The Daily Signal - CHOSEN: Calling the Pro-Life Movement to Foster and Adopt

Episode Date: April 9, 2024

The pro-life community can be the answer for thousands of children in need of loving foster parents or adoptive families, according to Prestonwood Baptist Church Associate Pastor Jeremiah Johnston. ��We have 400,000 children in foster care nationally,” Johnston says, adding that “about 100,000 of those 400,000 are available for adoption and just waiting for a 'forever family' right now.” “The need is hug,” the pastor tells “The Daily Signal Podcast.” That's why Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, on April 13th is hosting the “Chosen” conference a daylong event to educate Christians and the pro-life community on the need for good foster and adoptive parents. Johnston joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to share how people across the U.S. can participate—either in person or remotely—in the event, which is drawing keynote speakers ranging from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to “Duck Dynasty” star Sadie Robertson Huff. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Tuesday, April 9th. I'm Virginia Allen. There is a dramatic need for more foster and adoptive parents across the United States right now. And Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas is raising the alarm. In fact, they are holding an event this weekend, Saturday, April 13th, to raise awareness and bring voices together to discuss the need for more foster and adoptive parents. There are a number of things. speakers who are attending that event, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who will be taking to the main stage to address some of the really critical issues around this topic. And today, I am sitting down with Associate Pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, Jeremiah Johnston, to discuss what exactly is happening at this event and to explain where the crisis of adoption and foster care stands right now. Stay tuned for our conversation right after this. Looking for quick conservative policy solutions to current issues from America's outpost here in Washington, sign up for Heritage's weekly newsletter, The Agenda.

You'll get top conservative research, a rundown of important events happening here at Heritage that you can watch online and hot takes from our experts. Sign up at heritage.org slash agenda or at the link in the show notes. It is my pleasure today to welcome to the show Preston Wood Baptist Church Associate Pastor. Dr. Jeremiah Johnston. Jeremiah, thanks so much for being with us. It's a privilege to be on with the Virginia. Thanks for having me. Your church, Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, is hosting a very important event on April 13th that's focused on addressing really the urgent situation around foster care and adoption. This is a big event. The governor of Texas, Governor Gray Abbott, is speaking as well as notable names like Sadie Robertson Huff.

And one of the aims of this event is to address the challenges. within the foster care system as well as surrounding adoption in the United States. So if you would lay out a little bit of what the current situation is in the U.S. right now, how many kids are in the foster care system and how many are waiting to be adopted? You know, the children in the United States, and I'm talking about United States citizens who are age 18 and younger, they're the most unreached people group in the world right now. We have 400,000 children in foster care nationally. And get this, about 100,000.

of those 400,000 are available for adoption and just waiting for a forever family right now. 20,000 kids every year age out of the foster care system without a family each and every year. So the need is huge, Virginia. And as a church, something that we take very, very seriously is every child is a wanted child. We do not believe in the planet of Almighty God that there's anything such as an unwanted child. Every child is a wanted child. And so on April 13th, we're hosting the chosen conference. It's a one-day emergency conference.

And like you said, we have national speakers. We have 50 organizations who have partnered with us so that we can encourage and equip and engage families, A, who are currently fostering or adopting, just encourage them. But we need more families to step up and say, hey, we want to be part of the solution. And that's why I'm so thankful to be sharing about this wonderful conference with you. What are the primary reasons that we know of right now as to why kids are entering America's foster care system? That's a great question. The reasons are all the things that you would guess. But one of the situations that we've seen as a church is there are churches who have incredible adoption and foster care ministries. But then there are many churches that just don't know where to start. And we believe that the church is a huge answer to this question.

And we believe the church is the greatest force for good on planet Earth. When we come together, we believe every child matters from the womb to the tomb. Life matters. That's why I love talking to you all. We know we share that worldview. And so we want to have a conference that's designed around immediate next steps of engagement, of how you can be involved in adoption, how you can be involved in foster care. And you know what?

You might say, hey, I can't come to Dallas where God has a second home. But you can stream the conference with us. This is a national conference. We're going to be streaming the entire event again. It's April 13, the website with all the details, breakout sessions, all of the educational tracks is at Prestonwood.org slash chosen. Jeremiah, why is this issue one that's important not only to you as a pastor in your church community, but also to you personally?

Well, number one, I'm a dad of five children, and so, you know, I love children. My wife and I think the greatest thing that we can do is pass on the legacy of faith to our own children. And I've seen the power of what Christian influence can have on not only our own children, but on the children I have the privilege of pastor in Virginia. And this is a very passionate subject for me because we live in the greatest country in the world, the United States. We should not have 400,000 kids right now in the foster care system. We shouldn't have kids sleeping in hotels because they don't even have facilities available for them. Every child is a wanted child. And for me, as a New Testament scholar, this comes right out of Mark's gospel.

In Mark's Gospel chapter 9, do you remember what Jesus did? He brought a child. I wish we could go back to time travel someday and see this theme. He brings a child in the middle of the room and he's teaching his disciples a wonderful truth. He says, the kingdom of heaven is like one of these children. You have to embrace the kingdom of God like a child does, like child like faith. So children were central in the life and ministry of Jesus, just like women. And so as a church, we want to equip people, we want to engage people. And something I'm really excited about Virginia is we have. have an entire track for pastors. We have hundreds of pastors who are joining us, and they're going to literally leave the conference on April 13 with a ministry in a box, as it were, of how to go do foster care adoption ministries in their local churches wherever they have the privilege of pastoring. Well, of course, the issue of foster care and adoption, it's not new, and it's something that the church has been talking about and engaging on for a long time, but one of the reasons why you all are hosting this event on April 13th is because we are living in a postro American. We're looking at the situation and saying, all right, who's going to step up and be

part of the solution? If we are wanting more kids to enter this world, how do we love them well? Talk a little bit about that, about the church's responsibility. And whether you're in the church or not, just societies, Americans' responsibility, who are pro-life to be a part of the solution when it comes to foster care and adoption? Great question, Virginia. Again, with the effects of Roe v. Way being overturned, and as abortion continues to be eliminated, we know we're going to have more births, we're going to have more families in need, and that's a great thing. This is a great opportunity for the church to step up. And the role of the church is central, the faith community, the Jesus community, the local church has always led the way in caring for vulnerable population.

This has been seen in the founding of hospitals, orphanages, care ministries, long before the government got involved with these things. The church was there on the front line. And I think that we have an awareness issue. And this is why I'm so thankful to be talking to you and your listeners. I don't think many Christians out there are aware of how dire the issue is right now with 400,000 children right now in the foster care system. And how important it is that we as Christians adopt and foster and lead the way in this area because truly we believe the gospel is adoption. Adoption is the gospel. that's what we believe is true about us coming to faith in Christ. We are adopted in the family of God through the finished work of Christ on the cross and his resurrection.

And so we see that has implications in every aspect and every fabric of society. And that's why I'm so thrilled with this conference on April 13. I want people to come together and be encouraged, equipped, resourced, and engaged, how they can turn back the tide and what's happening right now with the adoption, foster care crisis in our country. Now, unfortunately, we have seen that there have been instances in some left-leaning states like the state of Massachusetts where parents have been turned away from being foster parents because of their traditional and their biblical views, specifically on marriage and sexuality. Are you concerned about states crowding Christians out of foster care, of adoption spaces because of their beliefs?

I'm very concerned about it. In the state of Washington right now, you have to have an LGBTQ flag. in your home flying somewhere on a window or something for to be able to actually adopt. Can you believe that? I mean, this is, it's so wrong. And right now, though, we're still seeing Christian adoption agencies that are still having success, even though these families are not capitulating. We see families adopting who don't have an LGBTQ flag, even in the state of Washington,

but they are encroaching on this. And I think that what's going to happen, and all you have to do is go to these states. You know, I minister in these states that are much more. hostile to the gospel than here in Texas. And the problem is becoming so bad. I think they're going to be willing to overlook some of these crazy laws they've put in place, like the fact that you have to have an LGBT flag in your home to be eligible for adoption. I think the problem is going to so far outreach some of these silly, crazy rules that we're going to actually still see influence from Christian adoption agencies. But I'm very concerned about it. And again, Christians need to know this

is happening in it's state by state. That's why we have to be educated. That's why I'm thankful for the 50 different adoption foster care partners that are going to be at our conference on April 13. They all have specialty in these different areas. It's highly technical. I mean, I've had to learn Virginia as the spokesman for this conference how technical this is and how we need a partner. We need partnership. And this is where no church can do it alone. I'm so thankful for Prestonwood hosting this. We're spending tens of thousands of dollars to educate and equip people as much as we can. but I'm also thankful for the partnerships that are going to happen the day of in the conference, too. Yeah.

What is the biggest need in that space? Is it physically individuals stepping up saying, I'm willing to foster, I'm willing to adopt? Is it financial? Are there other resources that that whole, really that whole grouping of networks of these organizations that are on the front lines that they need? That's the greatest question, invest. And I appreciate it. The biggest need is the church to step up.

We have 353,000 congregations in America. Just think about that. We have nearly the number of congregations that we do, single children in the foster care system right now. If every church had a foster care adoption ministry, there wouldn't be any need for one in the government. We would totally see this need succeeded. I'm so thankful that Greg Mott is one of our speakers.

I know that this weekend, he has five more families at his church that are stepping up for adoption and foster care. We see this happening in churches, and I want to see it get contagious and happen in all churches. I think that's the biggest me, and that's why I'm employing pastors. Come join us on April 13th. Let us show you how we can equip you and resource you how to have foster care adoption ministries in your churches.

Yeah, excellent. Well, for anyone listening who is interested in getting involved, the website is Prestonwood.org.org. Shosen. You can find out there more about the conference, how to get plugged in. And if foster care or adoption has ever been a thought in your mind, you want to learn more. Jeremiah, I'm guessing that this conference on April 13th is a pretty good place to start. It absolutely is.

We're going to be sponsoring an adoption. We're going to encourage you. You're going to make all the connections. It's going to do six months of research for you in one day. That's why we want you to be part of it. Excellent. Well, again, that website is Prestonwood.orgie slash chosen. Jeremiah, Johnston.

Thank you so much for your time today. We really appreciate it. Thank you, Virginia. And thank you for all your organization does. We so appreciate you. All right. We will let you go. Thank you again for your time.

Virginia, thanks so much for helping us just shine the light on this important event. We so appreciate you guys. Oh, gosh. Yeah, no, of course. This is critical and something that we all need to be on the forefront of. So thank you guys for your work. With that, that's going to do it for today's episode. Thanks so much for being with us here on the Daily Signal podcast.

Make sure that you take a minute to check out the website. for the chosen event. Once again, that website is Prestonwood.org slash chosen, and there is a link so that you can tune in remotely if you're not able to be there in person. But we really appreciate you joining us today for my conversation

with Jeremiah Johnston. If you have a minute, make sure that you subscribe to the Daily Signal podcast wherever you like to listen and leave us a five-star rating and review. In this same podcast feed, we also daily bring you our top news edition. Every weekday,

around 5 p.m. We bring you the top headlines of the day. These are the headlines that you don't want to miss to stay informed on what's happening in our world. Have a great rest of your Tuesday. We'll see you right back here on 5 p.m. for our Top News edition. The Daily Signal podcast is made possible

because of listeners like you. Executive producers are Rob Bluey and Kate Trinko. Hosts are Virginia Allen, Brian Gottstein, Mary Margaret O'Lehann and Tyler O'Neill. Sound designed by Lauren Evans, Mark Geiney, and John Pop. To learn more or support our work, please visit dailysignal.com.