The history of adoption in Reformed churches (The olden days were not always golden)
Prof. Barry Gritters traces the historical development of Reformed churches' attitudes toward adoption, particularly examining how older generations questioned whether adopted children were covenant children eligible for baptism. Drawing on debates from the Synod of Dort through the CRC's 1908-1910 synodical study, the article celebrates how contemporary Reformed practice now affirms adoption as a blessing while acknowledging the troubling theological objections of previous eras.
Prof. Barrett Gritters, professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary and member of Hudsonville PRC Christians may be very thankful that the church's views on adoption today are not what they were only few generations ago. Today, adoption is common, familiar, expected, celebrated, and a cause for great rejoicing. There are domestic adoptions, foreign adoptions, and adoptions by families of relatives. A congregation without children by adoption is rare. Let's...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org