There's a lot of talk in the blogosphere right now on transracial adoption (see my side bar "Briefly Noted"). A new study just came out that apparently warns against it. Many secular social workers have thought this way for a long time. And regrettably, many church people do as well. Russell Moore presents what has been for us the compelling reasons to adopt transracially. What were we thinking when we did this?
1. "Right now, there are untold numbers of children, many of them racial minorities, languishing in the foster care system in the United States. Would the social workers really have us believe that it is better for an African-American child to grow up bounced from home to home in this bureaucratic limbo than to be a child to parents whose skin is paler than his?"
2. "But there's an even bigger issue here: the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel drives us away from our identity in the flesh, and toward a new identity, indeed a new family, defined by the Spirit."
This is what we were thinking. We wanted more children. The doctors said it was unwise for Kristin (a diabetic) to give birth to more children. We knew that many children here in the States need loving homes where they'll hear about Christ. We came to learn that there are 5 times as many adoptable, minority children as there are white children. Our hearts were moved at the realization of this need. And so our need (more children) and the children's need (a loving home) came together in God's providence.
2 comments:
Tim! So glad you posted on this. I read all about that study the other day, and I found it really strange that social workers of all people would want to make it more complicated for a child to be adopted out of foster care, especially given how dysfunctional a lot of the foster care system is. It made me want to call up and ask y'all what you thought about it. But now I know. So you are safe from having me interrupt your dinner. :)
Haley, you guys are never an interruption, especially when the subject is adoption!
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