Soul Origin: Revisiting Creationist and Traducianist Theological Perspectives in Light of Current Trends in Developmental Psychology

Abstract

Current trends in developmental psychology regarding the origin of the person and the roots of personality reflect a complex, interactive “nature and nurture” process. These contemporary portraits of human development challenge evangelicals committed to theological integration and biblical authority to carefully examine beliefs and assumptions regarding the origin of the soul and divine activity in relation to the developing person. In traditional theology, the Creationist position has each new human soul as the direct creative act of God, while the Traducianist perspective assumes primarily human contribution to soul origin. Here the classic theological positions regarding soul beginnings are reviewed in light of contemporary developmental bio-psycho-social models of personhood in an attempt to clarify this divine and/or human process. An integrative solution labeled creative convergence is offered as a blended explanation for soul origin that is intended to stimulate further theological reflection on the nature and development of human beings.