Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu is one of the world's most beloved religious figures. A long time foe of apartheid he retired as Episcopal archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa and was then named chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission - the organization charged with bringing to light to the atrocities committed during apartheid and achieving reconciliation with the former oppressors.

After the 1976 protests in Soweto, Tutu supported an economic boycott of his country and went on to become a key leader in the struggle against apartheid.

Tutu brings a theology grounded in both prayer and social action that "seeks to restore the oppressor's humanity by releasing and enabling the oppressed to see their oppressors as peers under God."

This is his ubuntu theology, so named after an African idea of community. Tutu shows that human beings are defined not by their race but by their createdness in God's image, which brings value and dignity to all people.

Before meeting Archbishop Desmond Tutu I was surprised to find that I was actually a little bit nervous. Perhaps it was because he had just appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair with George Bush.

We met at a park in front of the White House where his beaming smile and loving presence immediately put me at ease. Tutu is clearly a great man and the power of his greatness lies in his vast heart.

~ Velcrow Ripper

BOOKS INCLUDE
Reconciliation: The Ubuntu Theology of Desmond Tutu by Michael Battle
No Future Without Forgiveness
God Has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time
An African Prayer Book
The Rainbow People of God
The Words of Desmond Tutu, Second Edition
Believe: The Words and Inspiration of Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Me-We)
Hope and Suffering