Robert Briner - Roaring Lambs: A Gentle Plan to Radically Change Your World

Roaring Lambs

Copyright 1993 by Bob Briner

Foreword copyright 2000 by Bob Briner

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

ePub Edition February 2016: ISBN 978-0-310-34812-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Briner, Bob.

Roaring Lambs : a gentle plan to radically change your world / Bob Briner.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-310-59111-5 (softcover)

1. Church and the world 2. Christian life1960 3. Christianity and the artsUnited States. 4. Christianity and culture. I. Title.

BR115. W6873

261'.1dc20

99-41265

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Interior design by Laura Klynstra Blost

For Rob, Leigh, and Lynn
and especially for Marty
who inspire me to attempt good things

contents

by Michael W. Smith

A s a first-time author of a book, I feel a deep sense of debt and gratitude to those whose help was given so effectively and generously.

The people at Zondervan could not have provided better or more gracious help and support. Publisher Scott Bolinder has been a constant source of encouragement. My editor Lyn Cryderman, has contributed helpful guidance as well. By the way, both of these guys must assume full responsibility for the title, Roaring Lambs. I wanted Saline Solution. Get it? Brinersaltsaline? Okay, maybe they were right.

Edwin Pope, the brilliant sports editor of the Miami Herald and my friend read and commented on the manuscript as it was being written. His suggestions have been invaluable.

Dr. Ray Pritchard, senior pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Illinois, provided his considerable expertise in the area of Scripture and theology. Any shortcomings in these areas are mine, not his. He also directly inspired several approaches the book pursues. I am very grateful to him.

Many of the experiences that gave me the insights for this book were enjoyed in the company of Donald Dell, my partner and friend for over twenty years. We have traveled together from Toledo to Tashkent and from Dayton to Dubai. My thanks for many things.

My faithful secretary, Mary Ann Milazzotto, typed the entire manuscript and was also a source of encouragement along the way. Rebecca Bowman, also in the ProServe Television office, assisted Mary Ann. My thanks to both of them.

RAB Dallas, Texas

T ake the following test by answering each statement yes or no, then check your score at the end.

1. I have attended a school board meeting within the last year.

2. I have as many close friends outside the church as within.

3. I own at least one original piece of art.

4. In the last year I have written a letter of praise to a network or sponsor of a television program.

5. I support decent movies by attending wholesome ones and avoiding unwholesome ones.

6. I consider careers in the arts, journalism, literature, film, and television to be as important for the kingdom as pastoral ministry, or foreign missions.

7. I have written at least one letter to the editor of my local newspaper in the last year.

8. I have read at least on book on the New York Times Bestseller List in the past year.

9. I am active in the civic affairs of my community.

10. I have talked with at least one non-Christian about my relationship with Christ and what it means to be His follower

If you answered yes to:

810 A bona fide Roaring Lamb!

57 Watch out, theyre starting to listen.

24 Mouth open, no sound.

0-1 B-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a

B ob Briner was a good friend of mine, and I consider him one of my mentors. The philosophy of Roaring Lambs is one I have made my own for a long time. I have tried to convey to people that we can live out our faith much more powerfully if we would talk less and live more.

Imagine a world full of world-class entertainers, movie directors, screenwriters, Broadway actors, journalists, and painters, all of whom have a passionate devotion to Christ. Whats more, think of those people being recognized and respected in their professional worlds and in the broader culture, and the opportunities they would have to shout the good news of Gods grace with the power of their lives, without a word being spoken. It would impact our culture more dramatically than we could imagine.

Roaring Lambs is a wake-up call from Bob to the church that he loved so dearly. It is a call from a man who lived the books premise far beyond anyones comprehension, and who wished passionately for more people to take Gods call to shape the culture from within; to be salt and lightilluminating, flavoring, and preserving our cultures creative community with the good news of Gods grace and redemption.

Roaring Lambs is as powerful today as it was groundbreaking in its first year of publication. Bobs fear that the church had abdicated its role as a force to shape modern culture is being realized more fully by the day. And yet Bob did not wish that the church would shrink from its place in culture. Instead, he challenged committed believers to run headlong into the culture with excellence, integrity, and conviction. He challenges us still to not just shape culture, but to earn the right to roar in a community that has been ostracized from much of the church for far too long.

I miss Bob. And yet I know his legacy lives on in the hearts and actions of people who impact our culture by being a part of it: bands in clubs, singers on the radio, actors, directors, and journalists who pursue their craft with excellenceall giving credit to Gods gifts and adopting the charge of St. Francis of Assisi, to preach the Gospel at all times, and, if necessary, use words.

Michael W. Smith

T he Shah of Iran had summoned me to meet with him during his international tennis tournament at the sprawling Imperial Country Club on the outskirts of Tehran. As I stood beside the U.S. ambassador awaiting the imminent arrival of the Shah and the Empress, one question continually came to mind: What am I doing here?

The same question occurred to me as I was flying over on Air Iran, one of the worlds most luxurious airlines in the pre-Ayatollah days. Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes was on the flight on his way to interview the Shah, and we chatted about tennis, but mostly I kept pondering the question, What am I doing here?

This same question had presented itself often in the past. It came as I stood on the sidelines at Shea Stadium as a part of the Miami Dolphins front office staff before our game with the New York Jets. As I sat in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, it came to mind again. The same question arose as I rode with Akio Morita, the legendary founder of Sony, in his limousine through the streets of Tokyo. When the U.S. ambassador to Australia sent his plane to Sydney to fly a small group of us to the embassy in Canberra, I asked myself that question. And it certainly floated in and out of my mind when tennis great Jack Kramer and I entered the magnificent suite atop Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to negotiate with the hard men who ran the gambling empire. What am I doing here? Why am I here?

Naturally, everyone asks this question from time to time, but coming as I did from humble beginningsthe product of a modest public school system and two very small colleges, it seemed totally preposterous that I should be flying all over the world, hobnobbing with the rich and famous, unless there was something more to life than just fate and chance. For me, the question What am I doing here? was more complex and urgent because of one fact. I am a Christian. I am committed to the cause of Christ. I want to serve Him. So what am I doing here? What am I doing on this jet to Paris where I will oversee television production for the great bicycle race, the Tour de France? Why am I doing what I do instead of pastoring a church or training missionaries?