[December 2003 journal entry]
The ‘two kingdoms’ – one good, one evil – theological framework foundational from the later Augustine (e.g., City of God) through Luther/Calvin had framed questions re human will in terms of which kingdom’s sovereign (i.e., ‘God’ or ‘Satan’) controlled/determined the character/behavior of human beings. This framework had/has no place for the premise that formed from the Renaissance through the Enlightenment re human will – i.e., that humans are capable of truly free/autonomous choices (self-determination) and should be permitted/encouraged to exercise this facet of being human. The disagreement between Erasmus (On the Freedom of the Will) and Luther (On the Bondage of the Will) had essentially to do with this clash.
