"If you're going to adopt, why don't you just adopt a white baby?" Even deeper than that question is the reasoning behind it. What they often really mean is "Maybe if you adopt a white baby, people might think she's really yours." "Won't this make your life easier?" "As your friend (family member, co-worker, etc.) wouldn't that make my life easier?" Or it's just as possible that they think it's flat out wrong.
By the world's standards, these questions and thoughts make all the sense in the world. After all, our very sin nature pulls us to identify ourselves according to the flesh. The secular world has also given us a variety of studies on this topic.
One Study conducted recently attempted to discourage
transracial adoption finding that although "
transracial adoption itself does not produce psychological or other social problems in children," black children adopted into white families "often face major challenges as the only person of color in an all-white environment, trying to cope with being different."
The world loves these studies, because the world has a natural instinct to separate each of us according to the flesh. You know who else loves these studies? Christians who vale their hostility and insecurity with a pretense of care and love for these orphans who might face these "major challenges." "It's just not fair to the the child," you might hear them say. Are we too so infatuated with the flesh that we believe that a white orphan is better off living her life, motherless and fatherless, in an orphanage than to be adopted into a loving black family (or vice
versa)? Are these "major challenges" too great of an obstacle for the reality of the gospel?
I am completely aware that there is some validity to these findings, and I know that a black child with white parents faces unique challenges and circumstances that most of us can never relate to. There is no doubt that white parents who choose to adopt a black baby must educate and prepare themselves to the reality of our racially-charged world. And I think it is irresponsible and abhorrent to adopt a child of another race simply to show off your
uber-charity and your "I'm saving the world" persona. Adopting a child, especially one of another race, is a huge deal, and it should not be taken lightly or without much prayer and discernment. However,
James 1:27 doesn't say that pure, undefiled religion is to visit orphans
of your own color in their affliction.
Psalm 82:3 doesn't say, Give justice to the weak and the fatherless
of your own color.
Some will say, "it's just not right" or "back in my day," or "it's just the way I was raised," or "it's just not natural," etc., etc. All unacceptable excuses without a trace of biblical foundation or truth. Sin is sin regardless of what decade it originated in. And even if that's what the world believed back then and continues to believe today, scripture instructs us not to be conformed to the ways and thoughts of the world.
Scripture tells us that as sons and daughters of God, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (
Gal. 3:28) And even if the world doesn't get this, we as Christians must. No matter what color you may be, if you have placed your faith in Christ, then you have been trans-racially adopted into the family of God. No matter what color of skin we have, we now stand as brothers and sisters sharing the same Father.
Russell Moore is is the Dean of the School of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the teaching pastor at
Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, KY. Moore is a strong adoption advocate and recently wrote a book called "
Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches." In the book, Moore discusses at length the fact that many of the people who show the most disfavor to inter-racial adoption claim to be Christians. Moore says that these Christians "seem not to comprehend that their own devotion to their flesh would disqualify non-Semitic folks like them from the promise of God. If Jesus (a Middle Eastern, Galilean Jew) agreed with them on adoption and race, they'd be in hell....Our love for neighbor means we must prioritize the need for families for the fatherless, regardless of how their skin colors or languages line up with one another."
Finally, Moore says, "don't fear
transracial adoption, whatever the racist relatives or 'progressive' experts say.
There'll always be secularists -- and sadly, some church people too -- who will try to divide us up into neat categories of race and class. Jesus does the opposite, though. He sits us right down at the same table and feeds us bread and wine -- together."
So, why Ethiopia? First, why not? We are adopting a
parentless orphan who needs a family. Her skin happens to be pretty dark. Secondly, God's providence has led us to Ethiopia. Lindsey especially has had a heart for the people of Africa for as long as she can remember. Coming from a small town, this is hard to explain apart from a supernatural conviction from God. Thirdly, we are surrounded by a church that supports and loves us, and our child will be embraced and loved as well. Fourth, we are called to international missions in one form or another. Fifth, we don't really know. In the previous post, I explained why we felt convicted to adopt. By God's grace, this journey has led us to Ethiopia, and we've embraced it.
Here's a short video from
Russell Moore:
