Too Quick to Come to Conclusions

This past week I went to a conference at a local college here in Denver regarding faith and culture. One of the speakers, Barry Taylor had some interesting insights that sparked an internal conversation within myself. I am still pondering most of what was said, but I'd like to share one of the paths I've found myself wandering and in the mean time possibly convince you to start watching the show Lost on Wednesday nights as well. :)

One of the points Taylor wanted to emphasize about culture in this present day in age is that it is obsessed with the unexplained. There has been a societal shift from way back in the day when the age of reason ruled, to this newfound obsession with mystery and the unexplained. Pop Culture is searching through this mystery not necessarily to find the answer, but to just be immersed in the mystery itself and experience all there is to experience. For example, the show 'Lost' takes a plane full of people which (unexplainably) separates while plummeting to the earth because of some mysterious malfunction; who have crashed on a desolate island of the coast of....oh wait...it's a mystery; and unexplainable events happen such as a big black cloud coming out of nowhere snkeaking up behind people and then snatching them into an endless abyss, or a paralyzed man can unexplainably walk once on the island. The list can go on, but you see the point.

Taylor emphasized that sometimes people are too quick to come to conclusions within the framework of culture; assuming rather than experiencing for themselves. Back to my example with 'Lost'. My friend Amy and I watch the show together every Wednesday that there is a new episode with gripping anticipation of the characters' every action hoping that it will uncover more of the mystery that shrouds the island and all that it contains. During commercial breaks we enthusiastically jabber about what we think will be the outcome of the episode, assuming that we know what is right. However, almost inevitably, a twist is thrown in that we had not anticipated which makes both of us completely off base in our assumptions, throwing us for a loop and wanting that much more for next week to come more quickly so that we can know more of this mystery.

Perhaps Christians find themselves assuming too much when it comes to culture just as one might assume they have all the answers to a TV show before watching the whole episode. How can one assume they know if they haven't experienced it to some degree or at least taken the time to try and understand why culture does what it does. If we enter into the experience but through a different lense, then maybe we can relate to culture meeting individuals where they are. Maybe culture is searching more for the Divine than we think. Maybe if we look a bit closer, we can see glimpses of truth even in the lowest levels popular culture rather than assuming it is all trash and should be thrown out.


Other reasons to watch 'Lost': Great character development, wonderful acting, sarcastic and whitty dialogue, endless possibilities, to relate with other 'Lost' junkies, you will know exactly what to do and how to survive if you ever find yourself on a plane that has crashed onto a gorgeous island with no sign of help arriving anytime soon.....Wednesdays on ABC....