In this article, which was part of a symposium on the "Post-Christian Man"
in WFMT Perspective, Ong argues his disbelief in the Post-Christian
man. He believes the meaning of Christianity has changed over time
due to the "relationship of man to nature." Ong argues that a person
is not Post-Christian simply because he or she believes in the sciences
and technologies of society. Ong also considers that people do not
need to have others understand their Christianity, but each individual
should understand his or her own meaning. According to Ong, Christianity
is clearly evident, due to the millions of people practicing, but he also
recognizes that numerous people have left Christianity. By the same
token, many individuals have found a way back into Christianity.
In fact, Christianity has spread over the last few decades.
Ong responds this way to Paul Goodman's article "We Are Post-Christian
Men," also in the same issue of WFMT Perspective. Goodman
expresses his belief in why people are Post-Christian, and unlike Ong,
Goodman believes that the changing society results in people abandoning
Christianity. He includes economics, the sciences, and technologies
as contributing factors to why people are no longer Christian. Ong
refutes Goodman's ideas, and he goes on, in later writings to express his
ideas about Post-Christianity. These later articles include "Do
We Live in a Post-Christian Age?" and "Realizing
Catholicism: Faith, Learning, and the Future."
Tina Santa Maria
University of Dayton