by Phillip Berrigan, Edited by Brad Wolf
Fordham University Press
4/2/2024, paperback
SKU: 9781531506285
Experience the powerful legacy of Philip Berrigan's nonviolent resistance to war and empire
From the battlefields of World War II to the front lines of peace activism, Philip Berrigan evolved from soldier to scholar, priest to political prisoner. Confronting the fundamental nature of America's military-focused culture, Berrigan took an unyielding stance against societal evils--war, systemic racism, unchecked materialism, and the baleful presence of nuclear weapons. Imprisoned by his government and ostracized by his Church, Berrigan's life is a courageous example of nonviolent resistance and liberation in the face of overwhelming odds.
A Ministry of Risk is the definitive collection of Philip Berrigan's writings. Authorized by the Berrigan family and arranged chronologically, these writings depict the transformation of one revolutionary soul while also providing a firsthand account of a nation grappling with its martial obsessions.
Threading the vibrant fabric of history with autobiographical insights, introspective theology, and a clarion call to activism, A Ministry of Risk offers both a living manifesto of nonviolent resistance and a journal of spiritual reflection by one of the 20th century's most prophetic voices.
With a preface by Frida Berrigan, a foreword by Bill Wylie- Kellermann, and an afterword by John Dear.
Reviews:
"I knew Phil from the civil rights days in Baltimore, before we poured blood on draft files in 1967. Phil reminds me of the poetic line from Spender: "I think continually of those who are truly great." Or Rilke at the end of "Archaic Torso of Apollo" when he wrote: "You must change your life." This line especially applied to Phil and to me and to so many of his followers." -- David Eberhardt, member of The Baltimore 4
"A Ministry of Risk offers a truly profound challenge to transcend fear and take action. "War fever betrays a monstrous contempt of humanity," Philip Berrigan wrote. This book can help people to break the fever." -- Norman Solomon, author of War Made Invisible
About the Contributors:
Philip Berrigan, an American peace activist and Catholic priest, spent 11 years in prison for advocating nonviolent resistance to war. Notably part of the Baltimore Four and Catonsville Nine, he protested wars from Vietnam to Iraq. The author of numerous books, he was a Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
Brad Wolf, former prosecutor and professor, co- founded Peace Action Network of Lancaster, PA. He coordinated the Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal and writes for numerous publications.
Frida Berrigan lives in New London, CT, with her husband and three children. She is an urban farmer and community activist, organizing around affordable home ownership with the Southeastern Connecticut Community Land Trust, and against the ever-stretching shadow of militarism with the Connecticut Committee on Nuclear Prohibition. She writes periodically for WagingNonviolence.org, TomDispatch.com and In These Times, and is the author of the 2015 book It Runs In The Family: On Being Raised By Radicals And Growing Into Rebellious Motherhood.
Bill Wylie- Kellermann is a retired Methodist pastor, nonviolent community activist, teacher, and author. His books include Celebrant's Flame: Daniel Berrigan in Memory and Reflection; A Keeper of the Word: Selected Writings of William Stringfellow, Principalities in Particular: A Practical Theology of the Powers that Be, and Seasons of Faith and Conscience. He was also a contributing editor of Sojourners.
John Dear is a long- time peace activist, priest, and author of 40 books on peace and nonviolence. He is the director of BeatitudesCenter.org and was a close friend of Philip Berrigan. He is the executor of the Daniel Berrigan Literary Trust and lives in California.