"Orphans, adoption and Fuling China: a fresh look at James 1:27" has been revised. In it I argue that James' reference to "visiting orphans in their affliction" can ultimately be understood as a call to adoption. This is not to say that no other kind of visiting orphans is legitimate or real. Orphans have very real needs that must be met whether they are ultimately adopted or not. My point is simply that if visiting orphans in their affliction ultimately involves removing them from it, then adoption is what we must pursue, whether by assisting other families as they pursue adoption or adopting ourselves.
"Orphans, adoption and Fuling China: a fresh look at James 1:27"
I saw that you interviewed Sherrie Eldridge... please take her comments to heart about the impact of adoption on the child. I grant that your program is theoretically trying to reach those children that are indeed "orphans"... however, many of the children that wind up in orphanages are not really orphans at all, but temporarily placed there.
There is also a great deal of deception and abuse involved... here I'm referring to the mom's. Part of the ministry that can be seen to arise from James' Letter is one which discriminates each situation and really identifies those children who really have no other recourse except adoption. In some instances... or perhaps again this is a further examination of the ministry... the children should be preferentially adopted locally. Perhaps one can locate local families to adopt the child. International adoptions, as I think you are learning, have more complex character than local ones... and transracial implications are indeed real. In some instances, perhaps help can be offered the mom (or family) to enable them to keep the child.
Thanks. I hope you can spread it arnuod I hope that adoptive parents take more of a role in supporting civil and human rights for adults that were adopted as children.
Susan I have to comment! You did an ontstandiug job capturing all the love and happiness that was going on. Your photo's are fun and heart warming. Your blog had me sitting and reading through tears,Loved it! I'm so glad you and Nicole were able to pull this off. Oh yea and again welcome to the family.We have some pretty cool parents!!!The older sissta,Vicki