The Soul as seen through Evangelical Eyes, Part II: On use of the Term ‘Soul’

Abstract

This article reports the first study ever published of the use of the word soul by a representative sample of members of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS). All ETS members in New England were sampled. The response rate was 92%. ETS members generally avoid the word soul. Most think that spirit is an adequate replacement. Both terms refer to the inner or subjective person, which is not annihilated when the body dies. Two definitions of soul emerge: (a) the whole person (with the implication that the body is part of the soul), or (b) the inner or subjective person in the natural state (whether saved or unsaved). There is a holistic slant to biblical anthropology; a blurring of boundaries between body, soul, and spirit prior to death. Many theologians say they have not thought about the soul, and that theological anthropology is an underdeveloped and neglected aspect of evangelical theology.