The Church & Adoption

November is National Adoption Awareness Month. This is a special month for me because I am an adoptee. I was raised by loving parents, yet there's a missing link in my life regarding my background and birth parents. 

Adoption is seen as a glorious, selfless act by amazing parents, but the adoptee's voice is often silenced or underrepresented. I had a blessed time chatting with Tiffany Henness about The Church & Adoption. You will learn a lot about adoption and the adoptee experience in the conversation. 

Tiffany Henness is a transracial adoptee and founder of the Adoptee Influencer Network.  She is also a transracial adoption educator for a non-profit called Be the Bridge. Tiffany lives in Oregon with her husband and two kids, where she serves on the local Leadership Council for Safe Families for Children and organizes a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community group. She writes about the intersection of adoption, ethnic identity, and faith.

Interview Highlights

· Tiffany shares how our understanding of adoption from a Biblical perspective is different or similar to the social and legal definition of adoption today.

· “Let's not say adoption is gospel..." - Tiffany Henness

· Tiffany shares the misconceptions about adoption and how the way we talk about adoption impacts adoptees.

· “People don’t just give up their children willy nilly.” – Tiffany Henness

· “Having a fancier house and going to a better school doesn’t necessarily make a better life." – Tiffany Henness

· “How we talk about adoption kind of erases birth mothers.” – Tiffany Henness

· We discuss the negative reactions when adoptees want to know more about their past.

· “There’s this sense that you can’t go searching, you can’t go find them because you’re going to disrupt this very pretty lie we all agreed to maintain.” – Tiffany Henness

· Tiffany discussed the added impact of transracial adoption on the adoptee.

· “Now I’m internalizing these racist ideas that to be Chinese is to be less than and I’m believing that that is true…that’s how I have found belonging.” – Tiffany Henness

· Tiffany shares about her work with Adoptee Influencer Network.

· “Adoption and the impact on us as adoptees is forever.” – Tiffany Henness

· Tiffany shares final thoughts regarding adoption and November being National Adoption Awareness Month

· “In adoption, we say the adoptee is the marginalized voice.” – Tiffany Henness

Relevant Links & Resources

* Follow Tiffany on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter. 

* Visit Tiffany's website callinginthewilderness.com. 

* Learn more about Adoptee Influencer Network on Facebook and adopteeinfluencernetwork.com.

* Follow us on Instagram & Twitter. 

* Learn about the How to Speak Life with Your Story Coaching Program for aspiring writers, Sherry's books, and more here.

* Share your thoughts about today's episode, inquire about being a guest, and advertise your business by sending an email to [email protected].

Take care, be blessed, be safe, and remember, the church is not a building. We are the church!