October 21, 2011

Yes, My Son will be BLACK

I didn't expect any less when we announced our decision to adopt a child from Ethiopia.  The questions from family and other concerned acquaintances began pouring in, overwhelming me with statements and accusations that downright shocked me.  I want to directly address some of the concerns that have been presented to us regarding our future multi racial family.


1. God separated us into different nations. Why are you going against that in building your family?


Yes, that is true. God did divide the nations to speak different languages.  He did this to prevent future unified opposition to Him. Genesis 11:1-8 talks about the Tower of Babel where the people united to build a tower as high as the heavens.  This displeased the Lord so He confused them by giving them different languages. This prevented them from being united in building the tower.


We are not bringing a child of a different nationality into our family in order to create opposition with God. We are choosing for our family to be multi-ethnic in order to bring glory to God and be more pleasing to Him.




2. If you adopt a black baby, will you be okay with Kipton marrying a black girl or Kade marrying a white girl?


YES! Despite us living in the south and the cultural mindset being that interracial relationships between blacks and whites is wrong, that way of thinking is not biblical.


God did not forbid marriage based upon skin color or nations, but He forbid marriage between a believer and an unbeliever. It's true, God did forbid the Israelites from marrying other races, but if you study scripture the reason for this was not color, but that the marriages would cause the Isrealites to turn away from the one true God. (2 Corinthians 6:14, 1 Corinthians 7:39, Joshua 23: 6-13 and Ezra 9:1-2, 10-14)


Scripture does not forbid interracial marriage, only interreligious marriage.


Examples of Interracial Marriage in the Bible:
-Moses married a Midianite woman. No where in scripture does God condemn Moses for the wife he chose, even though she was likely BLACK! In Numbers 12, Zipporah was described as an ETHIOPIAN woman. She was a "Cushite". Habakkuk 3:7 shows "Cushan" was an archaic term for "Midianite" (the heritage of Moses' wife).


-Boaz, son of a Canaanite woman (Rahab), married Ruth, a Moabite.


-Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, was the former wife to Uriah the Hittite.


Example of Interracial Adoption in the Bible:
-Moses was floated down the river in a basket by his birth mother only to be adopted by an Egyptian woman.




3. Why Africa? Why don't you adopt from China or Russia etc?


Each time I have heard this question or statements that are similar, it really breaks my heart. The real issue that people are having with our adoption is not that we are going to become a multi-racial family, it's that we will have a black son. Peoples perception on the the black skin color is so skewed. In the end I realize that it's not that they look down upon adopting, it's that they look down on one race. As Christians, we are called to love others and be Christlike. Well, let me tell you, Christ does not see skin color. "God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" 1 Samuel 16:7


As a child, my grandma sang a song to me that can be very relatable in this situation.
Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.
Red & Yellow, BLACK & WHITE, they are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.


Please search your heart and really question why you have the beliefs you have regarding race? I challenge you to give those thoughts to God. Look to his word as the foundation for your beliefs, not to the ideas, culture and racism of men.




3 comments:

  1. i love this post. and you guys are so awesome for wanting to be apart of something bigger than yourselves! God has big plans for you guys and i am praying for yall!!

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  3. I just found your family on craigslist while looking through the yard sales. I commend you! I will keep you in my thoughts and my prayers will be with you through out this process and after. From what I have read, your family encompasses the true meaning of what being a christian is! I am so excited for you and I don't even know you! I love the fact that I found your blog!
    Peace be with you!
    Cara aka Barney

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