When you are a child you see your parents rather one-dimensionally. They are the forces in your life that set boundaries by giving you both permission and roadblocks. You love them dearly but, you also only know one aspect of the them--who they are as your parents. Their primary responsibility in your childhood is to make sure you grow up well. They protect you, guide you, and teach you which, at times feels unfair and rather constrictive. But, when you get older your view of your parents shifts a bit. They don't have to be your guide anymore, instead they can become your friend and, as a result, you see a different side of them. That doesn't mean the side of them that corrects and sets boundaries ceases to exist, its function is simply no longer necessary.
The same is true of God. God doesn't change but, we do. If we can for a moment get out of our individual view of the world and see ourselves as part of a larger humanity, that is the "we" of which I speak. I really appreciate this same perspective, with different illustrations, being offered by Brian McClaren in "A New Kind of Christianity". The recognition that theology evolves throughout the Scriptures is a hard one for many to grasp but, it is undeniably true. We change, we grow, and so have people throughout time--the very people that wrote the Scriptures. Something to chew on.
