Transracial Adopting
One way that we put our Faith In Action is through adoption. But let’s be honest and admit that many of us have an abundant of excuses as to why we would never consider adoption. These excuses range from fear, money, to lack of knowledge.
Maybe you are just uncomfortable with transracial adoption. Or maybe you are just outright opposed to transracial adoption.
If so, here is an excellent interview with Thabati Anyabwhile on the issue or transracial adoption. It is a must read on the Carolina Hope Adoption blog. Here is a snippet from the interview…
4. Some people, for any number of reasons, are uncomfortable with the idea of transracial adoption. Other people, because of their views on race, are outright opposed to the idea of transracial adoption; they believe that adoption across ethnic lines should not be practiced. How might the Bible speak to these concerns?
Well, I think it depends on the nature of the discomfort or opposition. If the discomfort or opposition is grounded in some assumption that “races” are unequal or that “races” should remain segregated in family and social relationships, I think the Bible rebukes and corrects that kind of thinking in several ways. First, it’s clear that there is only one “race” of man, all descended from our original parents Adam and Eve (Gen. 2; Acts 17:26). There is no biblical basis for discomfort or opposition based on racial attitudes. Second, the alienation that sometimes stirs opposition to transracial adoption is really a spiritual problem. It’s a product of the Fall of man into sin. The cure for that problem is saving faith in Jesus Christ, wherein man is first reconciled to God and then reconciled to other men. So, for Christians in particular, those who are adopted into the family of God through faith in Christ, opposition to transracial adoption is tantamount to denying the work of Christ on the cross.
But there may also be discomfort or opposition not based on racial attitudes but some prudential concerns. Some may wonder if they are sufficiently equipped to parent across culture and ethnicity. Others may worry about the tension or conflict they may experience. There we have to remember that we are not called to love only in the convenient places and situations. We’re called to a radical love, one that mirrors the love of God for broken sinners. And the end of such love is unspeakable joy. For the joy set before Him, Jesus Christ endured the inconvenient and uncomfortable agony of the cross to redeem a people who were hostile toward Him. Adoption across ethnic lines may be one of the best pictures of that radical Christ-like love we have available to us today. So, “prudential” concerns that awaken discomfort aren’t finally sufficient reason to refuse or oppose such adoptions.
Make sure to read the entire interview.
Posted in Adoption

September 20th, 2007 at 6:22 am
[…] Many thanks to the following blogs for linking to my interview with Thabiti Anyabwile over at from hope to reality: Desiring God Between Two Worlds The Littleton Family Tim Challies Adoptive Dads Expanding the Albertsons Provocations & Pantings In Light of the Gospel Serve Holly Springs […]