FROM THE EDITORS DESK

THE CULTURAL TURN

When the American Philosopher, Richard Rorty (1931 2007), published his anthology, The
Linguistic Turn (1967), still propagating the fruits of the Vienna Circle, he might have
thought he had made the last turn, or rather that he had uncovered historys last turn.
Little could he have imagined that history would make the last turn only when it ceased
turning. If Rorty were alive today, perhaps, he would also have acknowledged the current
stir of history the Cultural Turn.
Talking of a turn in this regard, we simply mean, not an invention as such, but a critical
rediscovery, re-examination and redefinition of, as well as a subsequent reconciliation with,
an event, concept or movement. The early Church grappled with the Gentile Turn. The
medieval Church contended with the Philosophical Turn. The Church faced the Protestant
Turn in the middle ages. Modern age posed the Scientific Turn. Vatican II adopted the
Vernacular Turn. Nonetheless, we are today confronted with the reality of we may call a
Cultural Turn.
Presently, culture is no longer seen as antithetical, or much less as subservient, to
religion/faith, judging by the scope and status of each. It is now taken as a handmaid to
religion. All over, we witness a reawakening of culture and a reorientation of our core
cultural values. This was not always the case, especially as one recalls the physical, political
and ideological slavery which the West arbitrarily subjected the Black Skin to. At best, our
culture was seen as banal, when not discarded as devilish, pagan, primitive, inhuman and
balderdash. Thus, the massive turn back of many today to re-interpret, re-present and re-live
our culture necessitates many questions: What do we really understand about culture? How
do we douse the tension between faith and culture? If we define culture as the way of life of a
people, can we also validly and truthfully proffer same definition for faith? Can an authentic
African be a genuine Christian? What level of integration can we boast of as the bells of the
Centenary commemorations of the Christian faith toll all over our land?
Be that as it may, ours is a mission to evangelize. We, the editorial crew of THE TIMELESS
MAGAZINE, are on a sensitization mission, aimed at enlightening ourselves and our people
on living out our peculiar culture without compromising our Christian faith. The winds of
modernity blowing everywhere further highlight the need to assert the traditional ethos and
its impact on both the life of individuals and the society at large. Consequently, THE
TIMELESS MAGAZINE, in her maiden edition, wishes to critically explore some aspects of
our socio-cultural life, as well as other spheres of our spatio-temporal existence, and evaluate
their implications for the African Christian in the modern world. Hence the theme: BACK
TO THE ROOTS!
To serve you well, we beckoned on different scholars of high repute to be part of this mission
of enlightenment, by way of interviews, articles, poems, etc. It is therefore the honour and
pleasure of the editorial crew to present to you this simple but rich package. So we say: tolle,
lege! take and read!
Signed:
Osondu Jude Thaddeus
(Editor-in-Chief)