With great joy we here at the Salvatorian Institute of Philosophy and Theology present this second issue of "Africa Tomorrow". It is tempting to compare the appearance of this second issue with the first birthday of a child. In some ways we feel like proud parents. We know our child is not perfect. But we hope the world will overlook its faults and see in it the potential we see; to celebrate its accomplishments and overlook its shortcomings.

Like a child, "Africa Today" is now taking its first steps, speaking its first full sentences. It should come as no surprise if these first steps are hesitant, or if these first words are halting. The articles presented here are only loosely organized with an eye to the general concept of inculturation. No attempt has been made to develop one narrow theme. Nor did we insist at this juncture on the application of one consistent methodology. All these things will come in time. A child must learn to walk before it can run.

To switch metaphors, let me suggest the reader would do well to think of these seven articles as seven visitors gathered for a feast. In keeping with best African tradition each guest is welcomed as the bearer of a blessing. Each visitor is different. One is young another is old. One sees life through the eyes of a philosopher, another as a pastor, and still another as an agent of social change. What blessing each bears cannot be known before hand. That will be revealed in the celebration and in the interchange that follows. It will be consolidated in our reflections after the party is over and we and our guests have returned to their homes.

So let me say a word about our guests and their offerings. The first article by Fr. Dr Peter George Pandimakil, OSA is dense. It presents a formidable challenge to those not conversant with the philosophies of Derrida or Levinas. It comes to many of us like a guest from a very strange country. But in this article we can discover a great blessing: he we meet others serious about explaining as well as they can the universal encounter with the ineffable. How can we speak of God without immediately being trapped in culturally limiting concepts and propositions? The connection between this article and enculturation is not immediately apparent. But it finally yields itself to the thoughtful reader. Courage!

The second article by Dr Eric Boos deals with one of the greatest challenges of our time: globalization. This penetrating analysis of the far-reaching effects of globalization on the individual and society ends in a call to action. It challenges representatives of religions in a special way to do two things: to study seriously the phenomenon of globalization, and to prepare the people they serve to cope with the revolutionary changes that inevitably come in its wake. In some ways Mr. Boos' second article on the Beatitudes as the ethics for salvation serves as an extended scriptural reflection on the Christian's response to globalization.

Everyone knows the issue of enculturation is not confined to Africa. Fr. Prof. Sebastian Karotemprel SDB analysis of the Christology found in "Ecclesia in Asia" gives African readers a taste of the difficulties faced by theologians working in other cultures. More than any other article in this collection it demonstrates the deep tensions involved in enculturation: how to be both creative and faithful.

Fr. Dr A. Tarimo, SJ raises his voice at our feast to turn our eyes to a problem we would rather deny: ethnicity, which many of us know by another name: tribalism. And he succeeds to shed new light on this old topic. He suggests that in Africa ethnicity itself is not the problem. It's long lastingness is proof of its value in helping people survive. There is no sense in attacking ethnicity. The problem comes in the many ways ethnicity is coopted for venal ends completely detached from concern for the common good. This visitor is not afraid to point a finger even at his hosts and ask them to account for the corrupt vestiges of ethnicity in Africa's churches.

A central aim of "Africa Tomorrow" is to provide a forum for new African voices. So the young are also present at our feast and they are most welcome. What they say and how they say it remind us of our own first attempts to break into the conversation of the elders. They honor us by courageously sharing their insights and perspectives. They remind us where we ourselves have been, and give us hope about where we are going. We congratulate and thank them!

Finally in this issue we must acknowledge those who made this gathering possible: those who prepared the food and cleaned the house to receive its guests. Special thanks are due to Fr. Eric Middlecamp, SDS for his hours of dedicated proofreading of very difficult material and as well Fr. Daniel Pekarske SDS, who collaborated so much in the present issue of "Africa Tomorrow". Thanks a lot.

The Editor