Transforming culture . . . from the inside
Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Avondale College of Higher Education
The late Bob Briner’s book Roaring Lambs came as a wake-up call to thousands of Christians artists, entertainers and record companies. At a time when they were developing a dangerously entrenched posture, Briner asked: “In light of Christ’s call to be salt and light in the culture around us, why do we want to keep all this talent huddled behind church walls?”
Briner earned the right to be heard in the culture-at-large through his influence as an Emmy Award-winning television executive, a professional sports agent (he co-founded the Association of Tennis Professionals) and a business person. He believes the most effective spokespeople for Jesus Christ will:
1. Never ask for money on radio or television.
2. Not be employed by a Christian organisation.
3. Earn the right to be heard through competence and class in their own “secular” profession.
4. Be an excellent communicator.
5. Know and love God’s Word.
6. Understand Christianity’s relevance to all of life.
“I can almost hear the groans of disbelief,” he writes. “The conventional wisdom will say our best spokespersons are the Chuck Swindolls. . . . Their great followings will be cited, as will their communication skills and their commitment to the truth of Scripture. . . . But, guess what. Out where I spend my professional life—in the headquarters of the television networks, in the advertising agencies and in the offices of the professional sports leagues—people have never heard of Chuck Swindoll.”
So, who speaks for Christians today? asks Briner. “The answer is simple. You do. Not your pastor, a famous Christian author, or one of the well-known personalities on Christian radio or television. You do. . . . Very few of us ever consider ways we could engage our culture with views that have been shaped by the transforming message of the gospel. And because of that, Christian thought and values are missing from [popular] culture.”
And how have Christians typically engaged culture? By appropriating, condemning and consuming it. This is according to William Romanowski, author of Pop Culture Wars. Our true calling, he says: to transform culture. And I’ll add: from the inside.
Tags: Brenton Stacey
I dislike the phrase, “roaring lambs”—lions were made to roar, lambs were made to bleat. For a lamb to roar is a noise against nature, compared to which cacophonous rock music is soothing poetry. I think the metaphor is a poor one.
Nevertheless, we are made to be salt and light, and the principle Bob espouses is one I fully endorse. Indeed, we are made to sting, tickle and illumine where we are and who we meet.
Thank you for reminding us.
Thank you for your devotional. Your echoing the Briner and Romanowski challenge to us artists is appreciated. Now for application in the real world—the fun bit!