What in the world is God doing? And what does religion have to do with it? I know it may sound a little strange to ask, but asking strange questions is sometimes what teachers do.

Man is very prolific in religion-building. But, very often, his religions have very little to do with what God is doing. So, we’ve been looking around in the Book of Genesis for some clues—as I imagine he runs a little deeper than we may first expect.

First, a question: who is this we’re dealing with? His name is not God, you know. God is what he is, not who he is. The word God has been used so much, made its way into our language in so many different ways, that we have to take care to be sure what we’re talking about. Here, in the beginning of the Bible, what are the names God is called by—and what do they mean to us today?