Tag Archives: Rabble-Rouser for Peace

Reviews of “Rabble-Rouser”

One might have expected a tame, worshipful ‘authorized’ biography… but this one really captures a full man. Heavily researched and benefiting from Allen’s long experience as a journalist, it will probably remain definitive.” — The Christian Century

…[T]horoughly entertaining, inspiring, uncomplicated and thought-provoking.” — Catholic Online

[Allen’s] reporting is impeccable… Rabble Rouser for Peace ultimately reminds us of the preeminent role Tutu played in the demise of [apartheid]. — Baltimore Sun

Rabble-Rouser for Peace… is a well-written, deeply researched… tribute to one of the world’s moral guardians.” — Mail&Guardian

… For more reviews, see the “Reviews” section.

Tutu: ashamed to be Anglican

Tutu: ashamed to be Anglican

http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3448728
Archbishop lashes out over gay stance
September 22, 2006 Edition 1
Johannesburg

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in the first authorised biography of the Nobel peace laureate, said he was ashamed of his Anglican Church’s conservative position that rejected gay priests.

In the book Rabble-rouser for Peace by his former press secretary, John Allen, Tutu also criticised the last apartheid president, F W de Klerk, for not accepting accountability for apartheid atrocities.

He said the failure caused him to regret having nominated De Klerk, along with Nelson Mandela, for their 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.

Excerpts from the book were scheduled to appear in South Africa today and the biography was scheduled for release in time for Tutu’s 75th birthday on October 7.

The retired archbishop was critical of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, for having bowed on the gay priest issue to conservative elements, particularly African bishops, in the 77-million member Anglican Church that includes Episcopalians in the United States.

In a 1998 letter to Williams’s predecessor, Archbishop George Carey, Tutu wrote he was “ashamed to be Anglican”. It came after the Lambeth Conference of Bishops rejected the ordination of practising homosexuals, saying their sexual relations were “incompatible with scripture”. Tutu said he was deeply saddened at the furore caused by the appointment of openly gay V Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.

As archbishop, Tutu criticised, but could not change, a policy in South Africa that said gay priests would be tolerated as long as they remained celibate. He did approve church blessings for gay and lesbian relationships, without calling them marriage. He also pushed for the ordination of women and, when it was approved, quickly appointed the Rev Wilma Jakobsen as his chaplain.

Tutu’s criticism of De Klerk stems from the time Tutu was chairman of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which offered perpetrators of apartheid crimes amnesty if they told the truth about their activities.

Allen wrote that the process left Tutu disappointed with some political leaders, particularly De Klerk, who he believed had not accepted account- ability for apartheid atrocities. Though De Klerk was not directly implicated in state-sponsored violence, he had been aware of “mayhem” as a result of activity by the security forces.

In an interview with the author, De Klerk acknowledged he had failed to follow up suspicions that security forces were committing human rights abuses. In response to a request for his reaction to the book, De Klerk said Allen had tried to be fair in reporting on the tensions between him and Tutu.

The biography also traces Tutu’s life from a sickly child who was baptised a Methodist, and who dreamed of becoming a doctor, but worked as a teacher and then a priest. It tells how he won a Nobel Peace Prize having played a major role in guiding his homeland from racism to democracy.

He rose to fight racism in a deeply divided society. His own family home was demolished in the name of apartheid, and he suffered tear- gassings, police harassment and death threats.

A highlight for Tutu was getting to introduce Mandela to cheering crowds in 1994 as “our brand new state president”. – Sapa-AP

“Rabble-Rouser” in the News

Articles after October 25, 2006, are posted to “Reporting.”  Choose “Media,” then “Reporting” in the menu.

October 25th:
Anglican Communion News Service: Desmond Tutu and John Allen speak at Trinity Church, Wall Street

October 19th:
VOA News: Desmond Tutu Discusses His Life as an Advocate for Peace
New York Sun: Tutu Urges All Faiths To Avoid Harmful Generalizations

October 18th:
CNN/Reuters: Biographer: At 75, Tutu still can’t shut up
Reuters India: ‘Rabble-rouser’ Tutu just can’t shut up-biographer

October 17th:
TIME.com: Q & A: Desmond Tutu

October 13th:
The Citizen: Recording the rabble-rousing

October 11th:
Ecumenical News International: Desmond Tutu expresses sadness at Anglican anti-gay stance
Baltimore Sun: 2 books look at men who ended apartheid

October 10th:
AFP: Desmond Tutu’s birthday draws Hollywood stars to South Africa

October 8th:
Washington Post: Rev’d Up: Archbishop Desmond Tutu Looks Back, Definitely Not in Anger

October 7th:
Beeld: Intensiteit, deernis tref hom meeste, sê skrywer

October 6th:
Mail & Guardian: Tutu: the courage of his compassion
DailyIndia.com: Desmond Tutu continues to be beacon for South Africans
German Press Agency: Desmond Tutu continues to offer moral guidance
Irish Examiner: Tutu turns 75
Church Times: Dr Tutu was sought for Canterbury

October 1st:
Ekklesia: Archbishop Tutu hailed as a ‘rabble rouser for peace’

September 27th:
Religion News Service: Tutu: ‘Ashamed’ to Be an Anglican
Ecumenical News International: New book on South Africa’s Tutu pokes fun at his ‘rabble rousing’

September 26th:
Guardian: A rabble-rouser for peace

September 24th:
Sunday Times, UK: Church missed out on chance to be led by tub-thumper Tutu

September 22nd:

Cape Times front page Friday, September 22, 2006

Cape Times/Associated Press: I’m ashamed to be an Anglican, says Tutu
IOL News: De Klerk comes clean on apartheid-era forces
SABC News: De Klerk admits to failing to act on suspicion
The Mercury: Tutu: Ashamed to be Anglican
AP/New York Times: Tutu Expresses Shame at Anglican Church
Canadian Broadcasting Corp: Biography says Tutu regrets de Klerk’s Nobel Prize
Guardian: A Canterbury tale for Tutu
Guardian/commentisfree: A match made in heaven
news.iafrica.com: FW ‘failed to act’ says Tutu book
IOL News/Associated Press: ‘De Klerk should come clean’
Pretoria News (extract): One man’s vision for reconciliation

September 21st:
International Herald Tribune: Tutu said church stand on gay priests made him ashamed to be Anglican

See also the “News” section of this site.

Extracts published in Independent Newspapers titles, 22-23 September 2006

Daily News – 22 Sept 2006
Argus – 22 Sept 2006
Star – 22 Sept 2006
Star – 23 Sept 2006
Pretoria News – 22 Sept 2006
Pretoria News 23 Sept 2006
Indepedent 23 Sept 2006

“A riveting book… A profound portrait” – Comments on “Rabble-Rouser”

Commentators, writers and leaders have provided pre-publication comments for the jacket of “Rabble-Rouser for Peace.” Among comments which will be used, on the jackets of either the U.S. or S.A./U.K. editions:

A superb book, showing what an extraordinary peacemaker—and warm human being—Desmond Tutu is. It makes fascinating reading.”Mary Robinson, President, Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globablization Initiative, and Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Apartheid never defeated (Desmond Tutu) because of his passionate belief that the status of every human being is God-given and indelible… This book tells his story: how he overcame illness and every kind of opposition—from the misguided to the blatantly wicked—with faith, determination, exuberance and an irrepressible sense of humour. These are Christlike gifts… I read (Rabble Rouser for Peace) with a growing sense of admiration and gratitude. I shall read it again. If you choose to read it, it will warm you and make you laugh, dance and cry with Tutu.” — +Sentamu Ebor, Archbishop of York

“This is a riveting book. John Allen has given us a profound portrait of one of the few great human beings of our age and of the country he did so much to save. He shows Archbishop Tutu in all his courage, his uproarious humor, his passion. And he discloses much that happened behind the scenes in the struggle that finally brought a peaceful revolution to South Africa.” — Anthony Lewis, former New York Times columnist

This book should be part of every secondary school curriculum and widely commended to everyone because it’s the study of one of the truly great men of our time. Desmond Tutu dedicated his life and his ministry to fighting oppression, injustice and prejudice not only in apartheid South Africa but wherever they occur. His story is a soaring triumph to the search for truth and reconciliation, and his humanity is an inspiration to the world.” — Sir Trevor McDonald, British broadcaster

“As the people’s archbishop, Desmond Tutu’s bubbling enthusiasm and infectious zest for humanity shines through in this remarkable biography, as does his integrity and burning passion for justice and liberty worldwide. He is an uncomfortable critic to have around for anyone in power—even his own government, for which he struggled for so long.” — Peter Hain, former apartheid campaigner and present UK cabinet minister.

“This is the story of a slight, sickly black boy, living at the margins of South African society, who grew up to be a towering figure of moral power, religious significance, and political impact—one of the very few great human beings of our age. There is no one on earth who will not profit from reading this story, told with such precision, sympathy, and mounting dramatic tension by John Allen. But do not bother to pick it up unless you are willing to be transformed into a better person than you are at the present moment.” — Thomas Cahill, author of “How the Irish Saved Civilization” and “The Gifts of the Jews”

“Desmond Tutu has not only lived the contemporary history of South Africa he has shaped it. He has demonstrated that suffering need not destroy and that in the face of seemingly impossible odds hope must be maintained. This book should be read by all who long to see peace and justice in a troubled world.” — Terry Waite

This inspirational biography of Desmond Tutu is a testament to the central role of justice in our troubled world. His life and his belief in our common humanity provides the ultimate road map to peace.” — Baroness Helena Kennedy, QC

“Archbishop Tutu’s objective of seeking ‘a democratic and just society without racial divisions’ is not only applicable in South Africa, but wherever there are human beings.” — His Holiness the Dalai Lama

“In the cover photo of ‘Rabble-Rouser for Peace,’ Desmond Tutu appears to be carrying a Bible. Of course. His passion and courage follow in the truth-telling tradition of the prophets, and his insistence on peace and forgiveness bring the teachings of Jesus to bear on some of the thorniest problems of modern life. For those of use who might become weary of fighting injustice and intolerance, there is the example of this lion of a man with a tender heart, who has demonstrated what a difference one person can make.” — The Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr., Senior Minister, The Riverside Church, New York City

“This book gives remarkable insights into how Tutu’s spiritual worldview and discipline moulded him into the pre-eminent religious leader in South Africa’s struggle against racism and a passionate advocate of human rights internationally.” — Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States and Nobel Peace Laureate

The Making of a Peacemaker

University United Methodist Church, Austin, Texas

Saturday October 28, 9.30 – 4.00 pm Building Strategies for Reconciliation

Afternoon session

Rabble-Rouser for Peace – The Life of Desmond Tutu

What does it take to be a peace maker? What non-violent actions change history? Who can we learn from? Who is a witness for peace in these troubled times? Who is the man behind the Truth and Reconciliation Commission?

“We had been surrounded by police, with dogs snarling at us. We were petrified, for nearly two hours. Some people were crying… The staff of the university, the white people—some of them armed—these professors were watching and nobody said a word, nobody.… Desmond [came] almost from nowhere, in a cassock… broke the police cordon and came to be among us. I recall moving scenes of young women kneeling to pray with Desmond for blessings. Even today when I recall that I get very emotional. For me that was the greatest example I could think of, of what to be a priest was about.” – N. Barney Pityana – former student, now university vice-chancellor

Barney Pityana’s description, recorded in the book, “Rabble-Rouser for Peace,” records the first public witness for peace of Desmond Mpilo Tutu, at that stage a university chaplain, in 1967.

Tutu went on to defy South African apartheid government ministers, sometimes in heated, face-to-face confrontations. He led peaceful demonstrations in the face of heavily-armed battalions of riot police. Yet he never stopped appealing to the humanity of his opponents. He would say of the white president who led South Africa in the most brutal period of apartheid rule: “Whether I like it or not, whether he likes it or not… P. W. Botha is my brother, and I must desire and pray for the best in him.”

Come and hear John Allen tell the story of how a barefoot child on the dusty streets of South Africa’s townships, a survivor of polio and tuberculosis, became a moral giant, an international voice for peace and justice, and now perhaps the world’s most prominent religious leader advocating for the rights of gay and lesbian people.

John Allen is a South African journalist who has reported on and worked with Desmond Tutu for 30 years. He has seen Tutu in the streets, controlling angry crowds by rousing them with his rhetoric, then directing their energies in peaceful directions. He has watched Tutu on his knees, spending hours in prayer each day. He has sat in on sensitive meetings with figures ranging from Nelson Mandela to U.S. presidents and brutal dictators.

Saturday October 28 1.30pm to 4.00pm

University United Methodist Church, Austin, Texas

The Amos Commission announces
The Wilson Wade Memorial Invocation to Peace, Mercy and Justice
Worship, Study, Reflection, Proclamation, Advocacy… building the Kingdom of God

Fall 2006 Series, From Peace to Non-violence

This series of learning the transforming power of non-violent activism, takes us through the fundamentals of Worship, Study, and Reflection, leading to Proclamation and Advocacy.

From September 10 through Thanksgiving, we will learn the power of non-violent strategies from those icons of non-violent peacemaking, Gandhi and Tutu and begin to build ways to empower UUMC members for peacemaking.


Saturday October 28, 9.30 – 4.00 pm Building Strategies for Reconciliation

Morning session

The joy and the victory of the South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a new way of forging human community, or a license for murder?

Afternoon session

The Making of a Peacemaker – a study of the Rabble Rouser for Peace, Desmond Tutu

$30 per person to cover lunch and notes
Registration required, call UUMC on 478-9387or email office@uumc.org


Sunday October 29 12.30 – 2.00pm Reflections on a peacemaker’s life, by John Allen.

His 20 years with Desmond Tutu.

Lunch will be served, $5 per person.

The joy and the victory of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission

University United Methodist Church, Austin, Texas

Saturday October 28, 9.30 – 4.00 pm Building Strategies for Reconciliation

Morning session

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”

South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission: A new way of forging human community, or a license for murder?

The journey from violence and war justified by reference to religion, or as a vehicle of state oppression, to a state of peace, through vehicles of active non-violence, is an exacting one. As Christians can we take up the challenge of being totally forgiving?

The example of this journey for a whole country is none more intriguing than the story of South Africa in the 1990’s. From violence to peace, through confession, forgiveness, reconciliation, how did this happen?

Why did South Africa, the focus of a generation of Christian activism for justice, reach a political settlement which introduced democracy but forgave murder and torture?

What kind of society would we have if people weren’t held accountable for their actions? Does our faith require that we forgive and forget?

What can we learn from this in the USA today?

For a thought-provoking presentation and discussions on these and other questions, come and hear John Allen, formerly head of communications of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and a long-time aide to Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu.


Saturday October 28 10.00am to 12.30pm UUMC Sanctuary.


In the morning , the witness to a peace making process, in the afternoon, the man who lead it.

Why “Rabble-Rouser for Peace”?

The origins of this book lie in my experiences as the religion correspondent of The Star, Johannesburg, in the period immediately following the Soweto uprising of June 1976. With the liberation movements in exile, and parliamentary representation limited to whites, the churches provided arguably the most representative platforms for public debate on the politics of the day and the future of the country.

At the 1976 national conference of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), at the provincial synod of the Anglican Church later that year, and at ensuing SACC national conferences, Desmond Tutu emerged as the most powerfully eloquent, impassioned and compassionate voice for justice and reconciliation of his time.

I subsequently went to work for a journalists’ union, then joined Tutu’s staff after he became archbishop of Cape Town in 1986. As part of a team based at Bishopscourt, his official residence and office in Cape Town, I witnessed many of the events described in the book during the final struggle against apartheid and the transition to democracy in the early 1990s. In 1995, I joined Tutu in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and in 1998 accompanied him to Atlanta, Georgia, to run his office while he served as a visiting professor. I left his employ in 2000.

When I said shortly before leaving his staff that I wanted to write a biography, he asked whether it would not perhaps be too much of a “hagiography”. I suggested that would be up to the reader to decide, but made it clear I wanted to write an authorised biography in the proper sense of the term: that he would give me interviews and authorise access to his personal papers, including personal files not disclosed by archives to the public, but that he would have no say over the content. He agreed to this.

And why the title? It is based on a standing joke which Mrs Albertina Sisulu, leader of the United Democratic Front (and wife of Nelson Mandela’s political mentor, Walter Sisulu), had with Tutu in the 1980s. After rallies and meetings, she would regularly tell him, “You’re a rabble-rouser!” And she was right.

About “Rabble-Rouser”

  • The first biography to cover the life of Desmond Tutu from childhood through the culmination of his struggle against apartheid and his subsequent campaign for reconciliation and human rights in and beyond South Africa.
  • Based on original archival research ranging from secret files of the apartheid government to internal White House files from the Reagan and first Bush administrations.
  • Offers Tutu’s unique insights on African post-independence politics from hitherto unpublished reports written during trips through the continent. Rabble-Rouser for Peace UK cover
  • Discloses the intrigue in South Africa and the United Kingdom behind Tutu’s rise to leadership in the church.
  • Tells the inside story of Tutu’s dealings with apartheid leaders and his leadership in the church, the anti-apartheid movement and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
  • Reveals for the first time ground-breaking research on how Tutu was chosen above Nelson Mandela and other South African leaders as the 1984 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
  • Provides eye-witness accounts and vivid reconstructions of Tutu’s defiance against apartheid, including leading illegal marches in the face of armed police and soldiers, his arrests and his teargassing.
  • Describes his interventions in situations of threatening violence to save lives and channel expressions of political feeling into creative activity.
  • Gives an account of Tutu’s work for justice and reconciliation in Africa, the Middle East and Northern Ireland.
  • Includes interviews with leaders ranging from Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk of South Africa to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former U.S. Vice-president Al Gore and rock star Bono of U2.