Book Review: Adopted for Life by Russell Moore

One might think that, based on the title, this book is meant only for families considering adoption.  If so, think again!  While adoption is something Patrick and I are only vaguely considering at this point, reading Moore's book has changed my perspective not only on adoption itself but on our adoption into the family of God.  And that is what makes this a book for any Christian, whether they are thinking about adoption or not.  "Adoption is not just about couples who want children-or who want more children.  Adoption is about an entire culture within our churches, a culture that sees adoption as part of our Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself." (P. 19)

Moore begins the book by explaining our spiritual adoption.  For Christians, prior to finding salvation in Christ, we were orphans.  We were lost.  We were unloveable and unwanted.  We were enemies of God.  But then Jesus came on the scene and welcomed us into the family of God.  Through his sacrifice He made it possible for us to receive an inheritance of eternal life.  The salvation of Christ is the ultimate picture of what adoption really means.  To this point Moore says, "None of us like to think we were adopted.  We assume we're natural-born children, with a right to all of this grace, to all of this glory... We're ashamed to think of ourselves as adopted, because to do so would focus our minds on the gory truth that all of us in Christ, like my sons, once were lost but now we're found, once were strangers and now we're children, once were slaves and now we're heirs."  (P. 31)


The clear explanation of our adoption by God makes it easy to see why caring for orphans should be such a priority for Christians.  Moore calls for an attitude adjustment when it comes to adoption.  He says there needs to be a shift in the whole culture of our churches to be one which embraces and encourages adoption.  It makes sense that when we see more adopted children in the pews next to us that adoption itself becomes less strange or intimidating.  "Once children are seen as a blessing, and once adoption doesn't seem strange or exotic, an adoption culture tends to flourish in gospel-anchored churches." (P. 172)

One of my favorite parts of the book was one chapter in which Moore describes part of his own family's experience in adopting their two little boys from Russia.  He describes the scene as they drive away from the orphanage where the boys were reaching back to it and crying.  They didn't understand the goodness that awaited them in their new life.  Moore equates this with how often Christians are tempted to turn back to the old life because we have difficulty seeing the goodness of our heavenly father.  "We don't believe that our new Father will feed us so we hang on to our scraps and long for the regimented schedules of the orphanage from which we've come.  And when our Father pushes us along to new tastes, we pout that he's not good to us.  But he's readying us for glory, preparing us to take our place on thrones as heirs."  (P. 50)

The second half of the book goes into more detail on the adoption process and some questions that adoptive parents may have.  Moore also discusses the importance of the church in being a supporter of adoption and the way the gospel is seen in adoption.  "The gospel welcomes us and receives us as loved children.  The gospel disciplines us and prepares us for eternity as heirs.  The gospel speaks truth to us and shows us our misery in Adam and our glory in Christ.  The gospel shows us that we were born into death and then show us, by free grace, that we're adopted for life."  (P. 214)

Adopted for Life is an incredible book, and I would highly recommend it to anyone, even if adoption is the farthest thing from your mind.  Moore's book will encourage you to live out the gospel not only through adoption but by supporting families that adopt and welcoming adopted children into the family of God.



A few more quotes from the book:

"When we adopt --and when we encourage a culture of adoption in our churches and communities-- we're picturing something that's true about our God.  We, like Jesus, see what our Father is doing and do likewise.  And what our Father is doing, it turns out, is fighting for orphans, making them sons and daughters."  (P. 73)


"It's true that adoption isn't "natural."  We have adoptions because we live in a world groaning under the curse of sin and death.  Fathers abandon mothers.  Mothers get pregnant without marriage.  Parents are killed.  Disease ravages villages.  It was not so from the beginning.  The hard questions about adoption --and the easy ones too-- are only with us because something's gone with the world." (P. 165)


"The Bible reminds us that not many of us "were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth." (1 Cor 1:26)  So why did God choose to save us, to pursue us with the gospel in the first place?  It's all due, simply, to what the Scriptures call his "good pleasure."  (P. 195)