If we think God isn’t compassionate and forgiving in the Old Testament, we haven’t read about his patience with the Israelites. And if we think he isn’t demanding and warlike in the New Testament, we’ve missed some of Jesus’s most pointed teaching—not to mention the book of Revelation. We’ve also been blind to the uncompromising violence of the cross.

Klumpenhower, Jack. Show Them Jesus: Teaching the Gospel to Kids. New Growth Press, 2014.