In 1991, Bishop Tutu addressed the international conference on “Christianity in the Global Context”. As the name implies, the gathering presented one of many ongoing attempts by Christians to reconcile their devotion to a God in a faraway Heaven, with their enmeshment in the physical world.
Ever the artful preacher, Tutu sketched the Christian vision of humans as literal incarnations of God. “Human life is a gift from the gracious and ever generous Creator of all. It is therefore inviolable. We must therefore have a deep reverence for the sanctity of human life.”
He goes on “The New Testament claims that the Christian person becomes a sanctuary, a temple of the Holy Spirit, someone who is indwelt by the most holy and blessed Trinity. We would want to assert this of all human beings. We should not just greet one another. We should strictly genuflect before such an august and precious creature. The Buddhist is correct in bowing profoundly before another human as the God in me acknowledges and greets the God in you.”
But divine reverence was not the last step. Importantly, Archbishop Tutu implored his audience to turn from passive condemnation to action. “[A] discussion as this one should therefore not be merely an academic exercise in the most pejorative sense. It must be able to galvanize participants with a zeal to be active protectors of the rights of persons.”
Here he spoke with considerable experience. The bishop’s tenure as Secretary General of the South African Council of Churches heralded an era of activism in which he led an international campaign that successfully isolated and ended South African apartheid. Working around pro-apartheid leaders in the capitals of Washington and London, Tutu’s campaign galvanised large numbers of people around the world into action.
Three years ago, on the day after Christians mark the earthly arrival of humanity’s liberator, Desmond Tutu departed the planet. The obituaries lining the press that December never will be the last word, as the depth of his legacy requires repeated reflection on what his remarkable life continues to mean for us.
After a year of witnessing the horror of the world’s first live streamed genocide, many of us feel compelled to move from expressions of outrage, to actions of aid. Archbishop Tutu’s remarkably effective turn from preaching to action is a stellar example.
“Any person of faith has no real option. In the face of injustice and oppression it is to disobey God not to stand up in opposition to that injustice and that oppression.” - Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu
NEIL HORNE I Cape Town
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