How Adoption is Exploited to Legitimize Christian Ministry: The Dark Side of the Evangelical Orphan Movement
In recent years, the evangelical orphan movement has gained significant traction, positioning itself as a noble cause rooted in the Christian values of compassion and service. The movement calls on believers to “save” orphans, framing adoption as an act of obedience to God and a means to expand the Christian community. But beneath this veneer of altruism lies a disturbing reality: adoption, in this context, often serves as a tool to legitimize Christian ministry, complete families for Westerners, and ultimately, to increase followers of the faith. The tragic truth is that these “orphans” often already have families—families who are torn apart in the process, leaving a trail of brokenness that goes largely unnoticed.
The Orphan Ornaments: Tools of a Larger Agenda
When we hear the term “orphan,” we imagine a child who has lost both parents, left alone in the world with no one to care for them. The evangelical orphan movement capitalizes on this image, using it to pull at the heartstrings of potential adoptive parents. The reality, however, is much more complex. Many of these so-called “orphans” are not actually without families. They have parents and extended family members who love them but who are struggling to survive in impoverished conditions.
For the evangelical community, these children are often seen not as individuals with their own identities and rights but as “orphan ornaments”—symbols to showcase the church’s commitment to God’s work. By adopting these children, evangelical families believe they are fulfilling a divine mandate while simultaneously enhancing their own spiritual resumes. But the question arises: at what cost?
The Tactics: How Vulnerable Families Are Exploited
To understand the full scope of the problem, we must examine the strategies used by those within the evangelical orphan movement and international adoption agencies. These tactics often involve false advertising and deceit. Children are labeled as orphans, even when they have living parents. Adoption agencies, motivated by financial gain and the desire to supply the demand from Western countries, actively participate in this deceit.
In many cases, children are taken from poor mothers and fathers who are struggling to make ends meet. These parents are often misled into believing that placing their child in an orphanage is a temporary measure, a way to ensure their child receives food and education. What they don’t realize is that these orphanages are often just waystations on the path to international adoption. Once a child is placed in an orphanage, they are advertised on adoption agency websites and catalogs, labeled as orphans available for adoption.
The Consequences: Broken Families and Societal Collapse
The impact on the families left behind is devastating. In many cultures, children are considered a form of social security—a means for parents to be cared for in their old age. When children are taken away, the entire family structure is compromised, leading to a breakdown in society. The removal of children from their families and communities not only inflicts emotional trauma but also destabilizes the very fabric of those communities.
Moreover, when these children are taken away to foreign countries, often to complete the families of white, middle-class Christians, they are stripped of their cultural identity and heritage. They become pawns in a larger agenda, one that prioritizes the growth of the Christian church over the well-being of the child.
The Perfect Crime: Denial and Deception in International Adoption
One of the most insidious aspects of this issue is the plausible deniability built into the system. When confronted with evidence that a child was kidnapped or wrongfully taken from their family, adoption agencies and evangelical organizations often plead ignorance. They claim they were unaware of the child’s true background, effectively washing their hands of responsibility.
This allows the evangelical orphan movement and international adoption industry to continue their practices largely unchecked, perpetuating a cycle of exploitation and suffering. The combination of religious zeal, financial incentives, and a lack of oversight creates the perfect environment for what can only be described as the perfect crime.
Rethinking the Evangelical Approach to Orphan Care
It’s time for the evangelical community to take a hard look at the real impact of their actions. Adoption should not be used as a tool to legitimize ministry or to fulfill a perceived religious duty at the expense of vulnerable families. The evangelical orphan movement, as it currently stands, often causes more harm than good, tearing apart families and disrupting societies in the process.
If Christians truly wish to follow the teachings of Jesus, they must prioritize the preservation of families, not their destruction. This means supporting families in their own communities, advocating for better living conditions, and ensuring that children remain with their families whenever possible. It’s time to stop using orphans as ornaments to decorate our spiritual lives and start seeing them for what they truly are: children who deserve to grow up with their families, in their own cultures, and with their identities intact.
Inspired by AdoptionHistory.org
