<P> The philosopher Søren Kierkegaard claimed that divine omnipotence cannot be separated from divine goodness . As a truly omnipotent and good being, God could create beings with true freedom over God . Furthermore, God would voluntarily do so because "the greatest good...which can be done for a being, greater than anything else that one can do for it, is to be truly free ." Alvin Plantinga's "free will defense" is a contemporary expansion of this theme, adding how God, free will, and evil are consistent . </P> <P> The biblical ground for free will lies in the" Fall" into sin by Adam and Eve that occurred in their "willfully chosen" disobedience to God . </P> <P> "Freedom" and' free will" can be treated as one because the two terms are commonly used as synonyms . However, there are widespread disagreements in definitions of the two terms . Because of these disagreements, Mortimer Adler found that a delineation of three kinds of freedom is necessary for clarity on the subject, as follows: </P> <P> (1) Circumstantial freedom is "freedom from coercion or restraint" that prevents acting as one wills . </P>

What was the name of the early theologian who developed the church’s understanding of free will