Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2018

Through our justification by grace, a radical rags-to-riches story emerges — orphans transform into heirs. Our new birthright through adoption awaits us in heaven as we trade dying, sin-infected jars of clay for resurrected, glorious bodies. Altogether, adoption should matter to us because adoption matters to God. Through adoption we fulfill the Bible’s command to care for orphans and illustrate God’s plan of salvation. Adoption demonstrates true and undefiled religion. Through the planning, cost, and sometimes pain of adoption, we learn more about the divine love expressed in our spiritual adoption. These reasons should cause everyone to consider adopting or supporting adoption. Those who cannot adopt can help single moms or children with absentee fathers understand the love of our “Abba! Father.” The day for the finalization of our adoption came. Anxiously, I realized the judge could ask anything he wished. Surprisingly, the judge pontificated on the permanency of adoption. He stressed the finality of his signature, stating, “You cannot undo it. You cannot turn back the clock. After this, you cannot change your mind. Like it or not, until Rachel becomes 18 years of age, she is your responsibility. Do you understand?” The devilish little boy in me emerged as I responded, “Well, that is the point of adoption isn’t it?” Realizing the seriousness of the judge, I quickly clarified, “Yes, I understand and gladly accept the responsibility, your Honor.” Later that day it dawned on me that my theological understanding of adoption had affected my cultural understanding. I always understood the permanency of adoption because I understand that spiritual adoption grants eternal security. We often express it as “once saved; always saved.” Yet we live in a world where everything from Cabbage Patch dolls to hampsters can be “adopted” and then abandoned at a whim. We must regain the theological understanding of the permanency of unconditional love and adoption for life. We must continue to practice true and undefiled religion by supporting foster care and adoption as James commands. Spiritually, adoption accompanies justification and guarantees sanctification and glorification. Just as my spiritual adoption as a son of God will never be revoked once finalized, this judge communicated that Rachel’s adoption would not be revoked once finalized. That day through a courtroom exchange, my appreciation for the theology of adoption grew deeper. I realized more than ever that adoption is at the heart of the Gospel. Thomas White became Cedarville’s 10th President in 2013. He earned his Ph.D. in systematic theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author and editor of numerous publications, including First Freedom: The Beginning and End of Religious Freedom (B&H Academic). Cedarville Magazine | 7 CU WOMEN SUPPORT FOSTER CHILDREN WITH “SWEET CASES” Last November, CU Women, an organization made up of female faculty, staff, and friends of Cedarville University, partnered with foster support organization Together We Rise to provide duffel bags, also called “Sweet Cases,” for children in foster care. The group far exceeded its initial goal of $500, finishing their campaign with more than $1,800 raised. That money supplied 67 bags to 67 foster care children. CUWomen filled Thomas and Joy White’s home with the duffels, where they were decorated and filled with gifts. Together We Rise collaborates with community partners to bring resources to foster children, such as “Sweet Cases,” which give foster children a duffel bag loaded with a few supplies, a Bible, and a teddy bear. Many foster children have only a trash bag to carry their belongings. Mary McCulley, Assistant Professor of English, suggested the idea of a service component to CU Women. She saw it as a way to live out their focus on James 1:27, which calls Christians to look after widows and orphans. Within a week of the fundraiser being announced in October 2017, their goal of $500 was almost met, so CU Women raised the goal to $1,000. In a matter of days, that goal was met as well. When the campaign ended, they had raised almost four times their initial goal. “I am thankful that so many people see this need,” said McCulley. “We wanted to include people outside of the CU Women organization in this fundraiser to create connections and allow students and others to serve the community.” After they were assembled, the bags were donated to the Bair Foundation, a faith-based foster and adoption agency in Dayton, Ohio.