O S T?

N.T. Wright on Colbert Report

One of my favorite people in the world, N.T. Wright recently appeared on The Colbert Report. N.T. Wright--or as we refer to him at Westwinds "The Bishop"--is one of a handful of authors/theologians who have influenced my theology and changed my perspective. If you have never read The Bishop, pick up a copy of "Simply Christian" today.

We recently took a trip to Asbury Theological Seminary to hear The Bishop speak. He blows my mind.

While Stephen Colbert may not be in the company of my favorite theologians, he does win my vote for the funniest book title to come along in a while with "I Am America (And So Can You!)"



HT: Ben

Server Theology

The following is a true story. Mostly. It is my way of dealing with current IT difficulties.

I cannot connect to our server today. No mail. No charts. No notes. Nothing. (very true)

The notification on my screen says, “The server may not exist.” And, you know what? I believe it.

I mean, I think I have been connected to it before but I am not sure. Maybe there is some other explanation for how I got things done in the past.

I haven’t seen the server. I suppose I could walk down the hall and see if it is there in the room they say it is in but, I don’t want to and my computer has no reason to lie to me. They say it looks like the one in the picture above but that is just a visual representation of someone’s idea of what a server looks like.

Come to think of it, I don’t think anyone in this office has seen the server. They just say it works for them.

Some are complaining about the server even though they are connected. I don't get mixed up in this because, bottom line is, the server doesn't work for me and these petty complaints don't make it any easier for me.

I just want stuff to work. I just want to be connected to something outside my laptop. I'd love to be part of the larger network.

I have tried and tried to connect to no avail. I have tried everything. I have asked for advice and called in the experts. No one can help me.

No one else seems to be having quite the same trouble I am and no one understands my pain. They have never been where I am. Which is funny because we all have the same server.

Though they are all connected, I am sure my problem is the server’s fault.

I can get by without the server, however. I don’t need it. It’s not like my server is the only way to connect to all my important documents—or . . .