The Bible has many positive things to say about adoption in general, but it universally condemns homosexuality as an immoral and unnatural sin against God. The modern practice of gay/lesbian/homosexual adoption is not mentioned in Scripture, but the homosexual factor cannot be ignored. Gay adoption treats a gay “family” as equal to a heterosexual family, and that violates the biblical model of the family unit as ordained by God.
Some people support the idea of gay adoption by pointing to the needs of children on adoption waiting lists—having gay parents is better than having no parents at all, they reason. But there’s no way around these two facts: homosexuality is a perversion of God’s design and a homosexual couple cannot form a “family,” according to God’s definition of a family (see Genesis 1:28; 2:24). Also, a child’s greatest need is not necessarily to have two parents; a child’s greatest need is to be cared for in a godly, nurturing way and to have godly role models in his or her life.
God’s design for the family is that children grow up in a stable, loving environment provided by a man and a woman in a committed, lifelong relationship. This design is clearly seen in God’s creation of Adam and Eve and God’s command for them to have children. The same design is also seen in God’s choice to entrust His Son to a family unit; God prevented Joseph from divorcing Mary (Matthew 1:19–20), thus preserving the nuclear family of a husband, wife, and child.
Are we saying that adoption should be restricted to stable nuclear families? Absolutely not. The Bible does not directly address the issue of who should be allowed to adopt. So, while we can describe the ideal adoptive situation based on the Bible, we cannot biblically support adoption being restricted to that ideal.
Should Christians be supporters of gay adoption? Based on what the Bible says about homosexuality, the answer has to be no. Homosexuality is a perversion of the very nature of what a family is supposed to be. Christians should not support something that directly contradicts God’s will.
At the same time, Christians should be known as people who adopt. The Christian life is to be a sacrificial journey of finding ways to reach others with the gospel. Clearing out orphanages and foster care systems through adoption and then raising those children “in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4) would be the Christian thing to do.
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