Abstract

After critiquing those views of ethics which sharply segregate moral reflection from both social theory and from theological concerns, this paper argues that in dealing with the problem of justification for basic moral stances, an appeal to the "holy" is required. The key debates at this level of moral discourse, thus, are not whether theological matters are involved but how the "holy" is identified or "located." This problem attends both religious and nonreligious views, and inevitably leads ethics to apologetics. Since this is the problem, the question is what the major alternatives are for locating the "holy." The middle part of the paper thus focuses on a "map" whereby we can discern the major options. Finally, the implications of the map are traced out so that its utility in both descriptive and in prescriptive dimensions of moral discourse can be seen. Theological concerns are intrinsic and not extrinsic to ethics.