Video Librarian, January/February 2013

Subtitled "The Heart of Adoption and Caring for Orphans," this documentary looks at adoption from a Christian perspective, challenging the church to consider whether it's doing all it can to care for the millions of children worldwide who have no parents. Among the views expressed are that "souls are at stake" in a society that is "making the family increasingly irrelevant," so Christians "need to be proactive." In addition to interviews with theologian R.C. Sproul, Jr., Christian radio host Kevin Swanson, and others, the program features five families, some having adopted as many as 12 children. The parents express a clear sense of destiny—even in cases where medical conditions played a role. As one woman puts it, "The Lord closed my womb to prepare me for [my foster son]." The circumstances vary; in some cases, children were simply abandoned, as in China, which has a "one child" law; but all of the subjects exemplify the teaching of the apostle James, who defined "pure and undefiled religion" in terms of those who reach out to widows and orphans. DVD extras include practical insights on adoption, an interview with author and public speaker Stacy McDonald, and a featurette with adoptive mother Beall Phillips. Recommended.