Thinking…

…about “cultural homogeny”.

LCC is hosting a conference on the subject and I recently got their call for papers. I’d love to be able to submit a proposal and present but I don’t see it happening…simply, it might be a bit out of my depth.

That being said, I’ve thinking a lot about the concept and particularly one of questions posed in the announcement of the conference. The question reads “Is globabl oneness a desired good?” I guess “global oneness” is a kind of synonym for cultural homogeny…? Anyway, my thoughts are turning around this pivot for the moment:

Cultural homogeny is not only a desired good, but it is a fait accomplii…at least according to my understanding of the Biblical narrative. To put it succinctly: the final scene of the Revealation shows the One God ruling His One People for the New Jerusalm in the context of a New Heaven and a New Earth. This is the fullfillment of the Kingdom of God, so what other cultures will there be? We could say that the “nations”  and “the kings” who bring “their splendor” into the Kingdom represent the inclusion of other cultures; however its apparent that they will all be under the rule of God. Whatever culture exists at the end of human history, it will have no competitors vying for a dominant position. There will only be one culture, Kingdom Culture…at least, that’s how I see it for the moment.

Can Christians Acknowledge the Qur’an to be the Word of God?

The title of this post is also the title of an upcoming seminar at the University of Durham (UK) presented by  Professor David Burrell, current of Notre Dame.

I don’t know anything in the world about Professor Burrell, so I have no idea what his answer will be, so this will not be a criticism of the professor’s position in anyway. Instead, I thought I’d just post the following comment:

Since this is the topic for a seminar, I’m sure that  there will a long lecture/discussion, however I am also sure that there doesn’t need to be. In fact, my decidedly unscholarly answer to the question is as follows:

No.

Christians can not acknowledge the Qu’ran to be the Word of God because the Qu’ran denies the divinity of Jesus. Christians, whatever else you may wish to say in order to define us, are people who believe that Jesus is God come to Earth. This is flatly denied by the Qu’ran. To claim to be a Christian and to acknowledge the Qu’ran as the Word of God are contradictory actions and absolutely incompatible.

Consequently, I confess, it seems like an odd question to address in a seminar.