Clarkian Traducianism and Ethnic Distinctions

6 January 2025

By Dr Adi Schlebusch

Introduction

In the July/August 1982 edition of the Trinity Review the Calvinist philosopher Gordon Clark writes the following concerning the doctrine of Traducianism:

Both soul and body come from parents. Acts 17:26 does not say that God hath made of one blood all nations with respect to their bodies alone. The following verse, with its phrase 'seek the Lord,' clearly includes man's mind or soul.

Connecting not only the human body, but also the human soul to progenitors has tremendous implications for our understanding of familial, ethnic, and racial distinctions within humanity as a whole. In this article I will be discussing the biological, psychological and spiritual implications of this biblical doctrine.

1. The Biological Inheritance of both Body and Soul

The idea that both the body and the soul come from parents suggests that genetic inheritance is more than just physical traits (e.g., eye color, skin color, height, susceptibility to diseases). It extends to psychological or mental characteristics as well. That not only the body but the soul comes from the parents implies that genetic inheritance also plays a role in shaping a person's cognitive, emotional, and behavioral tendencies.

Furthermore, it reinforces the importance of ancestry and family in terms of shaping not only the physical appearance of an individual but also their moral and intellectual capacities and appetites. If soul or "mind" is passed down through lineage, familial identity might carry more weight than simply genetics and culture, and the family must be seen as the covenantal entity transmitting not just biology but an intangible, spiritual heritage.

2. Volksgeist and Collective Ethnic Identity

The German term Volksgeist has historically signified the psychology of a particular people or the collective consciousness and cultural essence of a nation or ethnic group. Clarkian Traducianism suggests that this cultural, spiritual, and intellectual heritage of groups is also rooted in their common descent which encompasses both body and mind. The way a group thinks, feels, and acts collectively is deeply embedded in their biological lineage, thereby shaping an ethno-racial identity that transcends mere physical traits. This suggests that the cultural identity of a people (their Volksgeist) has an important genetic component. In this view, the particular psyche of an ethnic group or as national family or racial group as international family would not be simply learned or taught through education and assimilation, but is biologically transmitted across generations. If the soul or spirit of a people is passed down through lineage, this implies that there exists a deep, inherent connection between ethnic identity, a shared consciousness and distinct cultural traits. This doesn't necessarily mean that every individual in an ethnic group would always perfectly reflect these traits, but rather that the group as a whole, covenantally speaking, exhibits a unique spiritual and psychological continuity over time.

3. Universalism and Particularism in Human Identity

On the one hand, Acts 17:26 suggests the universality of human nature, since all nations are made from "one blood." This means that while humanity exhibits familial and ethnic diversity, there is also a shared humanity that transcends these distinctions. The universal inheritance of both body and soul suggests that, in a theological sense, all humans are made in the image of God and possess the same human nature. On the other hand, Clark’s traducianist interpretation of the passage also entails a more particularistic view, where each nation or ethnos exhibits distinct physical, spiritual, psychological, and cultural characteristics and gifts, meaning that ethnic identity itself be seen as part of God’s covenantal plan for humanity.

Clarkian Traducianism therefore challenges both purely materialistic and purely spiritual views of nationhood, and introduces the idea of what can be termed spiritual genetics, whereby the mental, emotional, and even moral traits and dispositions characteristic of a person and a nation are inherited through lineage just as much as their physical traits and characteristics. This provides an important framework for understanding the dynamics of intergenerational covenantal obedience and apostasy.

The very statement that God "made of one blood all nations" (plural) affirms both the unity of the human race as created in the image of God transmitted through procreation (Genesis 5:3) and its diversity in the ways that different ethnic groups reflect particular divine purposes (Genesis 10-11). In this sense, racial and ethnic distinctions cannot be considered merely arbitrary but are integrally part of the divine design for humanity. That all nations are to "seek the Lord," shows how these diverse spiritual and mental traits should ultimately be cultivated to the glory of God by a redeemed humanity unified under the Kingship of Christ as his commonwealth of nations (Revelation 11:15; 21:3).

Conclusion

Clark’s Traducian understanding of Acts 17:26-27 and in particular his notion of the national mind or soul has profound implications for understanding family, genetics, ethnicity, race, and cultural identity. It suggests that the genetic inheritance of both body and soul together is key to understanding ethnic distinctions. In this regard the concept of Volksgeist serves as an important tool for understanding the interaction between spiritual and biological traits, thereby proposing a more integrated view of ethno-racial identity that goes beyond physical genetics to include the intergenerational transmission of distinct dispositions, talents, weaknesses, and psyches.