ABSTRACT
Ward explicates a common line of New Atheist critique of divine command theory and theistic moral motivation. Ward notes some agreement with these critiques and then goes on to explain why these critiques are actually consistent with the heart of Christian ethics. He does this by sketching an account of God and morality that is immune to the critiques. Ward focuses on two great medieval theologians, Thomas Aquinas and John Duns Scotus, who, despite some significant differences, are both representatives of a grand tradition of Christian thought. These thinkers conceive morality as ordered to an eternal life of loving union with God. Love for God and neighbor is the primary moral motivation in this picture. Within this moral framework, morality is not arbitrarily decided by fiat. Such a conception of morality clarifies the Christian view of God’s relationship to morality.
