On September 5, 2024, China officially announced adjustments to its international adoption policy. Moving forward, except for foreign nationals adopting children who are direct relatives within three generations or stepchildren, the country will no longer send children abroad for adoption. According to statistics, since the Adoption Law legalized international adoptions in 1992, over 160,000 Chinese children have been adopted by foreign families.
With international adoptions largely halted (except in special circumstances), what will happen to orphans who remain unadopted? In response to this question, Brother Fan, a leader of a related ministry in southern China, believes that many Chinese people, including Christians, have long harbored deep misunderstandings about adoption. He asserts that the church has a responsibility to promote an adoption culture among believers.
Widespread Misconceptions About Adoption
Many foreigners come to China to adopt abandoned children, many of whom have disabilities. While deeply moved by their compassion, Fan is puzzled: why do so few Chinese Christians adopt children?
At the time, Fan was young and new to the church, and he struggled to make sense of this observation. He came to realize later that “adoption” is considered a disgrace in Chinese culture. In China, when a couple adopts a child, it is often assumed they are unable to have children of their own—a condition viewed as a significant issue.
Furthermore, traditional Chinese beliefs hold that the relationship between adoptive parents and adopted children is unreliable and unstable, always at risk of breaking down. It makes many adoptive parents concerned that one day their child will discover their origins and leave to search for their biological parents. Alternatively, the biological parents might reappear and demand the child’s return. In such scenarios, adoptive parents find themselves in a dilemma.
Fan explained that these views are not unique to China but are pervasive throughout the East Asian culture. Under the influence of these traditional views, adoption is often seen as a source of shame and is considered only as a last resort. When adopting, families often hide the child’s origins. In traditional Chinese society, adoption in the modern sense was rare. Most adoptions were guoji (succession adoption), which primarily took place among blood relatives.
Cultural Prejudice Against Adoption Has Even Influenced Chinese Bible Translations
Traditional Chinese cultural views on adoption have left a mark on the translation of the Bible into Chinese.
In versions like the Chinese Union Version and the Chinese Contemporary Bible, the term adoption is notably absent. However, the original biblical texts, as well as many English translations, frequently use the word adoption. Historically, due to Chinese cultural aversion to the concept of adoption, translators chose an alternative expression: “being granted the status of sonship.”
In traditional Chinese thought, adopted children lacked formal status, whereas true adoption, in its proper sense, conferred legitimate status. This status includes inheritance rights, recognition as a member of the family, inclusion in genealogical records, and a voice in family decisions. However, in the past, many adopted children in China were denied such status or granted only partial rights. For example, only in rare cases were adopted children allowed inheritance rights, and even then, their shares were significantly smaller than those of biological heirs. Additionally, adopted children were often excluded from family genealogies and ancestral halls. This was a significant issue for many Chinese people in the past and remains so today.
Against this backdrop, if missionaries 100 years ago had said, “God loves you, so He is willing to adopt you,” it might have been perceived as an insult. Such a statement would imply that the individual was an orphan—an unwanted child—a notion deeply offensive in that cultural context. At the time, adoption carried negative connotations, whereas “being granted the status of sonship” was a more acceptable and respectful expression.
Christians Need to Understand the Biblical Perspective on Adoption
In traditional Chinese culture, adoption is often viewed as a disgrace. However, in Christian theology, adoption is considered a noble and loving act. Fan emphasizes the need for people to reshape their understanding of adoption and regain a proper perspective. Most importantly, the church and Christians must cultivate a biblical view of adoption.
Fan explains that every Christian becomes a child of God through His act of adoption. First, our relationship with God is one of adoption. Ephesians states: “In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:4–5, NIV). The original text means precisely, “He predestined us to be adopted by God.” Secondly, God adopts us not because He needs children, but because humanity needs a home. Spiritually speaking, every person is an orphan in need of a family. Lastly, God’s adoption came at a great cost. He paid the ultimate price by giving His one and only Son, Jesus. In making us His children, God bore the full cost, adopting us unconditionally.
Only by understanding God’s love can we extend love to orphans and abandoned children. Scripture says, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19, NIV). God’s love is an adoptive love. We may help a homeless person by giving them money, food, or clothes. We may love a sinner by sharing the gospel and helping them leave a life of sin. But would we welcome them into our family? Fan asks, “Would we make them family members?” The answer is no for most people because human love is temporary and limited.
No family willingly chooses to give birth to a child with disabilities; even biological parents often struggle in such situations. How much less likely, then, are adoptive parents to embrace children with disabilities who are not their flesh and blood? "But that’s exactly what God did," Fan indicates, "He adopted us—sick, disabled, and unloved. That’s the biblical view of adoption."
He contrasts the Old and New Testament eras, summarizing that the Old Testament was the age of the Law, while the New Testament is the age of the Gospel. For example, an employer may tolerate a difficult employee, but if that person were family, it would change everything. This shift reflects the relational difference between the Old and New Testaments. The Apostle Paul repeatedly emphasizes that the Spirit you receive does not make you slaves. Rather, the Spirit you received brings about your adoption to sonship.
In ancient times, adoption often meant taking in a child as a servant—someone who lived in fear of being abandoned or sold if they failed to meet expectations. In contrast, God’s adoption is rooted in love and unconditional acceptance. Without understanding God’s adoptive love, we cannot hope to renew our perspective on adoption or find the strength to love the unlovable.
The Chinese Church Should Be the Guardian of Ethical Values
Fan has high hopes for the Chinese Church. In today’s world, traditional values are crumbling across the globe. Amid this trend, few groups are actively committed to safeguarding moral principles. “Can the Chinese Church become the guardian of moral values?” Fan asks. “We must rise to this responsibility—it is an undeniable duty of the Chinese Church to stand firm in upholding ethical values.”
In the first century, Christians endured severe persecution under the Roman Empire, yet many adopted abandoned Roman babies. At a time when Rome was marked by moral decay and incapable of establishing a public ethical order, the Church and Christians stepped forward. Their compassionate actions, such as adopting abandoned infants, bore witness to society and set a powerful example.
Today, the Church shows similar signs of function. For example, in recent years, some non-Christians have joined churches seeking life partners because the broader community is rife with confusion and falsehoods about marriage. Although the Church has its share of diverse individuals, people still expect that Christians are different.
Can the Church embody a new public moral order? Can it establish consensus on basic ethics, such as the nature of marriage and the roles of husbands and wives? For a community to develop a healthy structure, families must first achieve that health. Yet, contemporary notions of family are deeply confused, making it difficult to reach a consensus. The more disordered society becomes, the greater the need for the Church and Christians to take action.
- Edited by Katherine Guo, translated by J. C.
2024年9月5日，中国正式宣布调整跨国收养政策，今后除外国人来华收养三代以内旁系同辈血亲的子女和继子女外，不再向国外送养儿童。根据相关统计，自从1992年中国颁布的《收养法》确定了外国收养合法化之后，这些年来一共有超过16万中国儿童被外国收养。
除特殊情况外的国际收养被叫停，因为各种原因无人收养的孤儿们该怎么办？对此，南方一个相关事工的负责人范弟兄认为，很多中国人包括基督徒群体长期以来对收养存在严重误解，教会有责任向信徒倡导收养文化。
很多人对收养行为存在严重误解
很多外国人来中国收养弃婴，其中不少孩子有各种残疾。范弟兄一方面非常感动，一方面也困惑，为什么中国的教会没有多少基督徒收养孩子？
那时候范弟兄还很年轻且初入教会，对这种现象困惑不解。后来他才了解到“收养”在中国文化里是一个不光彩的事情。在中国，一对夫妻收养孩子，在他人看来通常意味着他们自己不能生，这被认为是个很大的问题。其次，在中国人的传统认知里，父母和收养的孩子的关系是不可靠、不稳定的，随时有可能破裂。很多收养家庭的夫妻担心某一天孩子知道了自己的身世，会离开他们寻找亲生父母。或者哪天孩子的亲生父母找过来，把孩子要回去。一旦发生这种情况，养父母就陷入进退两难的处境。
范弟兄说，其实不止是中国人，整个东亚文化圈都有这样的传统观念。在这种收养观念的影响下，收养被看为一件羞耻的事，不到万不得已人们不考虑收养孩子，收养了往往也不会让孩子知道自己的身世。在传统的中国社会，现代意义上的收养行为非常罕见，很多收养其实是过继，更多是血亲之间的过继。
对收养行为的偏见甚至影响了中文圣经的翻译
传统中国文化中的收养观念甚至影响了中文圣经的翻译。
在和合本圣经、现代圣经译本等版本的中文圣经里，找不到“收养”(adopt)这个词。但在圣经原文以及英文版的圣经里，“收养”出现了很多次。中国人不喜欢“收养”这个词，所以在翻译中文圣经的时候换了另一种表达，叫做“得儿子的名分”。在中国人的传统观念里，被收养的人没有名分，但真正意义上的收养是有名分的。
有名分，首先意味着有继承权；其次意味着孩子被认可为家里人，可以上族谱，家里的事情也有发言权。但以前那些在中国被收养的孩子，他们没有名分或者名分不完全。比如在继承权上，只有少数一些地方被收养的孩子有继承权，而且份额比亲生的、有血缘的孩子少得多。他们也不能进族谱，没有资格进祠堂，而这对以前甚至现在的很多中国人来说都是非常要命的一件事情。
在这样的背景下，如果传教士在100多年前说，“上帝爱你，所以上帝愿意收养你”，这相当于在骂人。意思是说，他是个孤儿、没人要的孩子，这种言辞是很大的羞辱。在那个时候“收养”不是一个好词，“得儿子的名分”是一个好词。
基督徒需要认识圣经的收养观
在中国传统文化中，收养是一种羞耻的行为；但在基督教信仰中，收养是一种高尚的行为。范弟兄认为人们需要更新对收养的认识，建立正确的收养观念。重中之重是教会和基督徒要认识圣经的收养观。
范弟兄说，每一个基督徒都是被上帝收养得以成为上帝的儿女。
首先，上帝和我们的关系是收养与被收养的关系。以弗所书说，“又因爱我们，就按着自己意旨所喜悦的，预定我们藉着耶稣基督得儿子的名分。”“预定我们（藉着耶稣基督）得儿子的名分”圣经原文的意思就是“预定我们被上帝收养了”。
第二，上帝的收养我们，不是上帝需要孩子，而是人需要一个家。每一个人在属灵的光景当中都是孤儿。
第三，上帝的收养是他先付了代价，以舍弃祂自己的独生爱子耶稣为代价收养了我们。在我们成为上帝的儿女的这个过程中，上帝付了所有代价，无条件地收养了我们。
我们只有先知道上帝的爱，才能去爱那些孤儿和弃婴。圣书说，不是我们爱上帝，而是上帝先爱了我们。上帝的爱是一种收养的爱。我们或许可以爱流浪汉，给他钱、食物、衣服；可以爱罪人，给他传福音，帮助他从罪里面走出来。这些都是爱。“但是，我会不会让他们成为我的家庭成员？”范弟兄问。答案是几乎不可能，因为我们的爱是暂时的、有限的。任何一个家庭都不愿意生下有残疾的孩子，亲生父母的心尚且这样，更不用说收养那些非亲生的、有残疾的孩子。“但上帝就是这样，收养了有病的、残疾的、没有人爱的我们，这是圣经的收养观，”范弟兄说。
范弟兄对比了旧约和新约两个时代，概括来讲，旧约是律法时代，新约是福音时代。举例来说，就算一个人再糟糕，他若只是我的员工，就还可以接受。如果他是我的家人，性质就完全不一样了。这就是新旧约时代关系的差异，所以保罗反复说，我们所受的不是奴仆的心，而是儿子的心。
古代很多所谓收养就是从外面捡了一个孩子，只当他是家里的奴仆，他的内心也充满惧怕，做不好就可能被丢弃、卖掉。但我们被上帝收养，是被他所爱、无条件的接纳。如果我们不知道所得到的是收养的爱，自然无法更新收养观念，也没有力量爱那些不可爱的孩子们。
中国教会应当成为正确价值观的坚守者
范弟兄对中国教会有很大的期待。当今时代，传统价值观不断崩塌，全世界都是如此。在这种趋势下，很少有某个群体，一起守护某种道德价值观。“中国教会能不能成为道德观念、价值观的守护者？”，范弟兄说。“我们必须站出来，坚守正确的价值观是中国教会义不容辞的责任。”
一世纪时期，基督徒遭受着罗马帝国严重的逼迫，但很多基督徒收养了罗马人的弃婴。当时罗马帝国道德观念败坏，罗马人很难建议一个广泛的公共道德秩序。这个时候，教会和基督徒却站了出来。他们因为积极收养弃婴这样的好行为得到了社会的见证。
今天在教会里也有一些类似的迹象。比如近些年来，一些非基督徒为了找对象进入教会。因为在婚姻问题上，社会上存在太多乱象、太多错误的东西。其实教会里也有各式各样的人，但人们至少有这种期待，认为基督徒是不一样的。
那么教会能不能活出一种新的公共道德秩序，在一些基本的伦理上建立共识，比如婚姻应该是什么样子，丈夫、妻子各自是怎样的角色。社会要想有健康的结构，首先家庭要成为健康的家庭。如今整个社会对家庭的认知非常混乱，人们很难建立共识。越是这样的时候，越是需要教会和基督徒行动起来的时候。
对话｜南方一事工负责人：中国基督徒需消除对收养的误解，中国教会需倡导收养文化——书琴，这篇可以做周二的头条
On September 5, 2024, China officially announced adjustments to its international adoption policy. Moving forward, except for foreign nationals adopting children who are direct relatives within three generations or stepchildren, the country will no longer send children abroad for adoption. According to statistics, since the Adoption Law legalized international adoptions in 1992, over 160,000 Chinese children have been adopted by foreign families.
With international adoptions largely halted (except in special circumstances), what will happen to orphans who remain unadopted? In response to this question, Brother Fan, a leader of a related ministry in southern China, believes that many Chinese people, including Christians, have long harbored deep misunderstandings about adoption. He asserts that the church has a responsibility to promote an adoption culture among believers.
Widespread Misconceptions About Adoption
Many foreigners come to China to adopt abandoned children, many of whom have disabilities. While deeply moved by their compassion, Fan is puzzled: why do so few Chinese Christians adopt children?
At the time, Fan was young and new to the church, and he struggled to make sense of this observation. He came to realize later that “adoption” is considered a disgrace in Chinese culture. In China, when a couple adopts a child, it is often assumed they are unable to have children of their own—a condition viewed as a significant issue.
Furthermore, traditional Chinese beliefs hold that the relationship between adoptive parents and adopted children is unreliable and unstable, always at risk of breaking down. It makes many adoptive parents concerned that one day their child will discover their origins and leave to search for their biological parents. Alternatively, the biological parents might reappear and demand the child’s return. In such scenarios, adoptive parents find themselves in a dilemma.
Fan explained that these views are not unique to China but are pervasive throughout the East Asian culture. Under the influence of these traditional views, adoption is often seen as a source of shame and is considered only as a last resort. When adopting, families often hide the child’s origins. In traditional Chinese society, adoption in the modern sense was rare. Most adoptions were guoji (succession adoption), which primarily took place among blood relatives.
Cultural Prejudice Against Adoption Has Even Influenced Chinese Bible Translations
Traditional Chinese cultural views on adoption have left a mark on the translation of the Bible into Chinese.
In versions like the Chinese Union Version and the Chinese Contemporary Bible, the term adoption is notably absent. However, the original biblical texts, as well as many English translations, frequently use the word adoption. Historically, due to Chinese cultural aversion to the concept of adoption, translators chose an alternative expression: “being granted the status of sonship.”
In traditional Chinese thought, adopted children lacked formal status, whereas true adoption, in its proper sense, conferred legitimate status. This status includes inheritance rights, recognition as a member of the family, inclusion in genealogical records, and a voice in family decisions. However, in the past, many adopted children in China were denied such status or granted only partial rights. For example, only in rare cases were adopted children allowed inheritance rights, and even then, their shares were significantly smaller than those of biological heirs. Additionally, adopted children were often excluded from family genealogies and ancestral halls. This was a significant issue for many Chinese people in the past and remains so today.
Against this backdrop, if missionaries 100 years ago had said, “God loves you, so He is willing to adopt you,” it might have been perceived as an insult. Such a statement would imply that the individual was an orphan—an unwanted child—a notion deeply offensive in that cultural context. At the time, adoption carried negative connotations, whereas “being granted the status of sonship” was a more acceptable and respectful expression.
Christians Need to Understand the Biblical Perspective on Adoption
In traditional Chinese culture, adoption is often viewed as a disgrace. However, in Christian theology, adoption is considered a noble and loving act. Fan emphasizes the need for people to reshape their understanding of adoption and regain a proper perspective. Most importantly, the church and Christians must cultivate a biblical view of adoption.
Fan explains that every Christian becomes a child of God through His act of adoption. First, our relationship with God is one of adoption. Ephesians states: “In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:4–5, NIV). The original text means precisely, “He predestined us to be adopted by God.” Secondly, God adopts us not because He needs children, but because humanity needs a home. Spiritually speaking, every person is an orphan in need of a family. Lastly, God’s adoption came at a great cost. He paid the ultimate price by giving His one and only Son, Jesus. In making us His children, God bore the full cost, adopting us unconditionally.
Only by understanding God’s love can we extend love to orphans and abandoned children. Scripture says, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19, NIV). God’s love is an adoptive love. We may help a homeless person by giving them money, food, or clothes. We may love a sinner by sharing the gospel and helping them leave a life of sin. But would we welcome them into our family? Fan asks, “Would we make them family members?” The answer is no for most people because human love is temporary and limited.
No family willingly chooses to give birth to a child with disabilities; even biological parents often struggle in such situations. How much less likely, then, are adoptive parents to embrace children with disabilities who are not their flesh and blood? "But that’s exactly what God did," Fan indicates, "He adopted us—sick, disabled, and unloved. That’s the biblical view of adoption."
He contrasts the Old and New Testament eras, summarizing that the Old Testament was the age of the Law, while the New Testament is the age of the Gospel. For example, an employer may tolerate a difficult employee, but if that person were family, it would change everything. This shift reflects the relational difference between the Old and New Testaments. The Apostle Paul repeatedly emphasizes that the Spirit you receive does not make you slaves. Rather, the Spirit you received brings about your adoption to sonship.
In ancient times, adoption often meant taking in a child as a servant—someone who lived in fear of being abandoned or sold if they failed to meet expectations. In contrast, God’s adoption is rooted in love and unconditional acceptance. Without understanding God’s adoptive love, we cannot hope to renew our perspective on adoption or find the strength to love the unlovable.
The Chinese Church Should Be the Guardian of Ethical Values
Fan has high hopes for the Chinese Church. In today’s world, traditional values are crumbling across the globe. Amid this trend, few groups are actively committed to safeguarding moral principles. “Can the Chinese Church become the guardian of moral values?” Fan asks. “We must rise to this responsibility—it is an undeniable duty of the Chinese Church to stand firm in upholding ethical values.”
In the first century, Christians endured severe persecution under the Roman Empire, yet many adopted abandoned Roman babies. At a time when Rome was marked by moral decay and incapable of establishing a public ethical order, the Church and Christians stepped forward. Their compassionate actions, such as adopting abandoned infants, bore witness to society and set a powerful example.
Today, the Church shows similar signs of function. For example, in recent years, some non-Christians have joined churches seeking life partners because the broader community is rife with confusion and falsehoods about marriage. Although the Church has its share of diverse individuals, people still expect that Christians are different.
Can the Church embody a new public moral order? Can it establish consensus on basic ethics, such as the nature of marriage and the roles of husbands and wives? For a community to develop a healthy structure, families must first achieve that health. Yet, contemporary notions of family are deeply confused, making it difficult to reach a consensus. The more disordered society becomes, the greater the need for the Church and Christians to take action.
- Edited by Katherine Guo, translated by J. C.
Ministry Leader: Chinese Christians Need to Rethink Adoption, Churches Should Promote Adoption Culture
