Is Adoption "Radical?"

If we're Facebook friends, you might know that I just started reading David Platt's Radical (on the heels of God in the Alley, Irresistible Revolution, and a bunch of other social Gospel-centered books).  To really sum up the book---and to probably do it grave injustice---Platt writes about the comfortable American lifestyle and how that has crept into the Church.  The American dream of focusing on making life comfortable and getting what you want can subtly invade our theology and we can begin to ignore those difficult sayings of Jesus (lose your life to gain it, let the dead bury their own dead, these are your brothers and sisters, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, etc) and write them off as culturally out-of-date.  As others have rightfully pointed out, focusing too much on "radical" behavior (giving to the poor, caring for the widows, adopting the orphans, living a simple lifestyle) can lead to a new form of legalism that insists that those whose behavior is not "radical" enough are not really following Christ.  This is an interesting discussion, and it is really for another forum.  However, I have been thinking about whether or not adoption is radical or not.  Is it?

Statistically, adoption has got to be considered radical.  I heard recently that if just one family in every two churches in America would adopt, there would be no orphans in our country!  ONE family!  It really is kind of a sad fact.  James tells us that pure religion (in part) includes taking care of the orphans.  If we believe that Scripture, why don't we act?  So, given the numbers, adoption is radical.  Yet, I'm convinced NOT adopting is actually radical behavior for Christians.  When you read the Gospels---really read them, divorcing yourself from your preconceived ideas of what Jesus must REALLY mean---it is unthinkable that Christians wouldn't go to great lengths to care for the broken, the hurting, the weak, the voiceless, the homeless, the poor and...the orphan. 

Part of my heart in this entire adventure is to help make adoption a normal part of Christian's lives.  It isn't for the super-spiritual, the rich, or those who can't have children of their own (I don't fit into any of those categories).  We're normal people, not special at all, but we think this is normal Christian behavior. It's not really radical at all.