| Title | : | At Play in the Lions Den: A Biography and Memoir of Daniel Berrigan |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1626982481 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781626982482 |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 |
| Publication | : | Published November 16, 2017 |
At Play in the Lions Den: A Biography and Memoir of Daniel Berrigan Reviews
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That Troublesome Priest
There was a time when Catholic priests were controversial for courageously fighting injustice rather than for child molestation and the single issue politics of abortion. Dan Berrigan was one of the most controversial, most inspiring, and therefore most feared priests of my generation. Arguably he and his brother Phil, more than any others, changed the collective mind of a country, at least for a time, about the absurdity of warfare.
Neither Christianity, nor any other religion whatever its ethical teaching, makes better people. The American leaders who prosecuted the war in Vietnam almost all professed religious faith. Yet they lied, schemed and conspired to wreak sustained havoc on the world the consequences of which we are still living through. The classified documents which are known collectively as the Pentagon Papers show the depth and breadth of political corruption that caused and sustained that conflict. Daniel Berrigan was one of those who blew the whistle on the institutional mendacity and international thuggery of senior members of the United States government. “One of those rare priests asking questions few wanted to hear.”
The governmental tactics employed then have since become standard for promoting an acceptance of violence and the inevitable economic and social consequences of war: promote fear; provide a theory of necessary national interest; and misrepresent actions. Vietnam was the public relations testing ground for subsequent adventures in Central America, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Vietnam exploded the myth of American exceptionalism.
And religion was and remains implicated in all of this: “The powers of the state show a mysterious concern for the integrity of the word of God” when it is useful for propaganda. And then, as now with Trumpist evangelicals, “A universal Love has narrowed itself to accept hate and to command hate.” Still today, it is difficult to find a mention much less public protest by senior church leaders on topics like extraordinary rendition, Guantanamo Bay, deportation, racial hatred, and the mis-use of religion to oppress one’s fellow citizens. Christianity has shown itself to be no more exceptional than America.
Berrigan‘s ‘No,’ therefore, was most notably, but not solely, to civil society. Injustice is where one finds it. And Berrigan found it inside his Jesuit order and in his Church. Their tolerance of racism, their clericalism and ecclesiastical nationalism, their bland acceptance of the morality of nuclear warfare, their contradictory doctrines regarding human life were also on his agenda. Having undergone 15 years of intensely disciplined Jesuit formation, Berrigan could hardly be considered a congenital rebel, someone who merely likes to express dissatisfaction with the status quo. He was a confirmed member of the insider establishment. His gripe was with behavioral injustice not with any existing firm of social organization.
The reason this is important is that the heated criticism of his own order and church demonstrated that his resistance, although it had political consequences, was moral not political. He didn’t join any secular political group, nor did he lobby politicians. He never sought, or received, political support from the institutions of which he was a member. Nor did he join others which were involved in merely political protest. His resistance was a matter of personal conscience not politics. He defied the law; he didn’t advocate how it should be changed. In short, Berrigan was a front line soldier who put himself not others in jeopardy. He was a model of moral behavior not a director of how to behave. He acted to fulfill the social activist’s, Dorothy Day’s, urging to protestors to “fill the jails” With their own bodies in order to stop the war.
Dan Berrigan’s brother, Phil, in fact insisted on the principle of challenging the law publicly. “Those who violate the law should be prosecuted,” he said. Imprisonment was part of the protest. And both brothers did pay the price for their part in the disclosure of the details of the mendacity and violence perpetrated by his government. Dan was convicted of various felonies associated with his protests and sentenced to 3 years in federal prison. For a time he was, incredibly, on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list of criminals. Phil spent a total 0f 11 years inside.
The brothers’ only defense was that as Christians it was necessary for them to say ‘No’ to the legal and moral standards of the society in which they had been raised. They did not protest either the conviction or the sentence. In a sense these were part of the point - to suffer the civil consequences of one’s convictions is as important as the act of disclosive protest. Comparison with the whinging martyrs of later years - one thinks of a Julian Assange - is instructive.
I find it interesting that the sexual scandals of the Catholic Church were eerily anticipated by its persistent (and persisting) moral callousness on so many other issues. Berrigan threatened not the doctrine of the church but its authority, its credibility, and above all its power. The technique for dealing with deviation for the party line is the same for those who blew the whistle on injustice by and within the church as it was for those sexual abusers: move the offender elsewhere: “The Roman Catholic manner of dealing with such a priest is not to debate him, not to offer alternative arguments, but simply to silence him and send him to another country where his attempt to give Christian witness will not offend.” Clearly there is something inherently amiss in an institution which treats a moral hero with the same punishment as a moral degenerate.
Where Christian witness is not offending, and especially offending those in power, it is vacuous piety or tribal cant. If there is a lesson to be learned from Berrigan’s life, I think it is exactly that. The primary reason for the decline in both the membership of the church and its credibility, is its perennial reluctance to cause offense to those in charge of worldly affairs, and the affairs of the church itself. It has demonstrated repeatedly that its primary concern is self-preservation. Perhaps with more troublesome priests like Dan Berrigan, some sort of renewal is possible. But I’m not holding my breath. -
In my completely neutral and unbiased opinion, this book written by my father about the radical priest after whom I was named is pretty good. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Like many of my generation, I was familiar with the names Dan and Phil Berrigan and their involvement in the antiwar movement during the Vietnam era. I was among those who felt they may have stepped over the line of nonviolence when they burned draft records with homemade Napalm at Catonsville, MD, in 1968. It was hard for me, back then, to reconcile the idea of Roman Catholic priests overtly breaking the law and destroying property. A little over a year later, after having a “born again” experience, I was granted conscientious objector status by my draft board. But in those days the fundamentalist/charismatic/Evangelical movement that I gravitated toward saw Catholic priests like the Berrigan brothers as misguided, or even wrong. I personally sympathized with their goal, to end the war in Vietnam, but questioned their civil disobedience techniques.
Jim Forest, the author of this excellent biography and memoir, was a friend and associate with the Berrigan brothers. He also knew, and worked with, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton, two other well-known Catholic peace activists. Jim has written biography/memoirs of both of them, as well.
To say that Fr. Dan Berrigan was a complex individual would be an understatement. One gets to see some of his rough edges in this book, but in spite of it, a saintly quality emerges in the narrative. Dan remained a committed celibate Jesuit priest, even after his brother, Phil, married and left the priesthood to raise a family. Dan wrote poetry, for which he became well known. He loved saying prayers and serving the Eucharist, and listening to confessions. But since he was granted permission to wear lay clothes, he never forced his faith and priestly duties on others.
But his whole life, Dan remained committed to the cause of peace and opposing nuclear weapons. He continued to participate in acts of civil disobedience, which landed him in jail over and over again. Somehow he believed that this was the way to make his point, to slow the cause of war and speed up the cause of peace.
Later in life he began doing hospice volunteer work for AIDS patients, at a time when they were considered the pariah of society.
Dan was committed to the concept of “community,” both in his Jesuit community and with his fellow peace-workers.
Dan was committed to “life” in the larger context of the word, which meant he was also opposed to abortion. One gets the impression from this volume that Dan is one of the inspirations for the “consistent life ethic,” which continues to grow in prominence. Several quotes in this book are the precursors to this movement.
What I take away from this volume is to put shoe-leather to my faith: to remain true to the gospel in the face of opposition, whether it comes from your “enemies,” or from your fellow Christians who may disagree with you.
And while Jim Forest has not written an autobiography (which I hope he does), one gets a glimpse into the trajectory of his life, as well, through snippets of his story woven into his biographies of Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, and of course, this one, Daniel Berrigan, At Play in the Lions’ Den.” Thank you, Jim, for another excellent book. -
As a Catonsville resident, and given the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Catonsville 9 anti-war action, I was interested in knowing more about that event and the participants. This sympathetic, loving biography of Fr. Daniel Berrigan helped me appreciate that action within the larger scope of a remarkable life of protest, prayer, writing, and service.
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A beautiful and intimate trip through the life of Fr. Dan taken with a guide who had accompanied this modern Prophet. Outstanding.
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What a life, made more interesting by it's imperfections. Great read.
I didn't know e.g. that Pedro Arrupe survived the dropping of the atomic bomb...
"Is the new revolutionism ...simply irresponsible, capricious, idiotic, pointless, haphazard and inviting disaster... The obsession with being with "it" whatever "it" may turn out to be ... sheer mindlessness and hopelessness." - Thomas Merton p. 108-109
"I am struck by the harrowing fact that the chief assault in war is against children. The sentence of Bonhoeffer keeps invading me, "How are the unborn to live?" . . . My classroom faces a sign on a mad main avenue: "Abortions" - and a phone number. As though one were offering groceries, tax advice, or used cars. It strikes me that Bonhoeffer's sentence takes on a horrific new resonance. How are the unborn to live?..." - Daniel Berrigan p.206-208
People would have much preferred it if God had said, "Thou shall not kill except in war." - DB
Also interesting, Day and Merton didn't want them to burn the files, seeing it as an act of violence (even against property), slippery slope/ outside the Gandhian/ King path.
"Stay focused on the Gospel and let the rest take care of itself." -DB
"Does it not say in an old book that Christians venerate and claim to read from time to time, 'If your enemy hungers, feed him?" - DB
"In order to kill and call the killing politics, one must justify the killing. And the best way to justify killing is to deny one kills at all. The hand signs the death warrant, the mind rips it up, denies it exists. And someone dies - always, inevitably, the children, the old, the defenseless." - 201 -
This book is a window into a region of Catholic practice and history that often goes unstudied: the Catholics who have protested war, racism, inequality, and marginalization; who comforted the dying during the worst of the AIDS epidemic, and who have been willing to face repeated arrest and imprisonment to draw attention to injustice and systemic violence. Were I to design a curriculum for a catechism course for confirmation-age adolescents or adults, I would definitely include some discussion of Daniel Berrigan, Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, and company. There is also ample useful material in this book for anyone teaching about the 1960's or the Vietnam War era: for example, none of the materials I consulted to teach my course on the Vietnam War mentioned the Catonsville Nine, the Baltimore Four, the Milwaukee Fourteen, the Harrisburg Seven, etc. Granted, there's only so much time in a semester, but it's still a compelling bit of history.
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Sometimes you just get the right book at the right time. This was that book for me. I need to find a hard copy for my library.
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You know I had to give this five stars. Daniel Berrigan is my boy. Love this so many times over.
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Wow. Wow. Reading this was like watching RBG; I kept thinking "I remember this. Oh, this is how that is connected. Oh, yes, this is the challenge. This is our roots. This is how we need to nourish ourselves. Wow." I also appreciated Jim Forest's even, steady voice. He was a part of this history and the occasional photo and story documents this, but his voice is not intrusive here.
(and I appreciated the side bar quotes which were not repeated in the text. One could skim this book by looking at the photos and reading the side bars.)
Personal note: Nick and I were at Dan Berrigan's funeral. What I remember is how the tightly packed church SANG. Everyone knew the words and the voices reverbated in my chest. -
He served two years in a United State federal prison. For a short time, his name was included on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He was exiled from the United States and forced to seek refuge in Latin America for four months. Over the span of forty-four years, he was arrested hundreds of times. Is this the rap sheet of an organized crime boss, domestic terrorist, or international drug lord? No, this is merely a sampling of the notorious record of Father Daniel Berrigan, Catholic priest, Jesuit, and peace activist. In addition to all of the above, Father Dan holds the distinction of being the first Catholic priest arrested during a war protest in US history. Beyond his run-ins with authorities and his superiors, Father Dan was also an accomplished poet, author, playwright, professor, and community organizer. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize twice and won a Tony Award. He published over sixty books. He served on the faculty of at least a dozen universities including Cornell, Yale, Berkley, Loyola, and Fordham. Above all else though, Father Daniel Berrigan was a peace maker. He strived to live out the words of Jesus in radical fashion.
At Play in the Lions' Den: A Biography and Memoir of Daniel Berrigan is a biography of Father Daniel Berrigan written by his friend and fellow peace activist
Jim Forest. I’ve been doing a lot of research on Father Dan as of late, and Forest’s book is the most complete and engaging account of Father Dan’s life I have found thus far. Forest provides a complete overview of Berrigan’s life spanning his early childhood in northern Minnesota all the way to his final days, his funeral, and his lasting legacy. Through it all, the passion with which Father Dan sought to live out the Gospel of Jesus is brought to life.
If I had to describe this book with one word, it would be “inspiring”. In a Church that often feels misguided, hypocritical, overtly political, and all too willing to ignore Jesus’ teaching, Father Dan’s witness reminds us that this is nothing new. Father Dan was just as frustrated with many of these same tendencies over 50 years ago. His life is a case study in how to stay true to the mission of Christ while operating amidst an institution that many times feels like they are working against you.
From cover to cover “At Play in the Lions’ Den” is full of interesting details and powerful words from Daniel Berrigan’s life. I found myself earmarking page after page and highlighting many a line for future reference. I plan to have this book on my shelf for years to come.
In the end, this book is about peacemaking because it is impossible to separate Daniel Berrigan from that activity. Father Dan dedicated his life to putting Jesus’ words into action – “Blessed are the peacemakers”, “Love your enemies”, “Turn the other cheek”, and “You shall not kill”. Father Dan did all he could to try to get people’s attention, to change hearts, to change minds, to try to end the US military draft, to put an end to war in all of its forms. These are all things we need to continually relearn and restart. Our world could use more of his prophetic voice today. -
Jim Forest did the world a favor writing this review of Daniel Berrigan's life from his first-person involvement with Daniel and brother Phil. There was little perspective in the 60s during the Vietnam War protests, so anybody caught up in it might want to review those years from a 2021 angle. The book taught me one reason the Berrigans fought so hard against things: they did NOT like the Catholic Church's position that there was such a thing as a 'just war.' For this one thing, they threw their lives against the machinery of war and I do believe it made a difference. The toll on them and their family was too much. Daniel was less a 'prophet' than a poet and mystic who lived in the metaphors he wrote. He was teacher who had enough of 'talking about christianity' and wanted to 'step out' into the ring and take it all on. Problem is: there are enough injustices to last a thousand lifetimes. . . . A 'must read' if you took part in Mobilizations to End the War and wore a button on your pea coat proclaiming 'Make love, not War.'
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This was a beautiful, intimate look at an important leader - not without his humanity, his complications, even some surprising naivete. Definitely a good intro to this great man for those who many only be familiar with his poetry. It contextualizes his poetic work while bringing the reader deep into the Christian anti-war and anti-capitalist movements that are still going, in part thanks to Fr. Dan.
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I liked it but the drama wasn't there as I was anticipating. Kind of a dry relating of Berrigan's life IMHO. But I'm glad I read it---it gives the story of one of the most important American Catholics (and his brother, Phil) in the last 60 years.
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honestly pretty good for a forced theology read
