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The Calvinist/predestination vs Armenian etc. issue like many others in THE CHURCH will probably turn out to have a different mix of BOTH/AND validity than anyone could anticipate.

ALL of us see dimly in the glass.

You folk have settled on one side of this issue. Others of us have settled on the other side.

Maturity is sometimes measured by the amount of paradox or conflicting evidence or even confusion one can handle responsibly, productively, peacably, rationally.

Many people need to have all the little details all tidied up in some sort of predictable box in order to feel safe, secure, comfortable . . . true for people on both side. However, one side has the hazard that such a need can quickly and easily become overblown and blinding to SOME things God might want to share with such individuals. Though this also happens on the other side, the philosophical/theological perspective of the other side does not inherently lend itself to such a result.

It could be said quite reasonably that over emotionalism; worshipping at the altar of emotions; proud displays of emotionally loaded actions/events; etc. can blind those on that side to their pride or the weakness of being led around by somewhat fickle emotions far too often.

One great pastor I once had commented that he thanked God we were saved by faith and not feelings. But he also sure thanked God for the feelings God triggered every so often.

We all have a measure of free will. God The Father fiercely protects it against one and all within the context of that rule of free will He set up. I know, I've tried in ages past to blunt some people's choice options when I felt they were taking themselves and loved ones off the deep end in very destructive ways--and they were. But suggestion and coercion can be very different things.

An interesting paradox is that the Ultimate Commander In Chief usually limits Himself to subtle communications, gentle communications, encouragements, subtle warnings--rarely commanding. On occasion He thunders.

On the other hand, satan is eager to command, insist, threaten, use fear and real and unearned guilt--to coerce every way he can think of and to instill, install and blanket with as much heavy handed control as he can manipulate one and all into. He knows then that rebellion is sure to follow.

Some of us because of our inadequate parenting the first 1-8 years of life have a pretty strong addiction to control orientations. Churches on all sides of many theological issues are full of control freaks. And, almost any theological position can be bent to the service of a control freak if they are clever enough. Some theological positions are tailor made to do that with . . . just as some group, audiance/leader contexts even some supernatural demonstrations of authentic moves of Holy Spirit seem tailor made to do that with--from the perspective of the control freak at hand.

God The Father and our Lord and Savior by His Spirit slice through all that control freak and other garbage most easily when we are walking hand in hand, earnestly becoming ever more sensitive and obedient to that still small voice--to The Master who declares as fact that MY SHEEP KNOW MY ****VOICE****.

In terms of free will--to the degree we do NOT have free will, then we have no responsibility for the choice. To the degree we have free-will, we have responsibility for the choice.

As Viktor Frankel says--there's no freedom without responsibility. It's also true, there's no responsibility without freedom.

May all of us walk closely enough to The Lord that He will say well done for how we responded to His Still Small Voice.