Made for Goodness: And Why This Makes All the Difference - Hardcover

Tutu, Desmond

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1846042526 ISBN 13: 9781846042522

Publisher: Rider, 2010

Synopsis

As Archbishop of Cape Town at the height of the Apartheid regime in South Africa, Desmond Tutu saw many shocking and violent incidents. Later, as Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as well as a leading peace negotiator in many troubled parts of the world, he heard many appalling stories of man's inhumanity to man. Yet he still has a firm conviction that we are 'made by goodness for goodness'. Another way of putting this is: the essential truth about all of us is that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Tutu explains that, though we sometimes act out of depravity and despair, we do know in our heart of hearts that we are not as we were meant to be, and were created to be so much more. The truth of human goodness can get hidden under the fear that we cannot live up to its demands, or it can get buried under faults or failures, or it can just get forgotten. In this thoughtful and important book, the Archbishop (with his daughter, Mpho Tutu) shows how we can find our way back to goodness by changing our attitudes, by practising forgiveness, and by prayer. Then we will begin to see the goodness and beauty of others...If our view changes, this in turn makes all the difference to the way we act. And how we act towards one another affects not only ourselves but everything in our world - for the better.

About this title

From the Back Cover

We know all too well the cruelties, hurts, and hatreds that poison life on our planet. But my daughter and I have come together to write this book because we know that the catalogue of injuries that we can and do inflict on one another is not the whole story of humanity, not by a long measure. We are indeed made for something more. We are made for goodness.
—from Made for Goodness

Over the years the same questions get asked of Desmond Tutu, the archbishop, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and veteran of the moral movement that ended apartheid in South Africa: "How can you be so hopeful after witnessing so much evil?" "Why are you so sure goodness will triumph in the end?" This book is his answer.

Now, more than any other time in history, our world needs this message: that we are made for goodness and it is up to us to live up to our destiny.

We recognize Archbishop Tutu from the headlines as an inspirational figure who has witnessed some of the world's most sinister moments and chosen to be an ambassador of reconciliation amid political, diplomatic, and natural disasters. Now, we get a glimpse into his personal spirituality—and a better understanding of the man behind a lifetime of good works. In this intimate and personal sharing of his heart, written with his daughter, Episcopal priest Mpho Tutu, Tutu engages his reader with touching stories from his own life, as well as grisly memories from his work in the darkest corners of the world. There, amid the darkness, he calls us to hope, to joy, and to claim the goodness that we were made for. Tutu invites us to take on the disciplines of goodness, the practices that are key to finding fulfillment, meaning, and happiness for our lives.

About the Author

The first black Archbishop of Cape Town, Tutu has won the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership of the S African Truth and Reconciliation Commission and today is Chair of a group of former world leaders, The Elders, which aims to tackle some of the world's most intractable problems. He has helped calm the political crisis in Kenya and regularly speaks out against Mugabe, Israel, the Iraq War and the Burmese junta, but is also noted for his irrepressible sense of humour and deep spirituality. In 2009 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama. He lives in S Africa but travels widely. Mpho Tutu is Archbishop Tutu's daughter, and an Episcopal priest. The founder and Executive Director of the Tutu Institute for Prayer and Pilgrimage, she is also Chair of the Global Aids Alliance. An accomplished public speaker and preacher, she is married, with two daughters, and lives in Washington, DC.

Edition details

• Publisher: Rider
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1846042526
• ISBN 13: 9781846042522
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 144