A Radical Change of Direction

"When I first met Don Mullen in my preaching classes, I knew that he had come to Princeton Seminary after years as a leading cardiac surgeon in Milwaukee. I soon came to realize that his medical aptitude was matched by his many other gifts--- gifts for faithful preaching, intelligent leadership, pastoral compassion, and deep dedication to the gospel. In this breathtaking memoir, we see Don Mullen change direction from his successful medical career to become a courageous healing presence and witness for the gospel in some of the world's most challenging places. Through this book, what has been an adventure of faith and hope for Dr. Mullen becomes one for the reader as well."

-Thomas G. Long, Professor of Preaching, Emeritus,
Candler School of Theology, Emory University

In his book, A Radical Change of Direction, Dr. Don Mullen describes the journey of a highly successful conservative cardiac surgeon with over three thousand open-heart procedures and many thousands of thoracic and vascular surgeries, which took him in a direction he never thought he would go. This journey began with a trip to a small mission hospital in Tenwek, Kenya, in 1981, which led to a change in his career. The different experiences in so many countries convinced him that a progressive attitude toward his theology and politics was more appropriate to a Christ-centered life than his previous beliefs. Dr. Mullen has worked in three war zones (twice in Iraq, and in Sudan and Rwanda), numerous countries all over Africa, the Far East (India, Vietnam, Laos, China, and Papau New Guinea), and the Middle East. He has spoken and preached in dozens of churches in the United States about his views developed from these experiences. The book is a memoir of the spiritual journey of a surgeon and his life before and after his defining moment of change, along with his heritage, which may have led to his nonconformist personality.