Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously asserted. While that might not always be true, a frank examination might quell some of your fears. Today on Home School Heartbeat, author Russell Moore joins host Mike Smith with one application of this.

Bonus Interview Segments with Mary Ostyn and Dr. Russell Moore

Click the links to hear extra, online-only interview segments with our guests from the two weeks of this series on adoption, homeschooling mother Mary Ostyn, and author Russell Moore.

Mary Ostyn Interview >>
Russell Moore Interview >>

Mike Smith:
Dr. Moore, as you talk with many families who are considering adoption, or maybe putting off considering it, what are some fears—some common fears or barriers—these families encounter, and how would you address them?

Dr. Russell Moore:
Well, I think the number one fear that most people have is, can I really love a child that I’ve adopted the way that I would love a child who is mine biologically? And I think that the answer to that is the gospel! You have already experienced that by being brought into a family that’s not made up of flesh and blood, it’s made up of something stronger and more powerful, which is the Spirit! And so, when a child is adopted into a home, just as when we’re adopted into the family of God, that’s a real family! You really are father, mother, brother, sister in that household.

The second fear I think is, a lot of people wonder about the risk, and they wonder about all of the backgrounds that might be present in a child who’s been adopted or fostered. And the simple answer to that is, love involves risk! And so if you’re not willing to risk, and to love those who have been hurt in some way, then not only should you not adopt or foster, you shouldn’t get married, or have children at all, or be in any kind of human relationship, because they all entail risk. But it’s worth it.

Mike:
Well Dr. Moore, that’s very helpful, and I know our listeners will appreciate that. We’ll wrap up next time with some broader considerations on how everyone can support adoption. And until then, I’m Mike Smith.