adopt a beebe manifesto

8/7/2019 Adopt A Beebe Manifesto

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an adoption manifesto


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adopt.a.beebe: a manifesto

Here is an initial confession as to the rationale of this manifesto; my personality isone of probing big decisions, often asking why or how before asking theneeded but cautious so when do we start. There is a good chance that,whatever curiosities you might have about international adoption, those samecuriosities have already been filtered through my headsome with conclusionsand some left irresolute.

On the fascia, adoption sounds like a nice thing to do for someone who is in

need. International adoption typically elicits a response of ohwow, we havesome friends who did thatthats neat. Here is the problem, as one of the twodecision makers in a serious adoption discussion, we are not allowed thedistance of those two responses; this is life long, this is serious and this decisionhas no return policy.

This manifesto is not meant to unearth the emotional thoughts and feelings of ouradoption decision and process, but instead to spell out my interpretation of theBiblical idea of adoption and how it correlates to the reality of adding an alreadyexisting life to our family, and a family to a childs, our childs, life.


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Adoption Is Gods Normative

The Bible, emphatically the New Testament, is rich in adoptive language; thevolume of which testifies to its commonality within Gods Kingdom. Paul, anearly Apostle and author of many of the New Testament letters, utilizes vividfamilial language throughout including sons, heirs, children of God, sons of God,brother, Father, etc. The word adoption ( ) means to place as ason. Of course, many of the relationships that he speaks of in his various lettersto the Galatian, Ephesian, Roman and Corinthian Churches are not biological in

genesis, but adoptive; taking root post-birth requiring the choice to place as a sonor daughter.

How do we achieve this adoption or sonship? John says that to all who didreceive him, who believed in his name (him/his being Jesus Christ), he gave theright to become children of God (John 1:12). Paul says that being a child of Godis reserved for those who are being led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14). Theleading of the Holy Spirit is available to those who are not continuing to liveaccording to the flesh (Romans 8:13), which is to live under the influence ofsexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, witchcraft, enmity, strife,


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jealousy, angry fits, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgiesand things like these (Galatians 5:19-21).

It is interesting to think that a persons birth through the womb of a certainwoman does not guarantee him to be an eternal son/daughter of God, but thosewho identify themselves with God through the mediator, His son, Jesus (Romans9:7-8). God adopts us, so it is understandable that some will also share this likedesire since we are created in His image (Genesis 1:27).

Gods offer of adoption is something to celebrate loudly due to our lot prior to our

adoption. The Church in Galatia received a letter from Paul (Galatians 3:23-29)saying that prior to our becoming children of God, the personality-less andemotion-less law was our custodian; our guardian. While we appreciated theconfines of guardianship, this law was more prison than freedom. Theemergence of Christ (as human) affords us the opportunity to take the prisonkeys, open the door and walk out; for where the Lord is, there is freedom. It ishard not to be swallowed by emotion at the thought of a child who has beendeemed a confined life of emotional and sociological prison, to all of the sudden,and through no effort of her own, walk out into a world of freedom with a familywho desires to invest, lead, teach, train, develop and mobilize. That is the


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picture of God through Christ; namely, you were in prison, God offers the gift ofadoption through Jesus, followed by subsequent and ongoing investmentall

motivated by love, not by what you have done (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Adoption Is The Granting Of Full Rights, Responsibilities And Privileges

New Testament word pictures provide us the visual of the pre-adoptionexperience as slavery; that we might receive adoption to sonshipSo you areno longer a slave (Galatians 4:5b, 7a). Adoption was actually quite commonamong the surrounding Greco-Roman culture for a number of reasons, the least

of these as a means for the wealthy governmental bourgeois to perpetuate theirgenealogy, thus their power, through a son. If the boy would be made a son andcarried on the Fathers involvements, then the son would logically have had to becommissioned as fully son, not a hired sit-in.

It is a human invention to think of the adopted child as the lesser orsubsequent person in the order of family rank. Gods idea of adoption seemsnot to offer such system of ranking, instead providing all with the same access tolove, discipline, investment, relationship and inheritance


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that we might receive adoption to sonshipSo you are no longer aslave, but Gods child; and since you are his child, God has made you

also an heir. (Galatians 4)

John emphatically writes, Dear friends, now we are children of God, and whatwe will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christappears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. In as much is Jesusis Gods Son, so we, through adoption, have son-like access.

Many of historys enlightened leaders were adopted, and provided with full and

complete access to the family business,

Jesus of Nazareth adopted by Joseph (Marys Husband)

Moses, a Levitical Hebrew, adopted by Pharoahs (Egypts most powerfulleader) daughter

Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (Augustus Caesar) was adopted by hisGreat-Uncle Roman Emperor Julius Caear which led to a 200 year Roman

tradition of the Emperors attaining their position via adopted:o Tiberius

o Caligula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiberiushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligulahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiberiushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligula


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o Nero

o Trajan

o Hadriano Antoninus Pius

o Lucius Verus

Literally, there is no distinction between biological and non-biological, adoptedchildren immediately lose the tag adopted and become simply, childrenregardless of status or geneology.

What are the privileges and benefits of sonship?

Parental leadership (James 1)

Communication (Matthew 6:9)

No longer a slave to poverty (Galatians 4:7)

Care for daily needs (Matthew 6:32, 7:11)

Understanding (Psalm 103:13-14)

Inheritance (Galatians 4:7, Romans 4:17, 1 Peter 1:4

Discipline (Hebrews 12) Family members (Romans 1:13, 1 Corinthians 1:10)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoninus_Piushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Verushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoninus_Piushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Verus


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Mentors (Ephesians 5:1, 1 Peter 1:14-16)

Local andGlobal

Are there examples of human to human adoption in the Biblical narrative? Yes.Intra-racially, Jesus of Nazareth was adopted by Joseph who was engaged to,and eventually married Jesus mother Mary. Interracially, Moses was born at atime with there was a global mandate of infanticide by the Egyptian governmenton the heads of all Hebrew newborns. Moses birth-mother made a decision tocontinue with pregnancy, deliver the baby, and then give Moses up for an

anonymous, albeit bazaar, adoption process. One of Pharoahs daughtersbecame the adoptive mother; a poly-theistic Egyptian woman raising a mono-theistic Hebrew boy; an ironic pairing.

God himself is the adoptive Father of all people who choose to accept his offer,which is to posit that God is not simply the creator of all races, but has activelychosen, in spite of mans fall, to continue a relationship with all races withoutprejudice; the Arab, Israeli, Tajik, Nigerian, Peruvian and American (panta ethne all nations). The Bible states over and over that God is love; not that God is


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love to the Chileans, but not the Columbians or God is love to the dark skinned,but not the light skinned.

A Healthy Plan B

The original design of God was for humans, his creation, to be in directrelationship with him with no need of a mediator or savior. Likewise, the Plan Aof parenting a child is for the birth mother and father to work in partnership todevelop, train and lead their biological offspring.

Sin is the trump card that has been played to shift Plan A, thus requiring a PlanB. Each person is born into the world with a bent to do that which is contrary tothe nature of God, and soon act out their predisposition requiring an individualsalvation from the penalty payment that must be made in each case of personalirresponsibility; enter plan B. Our spiritual adoption process is not a year and ahalf worth of dossiers and paperwork, but rather an eternal decision of God tosend his own Son to pay penalty, through his sinless life and public murder, forour contrarian sin while dualistically offering life through himself; the adoption ofus as children of God, a wonderful Plan B.


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Continuity With Biblical Teaching

When following the various documentaries of Jesus in the gospels, his teachingsgive insight and consistency with the theology of adoption. Elements of adoptionseem to have a synergistic motivation with seeking and saving that which waslost, or to James charge of care of orphans and widows. Here is a sampling oftexts from the Bible as relates to caring for parent-less children along with the

complimentary ideal of theological adoption

In you the orphan finds mercy.

Hosea 14:3

Never take advantage of any widow or orphan. If you do and they cry out to me,

you can be sure that I will hear their cry.

Exodus 22:22-23


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For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did

not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of

adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."Romans 8:14-16

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a

woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that wemight receive the adoption as sons.

Galatians 4:4-6

You are the helper of the fatherless. LORD, You have heard the desire of the

humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do

justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may

oppress no more.Psalms 10:14,17-18

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring fororphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.James 1:27


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Father to the fatherless, defender of widows this is God, whose dwelling is

holy. God places the lonely in families.

Psalms 68:5-6

When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain fromyour field, dont go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and

widows. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.Deuteronomy 24:19

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause oforphans. Fight for the rights of widows.Isaiah 1:17


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Final Thoughts

God consumes a consistent amount of scriptural real estate to highlight theopportunity we have to provide care for children whose only available options are

abandonment, fostering or institutionalization (this in now way equates thoseoptions). As for our family in particular, God has activated the adoptive desire

inside of our hearts collectively, first for Nigeria, and now for a child, so that, inthe words of one of our children, our table will be full.

So, may our table be full and may Gods Kingdom be lauded among the nations,through the mystery of adoption.

adopt a beebe manifesto

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