The Passions of Prophecy

It is indeed a risky thing to write an autobiography. But Daniel Berrigan has been doing risky things for most of his life.

To Dwell in Peace: An Autobiography, by Daniel Berrigan, is the kind of personal writing that makes an author vulnerable -- both to friends, who are exposed to the humanity behind a prophet's words and witness, and to enemies, who would seek to reduce prophecy to psychology, thereby undermining its truth and power. Such was the purpose of one reviewer of the Berrigan autobiography. This column is not a review of the book, but rather a review of that review.

The review in question appeared in The Washington Post. Not surprisingly, The Post's choice for reviewer of the Berrigan book was Michael Novak, the Catholic theologian who steadfastly defends virtually every establishment, policy, and power that Daniel Berrigan has spent his life prophesying against.

Novak begins by pouncing on Berrigan's painful recollections about his childhood and, in particular, a harsh and tyrannical father. Berrigan readily admits the deep impact of his early family experience, and the attention he gives it in the book reveals real personal struggles. In the recounting of the pain and his reflecting upon it, Berrigan provides his characteristic insight.

But for Novak, Berrigan's dictatorial and violent father seems to offer the interpretive key to an understanding of Berrigan's "problem" with authority and power. Berrigan's politics are substantially reduced to the sad consequences of early childhood trauma.

To ignore the powerful impact of life experiences on anyone's perspective, vocation, and even calling is to disregard universal human realities and to underestimate the personal roots of public positions. But to reduce adult choices and commitments to psychological analysis is a serious mistake and, in this case, a crude attempt to get off the hook of Daniel Berrigan's prophetic criticism of his nation and his church.

Novak accuses Berrigan of restlessness, discord, extremism, defiance, and, finally, of hate. "To Dwell in Peace is not about peace. It is about hating the world we live in," Novak writes. One easily imagines the same accusations made against Jeremiah, Amos, or Isaiah. Maybe there, too, painful experiences as children were the root of the problem.

In a very revealing point in the review, Novak analyzes that Berrigan always saw himself as a victim and therefore loves all victims. He complains that Berrigan responds admirably to "those who come to him helpless, poor, victimized, in need," but scorns "persons of achievement, eminence, self-confidence ..." It is clear with which group Novak feels most comfortable and identifies himself. It is also clear which social preference and identification was most characteristic of the biblical prophets and Jesus.

DANIEL BERRIGAN does not hate the world as Novak claims. While he may hate Michael Novak's America, he doesn't hate his country or his church. On the contrary, Daniel Berrigan possesses that special kind of love that is the characteristic of prophets -- a love strong enough to confront the forces and the falsehoods that threaten to destroy the world.

What Novak regards as a preoccupation with death is rather the prophet's exposure of it in a culture that often won't face the truth about itself. What Novak describes as Berrigan's nuclear obsession is instead more evidence of the world's refusal to acknowledge the most lethal and suicidal threat to its existence.

Daniel Berrigan's vocation is to preserve life in fidelity to the Word of God. There is a good deal of humanity and humility in his book about his own reluctance sometimes to act in faithfulness to that vocation. That is all in great contrast to the arrogance and bitterness that Novak charges.

A sense of humor and a readiness to laugh at himself are also qualities of Daniel Berrigan -- and these, along with humility, are often the saving graces of the prophetic vocation. More often than not, an evening with Dan will end in raucous laughter rather than sad reflection on the state of the world.

The capacity to enjoy life and not just criticize it is crucial to prophetic sanity. I know few people who enjoy good friends, good food, and good wine more than Dan. There is indeed a peaceful and well-balanced spirit underneath the passion of Daniel Berrigan.

I'll never forget his answer to Mike Wallace's frantic question at the end of a 60 Minutes profile. "So you're just going to keep doing these things you're so desperately committed to?" pushed Wallace. "No," said Dan, "the things I'm quietly committed to. I'm not desperate about anything."

Jim Wallis is editor-in-chief of Sojourners.