I was listening to some preacher read a piece of a devotional that was quoting CS Lewis...I don't know which of Lewis' works it comes from.
Summarizing from memory, it suggested that God has put together an inviolable framework of events (a plan) that will not be affected by any creature's activity, but that within that framework he permits free activity on the part of his creatures.
It was an interesting thought. I wish I knew the source. Anyone have any idea?
Somehow Protestants have lost this concept in regards to salvation. We think that somehow we ask the Son to set us free but this is no different then the Roman Catholic belief that we "cooperate" with God; that man has the ability to do something that is good. At the root it's the same belief; a belief that drove the Reformers away.
We put together elaborate philosophies of all sorts of things to explain man's free will in choosing God. This was always a puzzlement to me. I remember reading many different discussions on various views from many sources. All of them pull bits and pieces of scripture but they ignore others. I've never was comfortable with any of these veiws simply because they don't explain some of the great conversions within scripture like Paul, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Lydia, etc. all who were saved against their will. It doesn't explain how our Lord Jesus could simply walk up to Matthew and say, "Come follow me." and Matthew would just leave everything and go. That is the power of God and His right to elect whom He wills. I start from the premise that God saves everyone exactly the same way. These salvation experiences lie outside of the "free will" norm.
If you really want to see how "philosophically tolerant" Christians are in pondering man's relation to God, simply suggest that perhaps God predestines and elects men and see the type of reaction you will encounter. Hoo-boy. There are only two religions of the world; free will and God's sovereignty in election. And not many believe in God's sovereignty any more.