“Relativism must play a role in our analysis of moral and ethical issues. We don’t live in a static world of absolutes.”

—John Hamerlinck

“[Relativism] . . . sanctions obviously immoral actions, it implies that people are morally infallible, and it denies that there are any substantive moral disputes.”

—Theodore Schick Jr.

In December of 1998, the House impeached President Bill Clinton on charges that he had lied under oath and obstructed justice in order to conceal his past sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. From the time accusations were first made against Clinton in early 1998 until he was finally acquitted by the Senate in February 1999, the scandal drew a frenzy of media attention. News shows provided 24-hour coverage, The Starr Report disclosed intimate details about the affair, and Lewinsky’s photograph was a ubiquitous sight.

Opinion polls offer an...