20 years ago — February 1, 1999
“‘What does the Lord require of you?’ Micah stated that a relationship with God depends on performing acts of justice, mercy and humility.” Micah 6:8 was the focus of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s address to a group of more than 1,300 college students gathered at Celebrate III, an ecumenical conference in North Carolina. Tutu suggested a reversal of the words “to make walking humbly with God the first prerequisite for an authentic religious existence. ‘The true Christian life is impossible unless at its heart beats an engaged spirituality,’ he said. … The archbishop told the students that they, like God, must be among those who are hurting, who have been diminished and dehumanized. ‘For what we do to rehabilitate them, to serve them, we are doing as to our Lord himself,’ he said.” Tutu cited Jesus’ command to love that would bring meaning to Micah 6:8: ‘Love God and love neighbor.’ These are two sides of one coin… one ‘on its own is not legal tender. It can’t be the coin. You need both together simultaneously.’”
From “Tutu stresses justice, mercy, humility in remarks to students” by United Methodist News Service
