L.A. Times Reporter Blasts Adoption & Orphan Care Summit

Today’s L.A. Times published an article by Stephanie Simon titled, “Christian groups launch adoption campaign.”  The gist of the article is that the “religious right” is moving from its “narrow focus on abortion, homosexuality and pornography as un-Christian” and is now jumping on the adoption bandwagon.

Simon is referring to the Adoption and Orphan Care Summit III, jointly hosted by FamilyLife, Shaohannah’s Hope, Focus on the Family, and other organizations. I attended this conference Wednesday through Friday of last week.

Did Simon and I attend the same conference, I wonder? In her article, Simon seems bent on casting “conservative” Christians in a bad light (big surprise, huh?). She describes the speakers’ “political overtones,” citing that several speakers mentioned “an urgent need to settle children in Christian homes that have ‘both a mommy and a daddy’ — an implicit rebuke of same-sex parenting.”

Give me a break. I think that most people—including single parents—would agree that an ideal situation for a child to be in (particularly a child who has lived in an orphanage or in foster care), is a healthy, two-parent family.

I sat through every single speaker, every presentation, and as many workshops as I could attend. Not once did I hear a rebuke—implicit or otherwise—of either single parenting or same-sex parenting. While I know that the organizations in charge of the conference do oppose same-sex parenting, the issue was not discussed. It was not even hinted at. The “implicit rebuke” that Simon assumes she heard was entirely of her own invention.

What I heard—numerous times, in fact—was an admonishment to “leave your egos and your logos at the door” (The L.A. Times reporter apparently overlooked that advice). And surprisingly, people did leave their egos and their logos behind. On the last day of the conference, as I was eating lunch at a round table with eight other people I’d never met before, someone remarked, “You know, not once have I heard anyone mention what church they attend.”

I pondered that statement and realized it was true. I couldn’t tell you whether a single person I met was from a “conservative” church, a “liberal” church, a mainline denomination, or whatever. I couldn’t tell you whether they were right-wingers, left-wingers, or moderates. I couldn’t tell you whether they “discipline their children with switches” (as Simon suggests that anyone who would dare set foot in Focus on the Family’s headquarters must do).

What I can tell you is that over 80 percent of the 350+ attendees are adoptive parents from all over the United States, from all walks of life. Over 100 church and para-church organizations were represented. Most of those organizations are run by volunteer lay people. A sprinkling of pastors attended, as well as representatives from several adoption agencies and humanitarian organizations.

The focus of the conference was not on “evangelizing orphans” (as Simon reported). Rather, the challenge was something Christians and non-Christians agree on:

There are 115,000 children in the U.S. who are legally free for adoption. There are over 150,000 million orphans around the world. What are you going to do about it?

Through the centuries, the body of Christ (i.e., Christians working together—laying aside their agendas and their differing theologies) have been key instruments in facilitating positive social change. Only when Christians work together to address the orphan crisis will significant steps be taken to mitigate it.

Sadly, the majority of orphans around the world will never be adopted. How will the Christian community play a role in providing aid to orphans? How will we deal with the AIDS crisis that leaves so many children orphaned? How will we help families in third- and fourth-world countries become self-sustaining?

It’s a huge challenge—a challenge that the L.A. Times reporter, in her quest to criticize the so-called “conservative” church movement—never picked up on.

Lest you assume that I am one of those “whacko right-wingers” who enthusiastically nods in agreement with everything my pastor tells me to think, I must inform you that I approached this conference with a healthy dose of skepticism.

My “logo” is as follows:

• I am a member of a mainline denomination.
• I am politically moderate and independent (I vote for the person who I think will do the best job, rather than along party lines, which drives both Democrats and Republicans crazy).
• I send my children to public school.
• I shop indiscriminately at Wal-Mart and Nordstrom.
• I write professionally for both “secular” and Christian publications.
• I don’t beat my children with a switch, and I have been known to yell at them.
• I adopted my kids, not so much out of a desire to rescue “orphans,” as out of a desire to become a parent.
• My kids aren't even "orphans." They have birth families who are alive and well and who love them. They were healthy newborns when they came to live with us. We have an open adoption with their birth families.

So for me, stepping onto the Focus on the Family campus—the bastion of conservative Christianity—was a leap of faith. I discovered a bunch of well-educated, extraordinarily intelligent, passionate people who care about children. Not so threatening after all.

If the L.A. Times reporter had listened—really listened—and checked her ego and her logo at the door, I think she would have made the same discovery as I did.

Tomorrow, I’ll share what Rick Warren really said in his keynote speech, and I'll attempt to cut through all the crap (can Christians say "crap"?) that  Stephanie Simon spewed in her article.

Related posts:
Adoption & Orphan Care Summit: Day 1 Report
'When Love Takes You In' by Steven Curtis Chapman

For more info about adoption, please visit www.laurachristianson.com.
For great books about adoption, visit my Exploring Adoption bookstore.

Comments

[Aimee']

I've been waiting to hear about your trip to the Summit. I find this post so interesting and well said. What Focus on the Family, FamilyLife, Stephen Curtis Chapman, and others are doing comes from a pure heart! They are mirroring our Father's heart: to care for orphans. Period. God is on the move and Christians are responding to that call! Praise God!!

[Tom Davis]

Your post is right on target. Some folks simply have 'a bone to pick' and can't see any good because of their biases. This was a great event designed to help the least of these in a selfless way.

[Jenn Doucette]

Whoohooo - you go girl! Considering the fact that the conference focused so much on unity of purpose, it doesn't really surprise me to see it attacked by the media so quickly.

Thanks for reporting the facts and keeping us united.

[Becky B]

GREAT post and thanks for the TRUTH!!! I love that organization and what they are doing to promote adoption - we NEED that!!!

[Esther]

I'm so glad you went to the Summit. Our current adoption agency was supposed to be there....

Best wishes, Esther

[Erin]

I read your article about the Adoption and Orphan Care Summitt. My husband and I are the proud parents of two children, ages 4 and 18 months, that were adopted in the United States. I am responding to the piece in the article, "what are you going to do about it?". We would love to adopt another child, but with both of us being teachers, the cost of adoption keeps us from doing so. Was there any discussion at the Summit about programs that will help families fund adoptions?

[Laura Christianson]

Erin,

In answer to your question, most of the presentations were general "awareness-building," but various grant and loan programs were discussed, particularly during the "breakout" workshop times.

I also picked up literature from several organizations that provide adoption assistance. When I get some time, I'll write a post about what I learned about those organizations.

[:: Suzanne ::]

Thank you for sharing the summit with us.

[:: Suzanne ::]

Just wanted to let you know that the Adoption BlogPost RoundUp round-up is up!