I think we do believe the same thing we just say it different. The idea of election doesn't violate the "why" of the Gospel, it confirms it. What was the first NT promise about Jesus. Matthew 1:21 "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
Zechariah 8:6-8 "Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts?7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country,8 and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness."
John 11:50-53 "Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad."
John 6:35-40 "Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father, gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
There are lots more, but we can understand that there was/is a plan for Christ's death. As you said He doesn't randomly chose some for hell and other for heaven. The latter is by His will and purpose, He doesn't chose anyone to hell, they've made that decision on their own.
John 3:18-20 "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed."
We can chose evil because we are "anyone who practices sin is a slaves to sin" John 8:34. We are in bondage to it, yet we love it and hate Jesus because of it. It's interesting how He died for all people, yet His death is to save His (the) people. I look back and see that I was understanding Romans 8:28-30 the way it was written, but when I asked my pastor at the time. He said no it doesn't mean that, it mean God foreseen if you would respond in faith, to the Gospel. Since he was a pastor and had been a Christian long than me, I thought he has to be right, but it always brother me about foreseen faith being forced into the word "foreknowledge" and "foreknew". Then one day teaching through the book of Romans when I got to that part, I tried to say it was because of foreseen faith and I started stumbling on my words and had a sense that I was lying. That set me on a quest to study sin, our nature and how God viewed us and it wasn't pretty.
God Bless Brother nice fish, ain't those only in Hawaii?
