Faced with the choice of making God out to be either a softie or a monster, she chose the kindhearted God. Later, I thought about it and realized there’s a third choice: Tell the whole story (always a good idea) and acknowledge the tension. God has to punish. He also loves to save. The flood is one of the many places where God’s justice and mercy come together. So teach it something like the following: LESSON: Noah and the flood What problem/tension is left unsettled in this passage? God must punish sin but also loves to save. At the end he promises not to destroy the world again—but what will
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