The Dark Side of "Adoption"

This paper argues that while it is certainly possible to construe “adoption” positively, MacDonald saw the translation of Paul’s υίοθεσία as “adoption” as tending to obscure the creaturely aspect of human beings, or the fact that they are God’s natural children and hence naturally loved by God as such. MacDonald argues that “the so-called doctrine of Adoption” suggests a separation between God and his creatures that can be bridged only artificially and sustained only precariously. Thus rather than encouraging faith in God’s universal love for his creatures as such, the doctrine of adoption serves to emphasize the unlikeness between God and human beings and hence to sow seeds of doubt in people concerning whether God could actually love them.