I’ve been reflecting on our recently completed adoption (see last post), I have been trying to think through the reasons as to why the number of families seeking to adopt is so that my own family’s process went so quickly.  This has been especially perplexing to me because of the number of good, solid Evangelical churches and Christians that are sitting on the sidelines, doing nothing.  After concluding my unscientific, speculative pondering – I’ve come up with this list.

1.  Ignorance – I think one of the major hurdles people are facing with adoption, and the need to adopt, is that they simply don’t know.  They don’t know of the need.  They don’t know about the process.  They don’t know where to start.  They don’t know what the Bible teaches about adoption.  In the information age, ignorance is no defense.  Open your Bible and start reading.  Get on your Google machine and start searching.  The information is there.  The need is real.  The Biblical mandate is clear.

2.  Fear – This has got to be one of the major reasons holding people back.  I would say if you have no fear of the unknown, then you are probably not human.  The adoption process can be scary.  There’s mounds of paperwork to fill out, a homestudy to go through, questions about birth parents to think about, and, for most people, a sizable amount of money to raise to pay for all of the expenses.  I think any normal person would feel a bit of trepidation look at all of this on the front end of adoption.  But, I would argue here as well, fear is no defense for Christians and churches to do nothing.  As Christians, Paul reminds Timothy (and us) that God did not give us a spirit of fear so fear should not hold be holding us back from obeying God’s call to adopt.

3.  Selfishness – I don’t think it’s unfair to say that as products of the fall people have some sort of selfish tendencies that show up from time to time.  I know for certain that’s the case with me.  I think this can apply especially to adoption for families that already have biological children, adding more can really put a crimp in your plans and your schedule and your bank account.  Adoptions can be very expensive, whether adopting internationally or domestically.  Not to mention the emotional, spiritual, and financial investment that parents will have to make to raise the child to adulthood after bringing him home.  It can make you tired just contemplating it.  But,as Mark Driscoll has recently pointed out, kids are a glorious inconvenience.  I’m not saying that every Christian couple is called to adopt, or to have a large family of biological children for that matter, but I am saying, it needs to be considered.  The numbers of orphans and children in foster care would indicate that too few Christians consider adoption and too few of our Churches encourage them to do so.

4.  Finances – I alluded to this earlier, but finances are a big reason a lot Christians don’t adopt or don’t think they can adopt.  An international adoption can cost between $30k – $40k and domestic adoptions can run into thousands of dollars.  While a family might be able to easily afford the expense of caring for an additional child in the family, coming up with this kind of money initially can be daunting.  While raising this amount of money is not easy, when God calls you to something, He will provide for you to accomplish it.  There are great sources for funding your adoption.  There are interest free loans from Abba Fund and grants from places like Lifesong,  Show Hope, and my own personal favorite – Families Outreach.  Plus, many churches, though not nearly enough, have adoption funds to help there members and you would be surprised how many people want to help when they learn you going to adopt (don’t be prideful – let them).  While it’s hard to raise the money, it’s not insurmountable.  God does not always call us to easy things and we shouldn’t let the difficulty of the task deter us from obedience.

5.  Prejudice – This should not have to be included in the list of reasons that Christian couples do not adopt but, sadly, it is the reality of the situation.  I am not strictly speaking of racism, though that is part of it, but a general prejudicial mindset.  It might be that you’re prejudiced to your own DNA and think you would be unable to fully love a child who did not posess your genetic material.  It might be you’re prejudiced about the child’s background and don’t think you could love a child who’s birth mother was in prison or who was a product of rape.  Or it might be you think it would be “unfair” to your current family or the adoptive child to have a transracial family.  As one of my seminary professors would say, this is a lie straight from the pit of hell.  There is no room for this sort of prejudice among Christians.  Spiritually, as followers of Christ, we have been adopted and this adoption is full and complete.  And, despite our sordid backgrounds and pedigrees, God has made us full sons and heirs with Christ our brother.  Prejudice can never be an excuse for not adopting.  If this is the unspoken hurdle holding you and your spouse from adopting, repent and move forward.

This is definitely not an exhaustive list and I don’t expect everyone to agree with me on each one,  but I do think each of these points have merit.  As the family of Christ, let’s work hard to remove these (and all) obstacles that are holding back couples from adopting.  For those who aren’t called to adopt, let’s help those who are.  It’s a serious issue, it’s a pressing issue, and it’s a gospel issue.  Let’s get to work.