Rev. Maclean in the movie “A river runs through it”

In “A River Runs Through It”, Rev. Maclean was generally depicted in two ways. First, he was a great father and a mentor who fostered and educated his children. Sometimes, he was austere when he taught his children the attitude and etiquettes of life. When his son didn’t want to have his meal, he said, “Man has been eating God’s oats for a thousand years. It’s not the place of an eight-year-old boy to change that tradition” and he made his son sit on the chair in the kitchen for a long time. He didn’t pet his son or say sugar-coated words to persuade his child. He just left his son and let him have time to think about what was right and wrong. It seemed a little bit harsh for the young child. 

 When he was teaching his first son Norman, reading and writing, he was a strict teacher as well. Each week while he prepared for his Sunday service sermon, his children were supposed to study. His children stayed home, which was also called “The school of the Reverend Maclean.” He gave his son a writing assignment repeatedly. When his son finished the assignment, he checked and corrected the assignment and gave it back to him again to write it with shorter sentences several times because Rev. Maclean believed that the art of writing lies in thrift.

However, he didn’t lean to one side. Norman, the first son and the narrator in the movie said, “There was a balance to my father’s system. Every afternoon I was set free untutored and untouched till supper to learn on my own the natural side of God’s order.” He really cared for his children and he was a loving father. In the afternoon, he and his children would walk along the Big Blackfoot path, which he considered it as his family river and enjoyed being with his children. 
He happily was a friend for his children.  He took his children to go fishing, which was the most joyful and happy scene in the movie.

 

His second son was kind of a prodigal son who drank and gambled until he was in debt up to his neck. However, he didn’t stop encouraging and being proud of his second child. He didn’t spare any words of compliment regarding his second son’s fishing skill. He also was interested in his first son’s academic achievement. His son remembered that his father had told him in the past that he would support his son to attend any college in the world when his father salary was no more than $1,800 a year. His son said that his father’s offer meant more than anything in his life.

If we try to understand Rev. Maclean’s life with the view of clergy in present day, there would be something we couldn’t understand. His system and philosophy of education is different from that of ours. We try to put our children in a better education system or circumstance but Rev. Maclean let his children assimilate into nature and let them be taught not from man-made environment but God-created nature where his children were taught God’s order. Norman said, “There could be no better place to learn than the Montana of my youth.”  Why did the professor Norman who had the finest education still miss the learning from childhood and what made him write the book “A river runs through it”? It is because he learned priceless things in nature through his father.

Unfortunately, the movie didn’t show much about his ministry itself but it was great opportunity to observe “A pastor’s family ministry for his own family.” Without doubt, many pastors who are successful in their ministry fields have failed to care their families.

 Even in the Bible, Eli the priest who had two sons named Hophni and Phinehas didn’t discipline his children. What they have done destroyed not only their family but also Eli’s ministry. What Norman depicted about his father could be a guide how a pastor manage “A father’s family ministry” As for Norman, his father was a bridge linking from home to the universe.

Second, he was depicted as a holistic person and he was the source of inspiration enjoying his life with fishing and literature. His spirituality didn’t rest on his ministry but connected to nature. He used to take a walk with his children and said to them, “Long ago, rain fell on mud and became rock half million years ago. But even before that beneath the rocks are the Words of God. Listen” His life style was well mingled with his religion.

It is a very famous quote from his son, the author of this movie saying, “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.” and he added, “My father was a Presbyterian minister and a fly-fisherman” His children believed that all first-class fishermen of the Sea of Galilee were fly-fishermen and that John, the favorite, was a dry-fly fisherman. He gave life lessons to his children through fly-fishing.  His sermon which came from the experience in nature and literature was outstanding. He said, “We can love completely without complete understanding.”

His ministry, life and family can’t be separated and they were in harmony. They were connected to one another. However, many pastors in present day are different from what he showed us through the eye of his son. They are busy like business men who fix people’s problems or run an organization. They are trying to impact people, which is not bad thing, but they don’t know what people need from deep inside.  So they are just offering cheap emotions or just telling about prosperity repeatedly. They consider themselves entrepreneur who produces something spiritual and they want to have more customers who consume their products. They put a lid on the water well of life and give bottled water, which means an instant satisfaction to their congregation.

Like I said earlier, this movie didn’t talk much about his public ministry but focuses on his personal life as a father of two sons who inspired his children greatly in his personal life. However, the image of his life which was highlighted by his son’s view shows the role model of a minister who is well balanced and harmonized in every aspects of his life.  Rev. Maclean’s life was more than an ordinary pastor’s life. Rev. Maclean opened the way to meet a river which was the medium to experience God and His great creature, nature. And his river already started to run through us who watched the movie.