Adopted, by Kelley Nikondeha

Kelley Nikondeha, an adoptee and an adoptive mother, tells her story of adoption and offers reflections on adoption in the aptly named Adopted:The Sacrament of Belonging in a Fractured World.  Adoption is not only a lifestyle choice for families and individuals, but is reflective of our relationship with God and the body of Christ.  In the biblical message, "we belong by believing, not by biology."  Paul writes of our adoption as sons and daughters, which Nikondeha ties to the Greco-Roman view of adoption, through which the elite would "secure succession, legacy, and inheritance."

Nikondeha explores a theological view of adoption, interwoven with her own family's experiences and, more broadly, adoption as the rescue of orphans and growth of a family.  Adoption speaks to the larger body, as a testimony of inclusion.  "Adoption isn't only for or about orphans.  Adoption is about enacting shalom for all of us."  The question to ask in adoption is "How might we best contribute to God's shalom initiative?  We have in common the biblical imperative to increase the well-being not only of our families, but of our communities."

Adopted has moments of inspiration and insight, although it felt at times like a stream of consciousness.  Rather than read it straight through, it might be better enjoyed, at least by me, in little chunks.  I just didn't enjoy her style.  Though she wandered far astray from what most of us normally think about when we think about adoption, she inspired me to think more broadly about my own family's adoption experience and to expand my view of family.  Like Nikondeha and her family, who have experienced chronic illness, loss, and redemption, my family, "so full of redemption, yearns for more.  We live between the now and the not yet of resurrection."  Adopted will give you something to think about and pray about.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!