It’s been more than a year that I began work as Newsweek’s religion correspondent and in June, I got to post a story on the difficulties that the evangelical adoption movement has encountered. I thought up the headline: Evangelical Christian Adoption Movement Hit by “Tsunami” of Mentally Ill Children, because, well, it’s true. If you have not already, you can read the story here.
It begins:
Chrissy Shelton, of Longview, Washington, comforts her son, Jonah, during his stay at a state institution for special needs youth in Lakewood, Washington
For years, evangelical Christians were enthusiastic supporters of adoption by sponsoring conferences, targeting adoption-friendly Sundays and staging adoption fairs in parish halls.
Thousands of overseas children got new homes. Leading the way were evangelical luminaries such as recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman (three daughters from China) and then-Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore (two sons from Russia). Enthusiastic parents took up the challenge, traveling overseas for one or more children, even adopting special needs kids whose home countries were not interested in their care.
More than a decade after this movement peaked, many families who went overseas are in crisis mode: respite weekends are booked through 2023, there is an annual Christian conference devoted to burned-out parents, and a new documentary has been released on desperate families who have extremely ill children. Parents now say that the churches that encouraged them to adopt in the first place aren’t there for them now.
Few statistics exist on the number of adoptions gone wrong, other than a 10-year-old study by the US Department of Health and Human Services reporting “adoption disruptions” ranging from 10-25 percent. This little-known statistic points to a meltdown in the industry and a sign that adoption and foster care have become a landmine for many families who believed God had called them to help these children.
No one told them there could be an aftermath. Here are some of their stories…
Anyway, the story has gotten more than 26,000 hits and lots of grateful comments from folks who feel their voices were never heard. My one complaint is that the “Unseen” documentary that I refer to in my story is not available for viewing. I’ve not gotten to see it but I’m sure it tells the real truth about caring for disabled kids and how their parents are left in the lurch for a lifetime. I just spent time with a friend whose son has needs similar to that of my daughter plus there are other kids involved; she told me that she and her husband haven’t had a getaway vacation together for 17-some years. And that what they had 17 years ago was their honeymoon, which lasted all of three days.
So I, who complain if I don’t get some time off every few months, have endured very little compared with her. I wish somehow I could help give this friend a break.
By the way, the photo with this post is courtesy of Chrissy Shelton, whose son was in residential care about the same time my daughter was. We shared a lot of conversations and prayers. Many of my friends in the Seattle area are in the mental health community; as parents, we seek comfort from each other.
Single Christians Adopting 