"Rich Mullins" (James Bryan Smith)

TITLE: Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven
AUTHOR: James Bryan Smith
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2023, (240 pages).

This book is a collection of stories and recollections about the late Richard Wayne Mullins (1955-1997). For author James Bryan Smith, it is a "devotional biography." His aim in writing this book is to pay attention to the extraordinary life of Rich Mullins. Mullins had been a student, an example, a friend, a housemate, and a fellow pilgrim of the faith. Ten chapters highlight salient areas of Mullins's life. Smith writes about how family identity shapes Mullins's awareness of his uniqueness and how his roots impact his understanding of life. Mullins had wanted to be a basketball player, a mechanic, a good farmer, an athlete, etc, but often felt like a misfit. He found great solace and joy in one area: Music. Church offered him an avenue to channel that enthusiasm. He believed that there is no such thing as a one-shot faith, but an ever-ending learning journey. Against the tide of negative sayings about the Church, he continued to believe in the Church. His songs reflect his love for the church, songs like "Creed," "Liturgy," and hymns. Unlike many church-goers who choose their churches based on the quality of service or the dynamism of leaders, he believed that the key criteria ought to be the devotion of the people to the faith. He nearly converted to Roman Catholicism as he found difficulties accepting some of the teachings. His love for God grew when he experienced the deep grace and love of God. He often wrote songs reflecting his faith discoveries. Songs like "Boy Life Me/Man Like You" was about the incarnation of Christ, and "All the Way to Kingdom Come" was about the way God came searching for us. Mullins also had that St-Francis fascination over the naturally created order. Like the psalmist of old, he wrote songs of praise to reflect that admiration for God in his creation. The song "Calling Out Your Name" was one of the beautiful results of his spiritual discoveries. Mullins criticized the prosperity gospel movement frequently, primarily because they shunned the reality of human struggle. His song, "Bound to Come Some Trouble" not only taught the reality of human suffering, but it was also his unique way to comfort a hurting world. 

Besides songwriting, Mullins was also known for his spiritual writings. His focus on simplicity is a case in point. As many Americans accumulate stuff, Mullins focuses on simplicity as a way of life. His non-materialistic lifestyle was inherited from his family upbringing. Unlike society's common pursuit of material things, he finds little pleasure in things and possessions. Even fame is temporal and fleeting. Even though he was involved in one of the largest Christian musical tours with Amy Grant, he remained pretty much down to earth. There are several pieces of spiritual writings at the end of the book to give readers a glimpse at Mullins's spiritual insights. 

My Thoughts
In 1997, Rich died in a tragic road accident, and the Christian world lost a cherished songwriter, worshiper, and spiritual teacher. I do not know of Mullins as much as I would have liked, but I have heard many of my peers singing praises about his life and faith. His life and music have touched many lives. I believe his work, his life, and this book can be used to touch more lives today and tomorrow. If I can summarize Mullins's life, I would do so in three ways. First, he is a gifted songwriter. With faith as a guide, through the songs, he is able to tell the story of the Christian life based on his theology and experience. Thanks to the Internet, many of his songs are easily available to the masses. More significantly, the words to these songs pack a powerful punch of faith. If Mullins is alive today, I believe he would have won many awards. 

Second, Mullins will also be remembered as someone who frequently mulls (pardon the pun) over God's creation. I remember Eugene Peterson once taught that, spirituality is the art of noticing ordinary things. Mullins is especially gifted in doing that. I think his life of simplicity and the refusal to be entangled with the worldly pursuit of money and possessions play a huge part in his spirituality. I am cautious about dividing life up dualistically into material things bad and spiritual things good. God has created this world and declared it good. So, how on earth can we condemn the material things as bad? The problem is simply about our pursuit and capacity to worship idols. Material things can be used for the glory of God. They are not supposed to be objects of our worship. The Bible also teaches us that the love of money is the root of evil. So the same applies to material things. For Mullins, his pursuit of God overwhelms any pursuit of material wealth. Upbringing is key. I think the lesson for modern parents is that children pick up what they see from their parents. If parents are materialistic, children will be materialistic. If parents are spiritual and less concerned about material wealth, the children will probably inherit the same behaviour. 

Finally, Mullins's life reminds us of making our life count. There is a popular saying that we should not be too concerned about adding years to our lives. Instead, we need to learn to add life to our years. Mullins died too young, some might say. However, the same also goes for Jesus who died at the age of 33! May we all learn to live well for God with whatever years we now have. This book is neither biographical nor fully hagiographical (to turn him into a saint) of the late Rich Mullins. It is basically a story of an individual poured out to God and desiring to point others to God.  We can learn from Mullins. May our lives also be pointers to God. Author James Bryan Smith has given us a wonderful spiritual resource that generations can appreciate.

James Bryan Smith is the author of The Good and Beautiful Series. He is a theology professor at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, where he also directs the Apprentice Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation. Smith is a founding member of Renovaré and an ordained United Methodist Church minister.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.