Final Roar

by Bob Briner

Book Overview

In the final book of this Christian thought leader, Bob Briner takes a look at the history of Christian participation with American popular culture over the past fifty years. Briner concludes... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805423613
• ISBN13: 9780805423617
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
• Length: 180 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

We are the problem! A timely challenge.

Wow, what an absolutely fabulous book and a powerful and timely message. Bob Briner has, in his final effort, sent a message that every Christian should read. The essence of the book is about how we as Christians have failed to be "salt and light" and become at best irrelevant in our society today. In the first chapter he come right out with a direct and as bold a statement you can make: WE are the problem! He makes the following statement that gets to the heart of the way we are often depicted in society. "One simple way to understand the lesson of God's Kingdom and to see very clearly how we have failed our world is to understand that the Christian's job is NOT to change society, or to clean up its institutions. Rather it is to offer the life-changing, heart-changing, power of the Gospel." (Page 22). Bob describes with numerous examples how many of the "Christian Leaders" have damaged the wonderfully powerful and needed good their organizations do by getting sidetracked into political issues which merely marginalized their message and alienated people in the process. Included are "Focus on the Family" and Chuck Colson's "Prison Fellowship" organizations. What is so convicting about this book is how true it is, and yet how strongly I often found myself resisting it with "yeah but..." time and again. However, the more I pondered his message, the more sense it makes. While his points are right on, I think that we are called often to be leaders for change. What the Reverend Martin Luther King did was a needed and valued catalyst for some institutional change. At times this is needed I believe. However, Bob's point is that we need focus first on BEING people for whom the world will look to for answers to uncertainty, not because of what we say or how we judge others, but rather for the way in which we live and reach out to others.This is an inspiring book, and a must read for all Christians. He discusses our failures in media, music and journalism, which are all areas of huge influence that Christians have largely abandoned and now either seem to create an exclusive sub-culture of and for ourselves, or sit meekly on the sidelines and attack that which we abandoned in the first place. We have missed opportunity after opportunity to credibly impact our world in these areas, by being exclusive or being judgmental, instead of being involved. One need only look at the life of Jesus Christ to see how powerfully he changed society through the hearts and minds of those he loved, and by not only going to, but being with, the very people whom many modern western Christians have abandoned. Whether it is racism, or the often shameful attacks on homosexuals under the name of Christ, we have missed the point and done more harm than good. Where is the loud and direct outrage at the signs shown by supposed Christians at the funeral of Matthew Sheppard? This is but one example of the fact that we have let others label us, and depict us all due t

Become a "Roaring Lamb"!

Bob Briner was a successful and thoughtful businessman and visionary for the Kingdom of God. In several books written in the 1990s, beginning with "Roaring Lambs" (1993), he admonished Christians to be saltier and more visible in contemporary culture. He thus challenged disciples of Jesus to make their presence better known in the media, the arts, and education. In other words, they should be "roaring lambs" - notable, but meek and Christ-like. He discouraged Christians from claiming victim status or complaining about cultural disintegration when they were doing almost nothing to inject a Christian worldview and ethic into their culture.This was Briner's last book, completed by others after his death in 1999. He chides Christians that "we are the problem" (chapter one). "We haven't given our country the opportunity even to reject the truth of Scripture because we have rarely been in the place even to offer it. In this way, we have not shown up. We have failed America" (page 10). Instead of trying to "win a culture war" (and defeat our "enemies"), we should offer hope and truth to the world, as Christ did. From a wealth of personal experience, Briner urges Christians to engage in intelligent, active, and effective involvement in the media and the arts. Christian educators should "raise the bar" of excellence and challenge their students to permeate their culture for the glory of God. Moreover (this warmed by curmudgeonly heart), they should insist on the proper use of English - in both writing and speaking - when linguistic laziness is winning (and debasing) the day.I applaud most everything in this stimulating and challenging book. As Os Guinness (read all of his books!) says, the problem is not that there are not enough Christians, but that they are not Christian enough where they are! That was Briner's basic message, and it desperately needs to be heard and heeded, especially as American culture moves increasingly away from a Christian ethic and worldview and instead embraces all manner of debauchery and degradation. Nevertheless, Briner is sometimes overly simplistic, as when he says we are not called to reform society by changing laws but to be salt and light. Both, in fact, are needed. Laws may be unjust and oppressive; if so, they need to be changed for the good of society. Remember the civil rights movement! When Briner writes of a Christian presence in music he seems to assume that musical forms are morally neutral and that Christian content and character is what matters. I agree with Ken Myers (see his "All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes") that cultural forms are every bit as important as content. We must labor to make both form and content as honoring to God as possible.These criticisms do not counterbalance the overall value of this book to educate and mobilize Christians to be all that their Lord called them to be.--Douglas Groothuis, Denver Seminary

His Roar Continues

I knew Bob Briner. This book continues the challenge he gave me to find a way to think outside the box and touch the world. Readers will be challenged by his continuing proding especially as it pertains to politics in Chapter 4. He nailed me again here. The book also contains a chapter from Bob's wife Marty and some pictures from his life. For a Bob Briner fan, you will want this book for your library. It would also be a great gift for someone that needs to think about the world and how to make a difference.