early Christians

n the early church, God’s people became family to those who had no family. I think of the Roman

practice when a baby was born. The baby was set at the feet of the father. If he picked up the child, the

boy or girl was legitimized and became part of the family. Babies that were not picked up, perhaps

because they looked weak, were outcast – often taken outside the city to designated places where they

would die of exposure or from wild animals. The Christians reversed this horrible practice. They went out

and brought the babies back, adopting them into their own families, and eventually putting pressure on

the government to outlaw the practice