Review: Russ Moore's "Adopted for Life", a Book to Change Lives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Theology is alive.\u00a0 It should be felt, not merely taught.\u00a0 It should reach into all areas of our lives, bringing light and health to them.\u00a0 The heft of\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thoughtlife\/2009\/06\/review-russ-moores-adopted-for-life-a-book-to-change-lives\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review: Russ Moore's "Adopted for Life", a Book to Change Lives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Theology is alive.\u00a0 It should be felt, not merely taught.\u00a0 It should reach into all areas of our lives, bringing light and health to them.\u00a0 The heft of\" \/>\n<meta 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{"id":1670,"date":"2009-06-11T19:40:34","date_gmt":"2009-06-11T19:40:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/owenstrachan.com\/?p=1670"},"modified":"2009-06-11T19:40:34","modified_gmt":"2009-06-11T19:40:34","slug":"review-russ-moores-adopted-for-life-a-book-to-change-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thoughtlife\/2009\/06\/review-russ-moores-adopted-for-life-a-book-to-change-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Russ Moore’s “Adopted for Life”, a Book to Change Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"adopted-for-life-\"$ Theology is alive.\u00a0 It should be felt, not merely taught.\u00a0 It should reach into all areas of our lives, bringing light and health to them.\u00a0 The heft of God\u2019s teaching transforms both the way we think and the way we live.<\/p>\n

Theologians who embody this kind of approach are rare (though increasing in number, I think).\u00a0 One who stands out is Russ Moore<\/a> of Southern Seminary<\/a> of Louisville, KY.\u00a0 A systematician, Moore has a capacious mind, a gift for wit and drama, and an imagination that grasps the significance of biblical truth.\u00a0 He is a pastor-theologian, simultaneously the Dean of the world\u2019s largest seminary and a Teaching Pastor at Highview Baptist Church<\/a> in Louisville.\u00a0 He is a proud and loving father of four.<\/p>\n

Recently, Moore authored the book Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches<\/em><\/a> (Crossway, 2009).\u00a0 The book comes highly recommended\u2013no less than sixteen scholars and leaders endorse the book, including such luminaries as Robby George, Chuck Colson, Al Mohler, and John MacArthur.\u00a0 The diversity of this group alone shows the respect Moore draws from the broader Christian community.<\/p>\n

The text itself is full of passion, biblical theology, and humor.\u00a0 It is not a straight theology of adoption, a personal reflection on adoption, or a handbook on the rudiments of the adoption process.\u00a0 It is a mixture of all three.\u00a0 As a result, the text simultaneously teaches, edifies, provokes, and moves the reader. Though a text that purports to cover adoption, it ends up covering much more, and stands in my mind as something of a mini-biblical theology of salvation.<\/p>\n

I cannot commend the book highly enough.\u00a0 In the face of numerous heartbreaking miscarriages, Moore and his wife Maria traveled to Russia to adopt two boys some years ago, the story that provides the backbone of the text.\u00a0 After beginning with this personal touch, Moore proceeds to cover theological and practical aspects of adoption in midrash-like chapters that set the matter in cosmic perspective.\u00a0 Adopted for Life <\/em>is a good title, though The Drama of Adoption<\/em> might also have captured the spirit of the text.<\/p>\n

Many Christians are catching a heart for adoption.\u00a0 This is a most welcome trend.\u00a0 I am quite sure that those who are on the fence about adoption will, after reading this powerful book, find themselves irresistibly drawn to contributing to the cause in some way.\u00a0 The image painted by Moore of his first visit to the Russian orphanage where his sons lay in darkness and filth is indelibly printed in my mind.\u00a0 It will be in yours, too, and with the rest of the book, it will drive you to pray and to work to contribute to the culture of gospel-centered adoption as an application of the theological doctrine.<\/p>\n

I am deeply thankful for this unique and engrossing book.\u00a0 It is not often that a text incites one to want to thank an author for it.\u00a0 But I am grateful to Russ Moore for Adopted for Life<\/em><\/a>, and also to Justin Taylor and Crossway Books for pushing this project (and living it out in Justin\u2019s case).\u00a0 I agree with Al Mohler\u2019s assessment of it: \u201cone of the most compelling books I have ever read.\u201d<\/p>\n

In orphanages across the world, children languish, unwanted, unnoticed, unheard.\u00a0 Their lives have no purpose or beauty.\u00a0 Most of them will suffer through childhood and go on to an early death, fizzling out like comets in a sky that nobody sees.\u00a0 It is my hope and prayer that the book will go far and wide, spreading a culture of adoption in Christian churches, causing families to abandon ordinary, easy, low-cost, low-reward Christianity and drive them instead to take on the challenge of adoption.\u00a0 Whether fertile or infertile, rich or poor, all who live wisely and generously can in some way participate in this outworking of biblical theology.<\/p>\n

May we not allow these children to languish and pass away.\u00a0 May we embrace a culture of life that is costly and full of grace.\u00a0 May we spend less on ourselves and more on missions and missional adoption.\u00a0 Let us join the Moores, my own parents, and countless others who have acted on a vision for adoption and make our way into darkened, decrepit orphanages across this earth, bringing light to the abandoned just as Jesus Christ our Lord has brought it to us.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"