Reclaiming Adoption

Missional Living Through the Rediscovery of Abba Father

By: John Piper, Scotty Smith, Dan Cruver, Dan Cruver - editor, Richard D. Phillips

Narrated by: Jason Younger

Length: 3 hrs

Publisher's summary

One of the ambitious dreams that Reclaiming Adoption and its authors share with the Apostle Paul is that when Christians hear the word adoption, they will think first about their adoption by God. As it now stands, Christians usually think first about the adoption of children.

Reclaiming Adoption sets out to change this situation by providing breathtaking views of God's love for and delight in His children - views that will free you to live boldly in this world from God's acceptance, not in order to gain it.

Reclaiming Adoption begins by examining Jesus' Parable of the Prodigal Son because it ultimately puts God the Father’s love on display - a love that embraces the younger son with uninhibited joy (Luke 15:20) and goes out to entreat the self-righteous older son to come join the celebration (Luke 15:28). The book is premised on the belief that behind the Parable of the Prodigal Son(s) is Scripture’s teaching on adoption. The story of the Bible is that God the Father sent his only true and eternal Son on a mission, and that mission was to bring many wayward and rebellious sons home to glory (Hebrews 2:10) in order to adopt them into His family.

That is the Story behind the story of the Prodigal Sons. It is the only story that gives our stories any meaning or significance.

Dan Cruver and his co-authors are convinced that if Christians learn to first think about their adoption by God, and only then about the adoption of children, they will enjoy deeper communion with the God who is love, and experience greater missional engagement with the pain and suffering of this world. That’s what this book is about. What the orphan, the stranger, and the marginalized in our world need most is churches that are filled with Christians who live daily in the reality of God’s delight in them.

©2010 Dan Cruver, John Piper, Scotty Smith, Richard D. Phillips, Jason Kovacs (P)2011 christianaudio.com

Identity-shifting Joy and Gratitude

I was familiar with the term ‘adoption’ as used in reference to God’s redeeming work for mankind but I didn’t realize what a strong, overarching and very repetitive theme it is. This reading has deepened my identity relative to God. I have a new and even deeper gratitude and joy that I have been brought in as one of His own, accepted into His family, and to top it all off…with all the privileges of His Only Son! This topic brings to mind that the Hawaiian culture has a practice of ‘adoption’ called “hānai”whereby anyone, at any age, who needs support and care can be claimed into a family or clan and thus belongs and is cared for and cherished and identified as one of the family. It is God’s way and His will that we live this out to the glory of his name.

Understanding Depth of Adoption

Powerful reframing of seeing ourselves as all adoptive children out of his grace and mercy, which wonderfully woke up a part of me and feel more secure and close to God.

Excellent heart preparation for adoption of child

While this is an excellent book for any believer to read, as it discusses primarily God's adoption of us and the significance of that, it is also a excellent book for those considering adoption of a child. It's content will help believers know how and why they can move forward with such a radical decision as adoption, with joy and faith.