Consensus theory and religious belief

Abstract

David Tukey has argued recently that the consensus theory of epistemic rhetoric reduces spiritual experience to a social construct and therefore denies the possibility of a divine reality. This essay argues that consensus theory can account for religious beliefs and spiritual experiences, and that consensus theory provides a useful framework within which to understand the rhetorical dimensions of these beliefs and experiences. Walter Rauschenbusch's classic A Theology for the Social Gospel is examined as a theology that is consistent with the basic tenets of consensus theory.