I have a hard time rating non-fiction, because it creates such a different experience than fiction does. But I've decided to give five stars to books that change my life, and this book came pretty close.I chose this book for its provocative title. I'd never heard of Desmond Tutu. What fascinated me most was that Tutu is a Christian and said God is not a Christian. I thought to myself, "What kind of Christian is he?" I discovered that he is a true Christian and emulates what Christianity should b...

Excellent book. This is a collection of Bishop Tutu's speeches and articles in which he addresses the human condition at large and the condition of the South African people in particular both during and after Apartheid. He states frequently that he feels that people of faith need to be on the side of the oppressed, where he believes God is also, and about the shared humanity of all of God's children, regardless of their race, gender, age or sexual orientation. This book is full of much wisdom an...

A real voice of sanity; uncompromisingly and courageously truthful, honest, bold and intelligently biblical. Whether preaching the gospel on justice, ubuntu (not the computer O.S!) inclusivity, diversity, apartheid, Judaeo-Palestinian relations, Black theology, African colonial history, Nicaragua or politics in general this man had fire and steel in his belly, truth on his tongue and love and compassion in his heart. I would like to hear him, or somebody of his caliber speaking like this into to...

Sorry Des but I gotta give you 1 star on this one. (mostly because I can't believe the Anglican church would actually make you a pastor/bishop/cleric??? actually I guess it's not that hard to believe - Anglican's have never been big on theology.)This collection shows Mr. Tutu (does anyone else think that's kind of funny?)to be a wonderful human rights activist. It even appears he has made some impressive progress in certain areas, well done. But my problem is: that isn't what the Book is labelle...

It took me just over a month to read God Is Not a Christian: And Other Provocations by Desmond Tutu. Not because it's long, it's just over 200 pages, but because it is so incredibly thought-provoking. I really enjoyed it on so many levels. Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Laureate, arch bishop of South Africa, and avid fighter against the apartheid system, is such an inspiration. I really admire him for standing up for everyone, all across the world, even when it isn't popular.This book will make you...

A fantastic read. These letters and speeches by Tutu are a stirring collection which have helped make Tutu a real hero of mine. He is unafraid to speak the truth to political power and way ahead of the curve in matters of organized religion. We need this voice and beautiful laugh in our world a little longer.

A powerful collection of Desmond Tutu's writings and speeches spanning several decades. He is an unapologetic Christian, but incredibly gifted at interfaith dialogue and outreach. There is some repetition; a man this prolific is bound to plagiarize himself at least somewhat, especially in off-the-cuff, extemporaneous remarks to groups. And now I'm going to let him speak for himself (mostly so I have a record of these great quotes before I have to return the book to the library):* Life...has too

The title is provocative enough (the subtitle is “and other provocations,” after all) to perhaps scare certain kinds of Christians away from this book. However, even if you’re offended by the title, I hope you’ll think twice before you dismiss it. There is a significant group of Christians who need to hear the heart, stories, and messages of Archbishop Tutu. We can all learn not only from what he has to say, but from what he has lived while saying it.My first experience reading Tutu was last yea...

Desmond Tutu is a tough guy. Fearless and dedicated to his people, Tutu was a remarkable agent of change during South Africa's apartheid era. In this collection, he aired out his disappointments and warnings against repeating history as the government (as of 2009) began slipping back into familiar waters. He admits to being a repetitive man, and his essays do tend to repeat his frustrations and guidance, but they are no less valuable. His essays will give you a great deal of perspective on what

God Is Not a Christian packs quite a wallop for such a small book. Tutu propounds a constant message of forgiveness, tolerance, reconciliation, peace, and above all faith. Reading this collection of speeches and essays made me feel that I am a small, insignificant, moral failure and wish that I had the courage and strength of Tutu’s convictions.I rated it 3 stars instead of 4 solely because Tutu preaches the same message over and over again against a variety of situations (Apartheid, support for...

God is clearly not a Christian. His concern is for all his children. There is a Jewish story which says that soon after the Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea, while the Israelites were celebrating, God accosted them and demanded, "How can you rejoice when my children have drowned?"It surely must be more sensible to maintain that God was, and is, accessible to all his human creatures and that people did have a real encounter with this God before the Christian dispensation.Ubuntu is the essence of

I really went back and forth between 3 & 4 on this and eventually came down on the side of a high 3.5. This book was not actually written by Tutu as a comprehensive whole. These are selected (by someone else) writings on particular topics with a foreword by Bishop Tutu himself. My problem is more with the structure than the content, which was both good and intriguing. It did feel like the format of the book got in the way. It was like somebody was going to do a dissertation on Tutu's views and g...

God Is Not a Christian: And Other Provocations smarts as whiplash and stings like a stirred-up honeybee colony. It is a black is beautiful and bold book, a captivating and courageous collection of sermons and speeches that cuts through the crap, that pokes, probes, and provokes all of us so-called Christians, culturally conditioned by premises of position and privilege, particularly from First World status in the West, to put into real and serious question and reformulation our crusty/dusty/encr...

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of Desmond Tutu speeches, put together with important linking explanations by John Allen. Like Tutu's God, I am not a Christian and I wondered if I would find a whole book of his religious perspective too difficult. However, it was both tremendously accessible and a great advert for Bible studies... as he says at one point"Let's read Bibles again, because they're the most explosive things ever" It was fascinating to revisit South African history... especially...

I was a little disappointed with this, hoping that it would be more specifically about the provocative issue of interfaith dialog. But that was my fault due to a misreading of the title. So rather than being inspired or provoked, my curiosity was satiated regarding Bishop Tutu's role during the South African revolution. I taught about apartheid early in my teaching career and to witness the transformation as it occurred was marvelous. Bishop Tutu is noteworthy for holding both sides up for criti...

I only gave this 3 stars not because of Archbishop Tutu's words but because of the format of the book. I may not have read descriptions carefully but I thought this was going to be entire sermons/speeches and was disappointed to find that it was merely excerpts strung together around basic themes. I enjoyed reading his words but I had difficulty really getting into the book as I kept feeling like I was getting cut off mid-thought and being hustled along to the next excerpt the author wanted me t...

This is actually a book by Demond Tutu.in the start of the book the author asks the question that "where is god in a world where all these bad things are happening"?.it is about Christianity and about Christians and about how god is not a Christain.it is about the Desmond tutu who is a priest and who won the nobel prize and about his life.he is from south Africa and this book is actually about nelson Mandela , south Africa and it is about the apartheid.I read this book in 2 to 3 days as it was a...

When I read the title of this book God is Not a Christian: And Other Provocations, I remember thinking in the bookstore that I am in for another treat from Archbishop Tutu. What I love most about the theology of Tutu is the emphasis on God's inclusiveness. Tutu reminds us that God is about love and justice. It saddens me how some religious entities have used God as a weapon to alienate groups of people, and cause a spirit of divisiveness that is anything but Godly. Thank Goodness that the theolo...

When people meet a man or woman of spirit, peace or national leadership, the reaction is almost always the same; there is an aura about these men and women that exudes power, confidence and leadership. I have not had the honor of sitting in the presence of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, but believe he, too, meets this criterion. So when I had the opportunity to review a collection of his speeches and letters, I jumped at it. Read more: http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/revie... (Release date May 3, 2011...

The world has plenty of freedom fighters, but how do these people act once they're in power? Archbishop Tutu sets an example of incredible forgiveness towards the terrorists and tyrants he opposed, as well as the integrity to criticize and preach to his allies and compatriots.This book contains an edited selection of writings from several decades of Tutu's career, letting you trace the themes of reconciliation, non-violence and concern for the poor through the many contexts Tutu wrote and spoke