And the Lambs Roared...
a review of Bob Briner's Roaring Lambs
by Kevin D. Hendricks

If you haven't heard of it, it's called Roaring Lambs, and it's a book written by the late Bob Briner and a CD of music inspired by Briner's work. The CD features some of the biggest names in Christian music, including Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Jars of Clay, Charlie Peacock and Delirious?. It even features a few names that may be faintly familiar in the mainstream world, like Sixpence None The Richer, Burlap to Cashmere and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Is it yet another Christian marketing project, an attempt to sell books and CDs with impressive names? Hardly. In fact, rather paradoxically, it's a call for Christians to move beyond their ghetto of a Christian subculture and actually have an impact on the culture at large.

Bob Briner was president of ProServ Television and an Emmy Award-winning producer. He was one of few Christians heavily involved in mainstream television and had a heart for taking his faith wherever he went. He understood that Christianity wasn't simply a Sunday morning commitment. He found ways to take his faith to work and be a roaring example to anyone he came in contact with, from sports professionals to the head of the Sony corporation. He did simple things, like working hard and spending time with people. And people took notice.

Briner's book, Roaring Lambs, written in 1993 and republished this year, explains this simple concept of changing our culture and challenges readers to step out and make a difference. It sounds kind of obvious, as if it's something we already do. But most of us don't. Is the church a culture shaping force today? Certainly, the church has forged a culture all its own, complete with Christian books, CDs, magazines, web sites, radio and TV stations, stores, and even after-dinner mints. But all the while the mainstream culture doesn't take notice. And that's where it counts, doesn't it? Certainly a Christian subculture has its advantages. I know I've been discipled and encouraged by things I've found in Christian bookstores. But what affect does that have on someone who shops at Target?

This is where Briner says we need to be actively involved in the mainstream culture. Why are there few Christians portrayed on TV? Why are there few movies that proclaim the saving power of Christ? Why are the books on the New York Times bestseller list lacking a positive Christian influence? Perhaps, Briner claims, it's because Christians are too busy with their own self-imposed ghetto.

Furthermore, Briner stresses the importance of a positive Christian influence beyond the confines of our ghetto. Certainly there's plenty of negative Christian influences. We're good at complaining when we feel wronged and the world at large refuses to agree with our ideology. We're good at boycotting, picketing, and signing petitions. But Briner urges us to do something positive. Rather than boycott the violent movie, support the fledgling Christian movie that needs support to get off the ground. Rather than picket the abortion clinic, volunteer time at an adoption agency.

Briner urges Christians to make a dominant stand in our culture. He encourages us to be visible in our work places and make our voice heard by society--and he stresses a positive influence. In Roaring Lambs, Briner spends entire chapters speaking to creative professionals, people working in TV, the movies, books, art, and teaching. These are the culture shapers, and how can we expect to have an influence on society if there are no Christians filling these positions? For those not involved in such positions, Briner urges supporting these people in whatever manner necessary. Why do we encourage dreams of being a pastor more than dreams of being a movie director?

The CD project and the second release of the book prove that Christians are listening. A number of Christian musicians and record companies consider the book required reading. Steve Taylor's Squint Entertainment, the company behind the CD project, owes its very existence to Briner's influence. And although the book never speaks directly to musicians, the application is obvious.

And people are making that application. A number of obvious examples are missing from the book, proof that it was written in 1993. TV shows like Touched By An Angel and 7th Heaven are missing, as well as Christian authors accepted by the mainstream, including Madeline L'Engle, Anne Lamott, Wendell Berry, and Kathleen Norris. If Briner added a chapter on music, a number of modern examples would emerge, including Burlap to Cashmere, MxPx, P.O.D., Creed, and Sixpence None The Richer—the band known for the most played (or overplayed) song of 1999, 'Kiss Me,' and an appearance on David Letterman that allowed lead singer Leigh Nash to speak plainly about God's love. Is it an odd coincidence that a few of these bands are on the Roaring Lambs CD or mentioned in the liner notes? I think not.

While Briner does make a much needed point, his book is not flaw-free. Reading the book makes it sound easy to be a culture-shaping force. Briner continually stresses the need for Christian writers to write movies, TV shows, and intelligent articles and books, all that portray God's love and salvation. Of course that's easier said than done. Effectively preaching the gospel, especially through TV and movies, in a form that people will enjoy and listen to is beyond difficult. It can be done, and has been done, but it's not something I can easily accomplish on my Sunday afternoon. We can't all be J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, or even U2. Although Briner underestimates the difficulty of the task, it is something that can be done, and we are called to try. Let God decide if we're successful.

Briner also slips when he assumes the church can easily unite in such attempts to reach the mainstream culture. I wish the church were that united. But divisions always arise and then come the accusations of "crossing over." I can't help but wonder how Briner would react to films like Dogma, the Matrix, or the Apostle—films that some Christians would laude as heralding the message of Christ, and other Christians would bash for being violent, crass, flippant and anti-Christian. The church is not nearly as unified as Briner dreamed it is.

But despite the few faults, Roaring Lambs still presents a powerful, new way to impact our culture, something that seems so obvious, yet isn't. It's an especially poignant call for those of us still deciding on future careers. Do I go to work for the Christian magazine, the Christian web site, the Christian organization? Or do I push myself and let my light shine within the walls of a company that doesn't have a Christian creed? It's a question we need to ask, and a book we need to read if we're serious about changing this world.