Stories in the Bible present pictures of God that can be confusing, but author Russell Stannard shows young people how apparent inconsistencies in descriptions of God in the Bible stories are merely people from different places and times getting to know God better. In the same way as people's understanding of the world has changed and improved over time (through science), so their ideas and understanding of God have changed and developed. Through a re-telling of Bible stories, Stannard illustrates the expanding image of God from the days in which people believed in lots of "cruel, fierce and blood-thirsty" gods, to the times of Moses, Saul, and David, "the most important king the Israelites were ever to have. . . . H e loved the Lord so much he was always making up hymns. These songs were so good, people still sing them today (you can find them in the Bible in the books of Psalms)." Imbedded in the stories are additional valuable lessons, like those gleaned from the prophets Elijah, Hosea, Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Most of the prophets never wanted to be prophets in the first place. It meant having to speak up in front of lots of people. "I'm no good at that sort of thing, " they would complain to the Lord. "Can't you send someone else instead? I'm sure they'd do a better job." For many centuries, people thought their picture of God was complete: God had nothing more to reveal and people knew what there was to know. Today as science unveils the birth of new stars and planets, it is clear that God continues to create and people continue to learn more about Him. By showing the progression of knowledge from biblical days to the present, The Curious History of God helps childrenexpand their own understanding of God.
