The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Zachary W. during the 2007-2008 League.
Roaring Lambs by Bob Briner
"The test of the vitality of a religion is to be seen in its effect upon culture...and we as Christians aren't doing so hot." This one statement effectively summarizes the message of Bob Briner's Roaring Lambs. In his book, Briner laments the fact that most modern-day Christians are cultural lambs: meek, lowly, and easily dismissed. Throughout the book, he describes how we as Christians need to stop standing on the sidelines and start having a positive impact on our culture. In his words, "It's time for those lambs to roar."
The book begins by describing the current lack of impact the church is having on our culture. On the surface, it would seem that we're doing pretty good. Church attendance is at its highest in decades, with many large and flourishing congregations across the country. We have Christian television networks that span the globe, Christian radio stations that play Christian music, Christian books and bookstores, Christian colleges and universities, Christian publishers.the list goes on. But despite this, our culture still seems to be going down the drain. Briner says that this is due to the fact that Christianity does not have a major influence on mainstream culture. He points to the lack of Christian influence in Hollywood, in art galleries and museums, and in the mainstream media. I certainly agree with him, one need look no further than today's movies to see a noticeable lack of all things Christian.
So, what's the solution? Will more Christian books, television, radio etc. start to positively influence our culture? According to the book, probably not. In fact, Briner believes that the proliferation of "Christian" products and services has actually hurt us as Christians in the long run. While these products and services may be good, they are generally made by Christians for Christians, and have very little representation in mainstream outlets.
An example of this is when the typical Christian author writes a Christian book. After writing, he/she will most likely take it to be published by a Christian publishing house due to the fact that it will have more chance of being accepted. The Christian publisher in turn, will most likely distribute and market the book in the Christian rather than mainstream market. This tends to produce a pronounced lack of Christian material in the mainstream market where it is (arguably) needed the most. This example applies not only to books, but to all other products and services as well. Briner believes that until we can start getting Christian products into the mainstream market, we have little hope of improving our influence on culture.
Another problem that Briner addresses is the fact that many Christians view their faith as nothing more than a costume to be worn at church and with Christian friends on Sundays and Wednesdays. The rest of the week, these Christians lead a different life, shedding their Christian identity while at work, at home, or with non-Christian friends. Briner argues that these Christians need to come out of the closet and start living for Christ on a daily basis. If we as Christians don't view our faith as a permanent and dominant part of our lives, we will never truly impact our culture.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:13,14 that we are to be the salt and light of the earth. I believe that Bob Briner has provided us with a practical and hard-hitting handbook on how to accomplish this, and I know that I personally have been deeply impacted by this challenging book.
