The crisis in sexual morality precipitated by the so-called sexual revolution of the twenty century has made the struggle to articulate a healthy sexual ethics a particulary pressing one. Moralists warn against premature sexual encounters while sex therapists struggle to help people overcome sexual fears and inhibitions. The bible speaks of sexuality as a great gift and blessing of God, while the Church insists on the importance of chastity and self-control. Moral theologians within the Church no longer appear to speak with a single voice, yet more than ever do they recognize the fundamental importance of a healthy sexuality to the personal and social well-being of humankind. He tells us not only why they are saying about sexual morality, but more import only why they are saying it. In doing so the book makes clear the surprising degree of consensus about a healthy sexual ethics that actually exists in the midst of often heated debates.