Book Review: Adopted for Life

It has been quite a while since my last blog post. I do not intend to bore you with irrational excuses on why I haven't been blogging lately and I will not make false promises of blogging more in the future. I do intend to write on here when it is possible, as I am now. With that said, I only found it fitting that my first post in a while would be another book review. But before I get started, allow me to chase a small rabbit trail.

Read. I ask you and I challenge you. First, read your Bible. You cannot live a Christian life without reading from direct revelation that God has given specifically to you. If you do not read anything else, read God's Holy Word. Second, read Christian literature. My advice, and it is exactly that, take it or leave it, would be to stray away from shallow overly-popular Christian Literature. Instead read works that have been tested by time. Read something by Schaeffer, Lewis, Augustine, Bunyan, etc. It is highly beneficial to your Christian life to expand both your intellectual horizons, which in turn can allow you to follow God commandments more fully.

Now back to the subject at hand: Russel Moore's book Adopted for Life. Now you are probably asking yourself: why is Chris, a unmarried, poor, undergrad pastoral student doing reading a book on adoption. Better yet some of you may be wondering if this book is about theological adoption; us as believers being 'grafted' into the body of Christ through Christ's death, or is it about adopting a child into your family? My answer to the latter question: Both. Moore does a terrific job in this book melding theological adoption with physical adoption in a way that helped me understand the gospel better then I ever have before. He quoted scripture after scripture (all in context) explaining how we are orphans, children of the devil, that have been adopted into the family of God as heirs to throne.

This was a moving book. In the same way that Eric Ludy's book The Bravehearted Gospel urged me to get up and charge the gates of hell, Moore's book brought me to the verge of tears. He explained thoroughly how beneficial it would to cultivate a spirit of adoption among the body of Christ. He emphasized the importance of the gospel in adoption and how we can truly show Christ's love in the adoption of unwanted children.

I recommend this book to everyone. Whether you are thinking about adoption, have thought about it, or could care less, I beg you to read this book. Moore is passionate about this worthy cause, and all I ask is that you listen.