Is a Society That Disregards Children Civilized?

Some years ago, my wife and I went on two church trips. First, we went to New York City to work with a children’s ministry based in a distressed section of Brooklyn. As previously reported, we found the average child to be living in appalling conditions. In some areas, young children consistently had black, rotten baby teeth. The children were essentially taking care of themselves. The main problem was that their parents were either physically absent or totally absorbed with their own issues. The reason for all of this chaos was drug addiction and the crime that it causes. We … Continue reading

In the Chill of Midwinter

I just heard an interesting and haunting Christmas carol. It was a combination/juxtaposition of the classic “What Child is This” with a song unfamiliar to me called “Child of the Poor” (written by Scott Soper, published by OCP Publications c. 1994). The lyrics which struck me were these: “Helpless and hungry, lowly, afraid, wrapped in the chill of midwinter; comes now among us, born into poverty’s embrace, new life for the world….” You may be wondering what this has to do with adoption. These lyrics struck me because I heard them not only the week before Christmas, but on the … Continue reading