God Has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time

What a fantastic book! God has a dream - and that dream is is that we are His arms and legs that bring about transformation in this world. That without experiencing life with others, we are not fully human. The importance of how our Christianity is intended to change everything and everyone around us. Plus, he used the word "wonky". I love that word. 

This isn’t the kind of book I’d normally pick up. I initially bought it after hearing a lecture by Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky, who wrote a great book on secondary trauma. She quoted the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hahn, and Desmond Tutu extensively and afterwards, in addition to her book, I bought a few by Thich Nhat Hahn and Desmond Tutu. It’s taken me awhile to read this one, although it’s a pretty short book.I found it really comforting. As I’ve written about before, my relationship with G [...]

A rather liberalk but uplifting book about God's work in our lives today. Tutu takes life experience from South Africa and explains God and his love for us. Perhaps the line of writing that people will be startled with is that statement that "God loves our enemies as much as he loves us". We must believe this if we cling to a loving all powerful God. God is so good and you will agree after reading this book.

Archbishop Tutu presents a radical way of viewing the relationship between God and Man. It was very soothing to listen to his voice as he expressed the goodness of God and God's dream of humans loving each other. If I were not a Baptist clergyman, I would be an Anglican priest, just so I could study under him!

I would have given this a 5 ---- but it's not exceptional literature --- it's a warm, heartfelt, genuine account of our common humanity: that struggles and suffering aren't options; and that we must learn to live and see with the eyes of the heart.Live Ubuntu!

What a lovely little book, truly a vision of hope. It choked me up a bunch. Just the way he starts every chapter with "Dear Child of God," was enough to get me going. I'm not sure why I had such an emotional response - just the fact that someone who has lived through so much could be so compassionate, so hopeful?It's not evenly written, and there are some less amazing parts, but overall, really beautiful. Also, he's surprisingly liberal. At least, it surprised me a little. But very pleasantly so [...]

I was disappointed with this, largely because it wasn't what I'd expected. The library catalog description spoke of it as a book in which Tutu shares the spiritual message that guided him as he helped guide the nation out of apartheid. From that, I expected it to be an account of what the nation was going through (and his role with the Truth and Reconciliation Commision) and how his faith supported him in those activities. Instead, I found it to be broad spiritual statements, designed to appeal [...]

This was a great book - one I didn't expect to enjoy as much as I did. It's a beautiful read, and I could feel the love of the author coming through the pages. This excerpt of the summary really expresses how I felt about it: "Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu has long been admired throughout the world for the heroism and grace he exhibited while encouraging countless South Africans in their struggle for human rights. In God Has a Dream, his most soul-searching book, he shares the spiritual message th [...]

Wow. Tutu basically describes "pure religion and undefiled" (James 1:27) in this book in the sweetest and simplest way. I do not necessarily agree with every doctrine and social opinion that he puts forth, but definitely most of them! It is not often that someone can cut through all the complexity and excess of life and pare it down to some lovely basics that definitely point us to God, by way of our sisters and brothers all around the world.

This book moved me personally more than any of his others, maybe it was because I had just finished his biography so it was infinitely clear just how miraculous his gentle words are about allowing suffering to build all that is compassionate in us. Not a book for Christians, or Anglicans but a book for anyone who has hope for mankind, or just wants to have hope for mankind.

Arch-Bishop Tutu has been one of the world's premier voices for peace, hope, and reconciliation in the midst of some of the most intransigent strife and injustice. "God Has a Dream" captures a life time of theology, both learned and experienced. With gentle wisdom, he shares what he has learned and what he still sees as hope for our world.I would highly recommend this.

A "light bulb" moment when reading this bookOur EFM group has struggled with the question as to whether or not God has a master plan. The author states it's not whether or not God has a plan, it's how fully humans choose to participate in the plan. Tutu radiates his spirit of love on every page!

If I could only read one book besides the Bible, this would be it!!! God's message to us didn't end with Revelation and when I read this book about God's love for us and how God wants us to love each other in the same way, it just rings with Truth. Truly the most important book I've read in a long time!

A slender read, Bishop Tutu has had an enormous impact on my perception of life, and deepened my connection to a God that is personal, not to make a pun but he has deepened my understanding of A God that has a Dream, and not just for me. For all of us.

This was an easy book to read with a very life changing message. Getting to sit down with this book and read it was like getting to sit down with you grandpa and listen to a lifetime of stories. I highly recommend this.

Wonderful! If you have lost faith in humanity, or simple feel inspired by someone who has supreme faith, this is a must read. Tutu's understanding and compassion had me running up the street to share his thoughts with my neighbour.

After reading this book I want to learn more about South African history. What a great man.

A wise and comforting book that makes me want to get up off my duff and do something kind for someone else.

I learned never to ostracise anybody intentionally again - and this desicion changed a lot of things for me

I am currently obsessed with Desmond Tutu, so take my 5 stars with a grain of salt. He frames the essence of what life is and should be very well. I think he is DARLING!

Beautifully written words of peace.

literally the gentlest piece of theological literature i've ever read :')

This is a very fine book of sermons/talks by Archbishop Tutu. There is humor in them, but most importantly there are profound insights and emphases. And it is a very hopeful book.In the first chapter Tutu declares, “This is a moral universe, which means that, despite all the evidence that seems to be to the contrary, there is no way that evil and injustice and oppression and lies can have the last word. God is a God who cares about right and wrong. God cares about justice and injustice. God is [...]

Despite the fact that this book was a short and breezy read, the concept of ubuntu continues to probe my thoughts even though the book has long been read. Ubuntu is an African concept which conveys the idea that we are only who we are because of others. We are all connected and can not survive without each other. When Bill Clinton spoke at the 2007 U of M commencement, he noted that ubuntu was like saying, "I am because you are". Desmond Tutu does a wonderful job at describing this concept (whic [...]

Desmond Tutu who has walked through immense darkness with apartheid in South Africa, now talks about how to have hope in the midst of horrendous, bad, good and everything in between situations. His vision for hope is based on his faith in God, and in people. People tend to have a focus on one over the other. Those who have a hope in God alone, see that humans are basically not good and therefore God is the only good one who can help humanity. Those who have a hope in humanity alone, don't believ [...]

Pearls of wisdom written in clear, easy to understand language. As a theologian, I could appreciate what he was saying at the same time that I know I could give this book to my twelve year old niece and she would understand it as well. The most beautiful thing about this book is Tutu's dedication to loving language (beginning each chapter with 'Dear Child of God') and inclusive language (refusing the inherent sexism of much religious language actively). The only thing I didn't particularly like [...]

This is a simple and beatiful book from a great spirtual leader. Its stories or anecdotes are heartfelt and the lessons intuitive. I read it in about a day and a half. I don't consider myself 'religious' and this is written by a someone (a cardinal? perhaps) in the Roman Catholic church. But his views are very non-secular and maybe even what some may call progressive but in essence, like I said before, they are simple reminders on living righteously and with love and in doing so regardless of a [...]

HIGHLY recommended. when I hesitate to explain my faith tradition because the words that might capture that experience do NOT come easily, I nonetheless still long to be able to speak about what it is like to be in relationship with God who speaks in a small voice and who appears more absent and weak than present and powerful. NOW I can point to THIS book and say, "What he says." Beautiful, clear, and accurate!!Be aware, however: this book can only explain the experience that a person of faith h [...]

A book with a simple premise of profound breadth and implications.God's intentions have always been for us to live in just, equal and codependent society. It follows therefore that living from faith means living for that aim and so, by definition, acting in ways that lessen injustice and poverty.Rev. Tutu emphasizes that this, (and therefore his actions in bringing about the overthrow of apartheid not to mention his involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian relations) primarily a spiritual practice [...]

I found this more comforting than fascinating. There is a lot of reassurance in this book, as Tutu discusses injustices, focusing much more on God's love and humankind's purpose than on politics But when he brings the two together, it is very good to see his experiences of apartheid and the like from such a simple, pure point of view. Two basic messages I got out of it: Apartheid is bad and it hurts people Injustice will not last because every human being has a sense that there is something bett [...]