How transparent should you be?

This past weekend my family had a frustrating and emotionally draining experience. We wanted to adopt some kittens from a rescue agency, so we found a local cat rescue and contacted them. I reviewed their web site ahead of time to ensure that our family would qualify as a “proper home” for some kittens and I even called ahead to confirm. We have six children, including a one-year old, a four-year old, and an almost seven-year old, and I wanted to be sure that they would be willing to let us adopt.  When we arrived the next day at the pet store where the adoption event was taking place, my children were allowed to play with some of the kittens and fell in love with a brother and sister kitten. I turned in the paperwork to the adoption “supervisor” and was immediately told that “we have a problem”. It seems that it is their policy to never place a cat in a home with children under the age of eight. As she tried to defend her policy, I stopped her and said that I understood the policy (didn’t agree, but understood) but that I was more upset about not being told this before I brought my family down here. I told her that I had called and checked the web site and this information was not posted anywhere. Her response: “we don’t post everything on the web site”. Further discussion brought out that they don’t post all their rules on the web site because then “people would just lie on their application”.  We left frustrated and with crying children. Needless to say, I won’t be planning on supporting or recommending that agency to anyone in the future.

Again, let me point out: they are a private organization and they have every right to set their own policies. I just am frustrated by their decision not to post their adoption policies on their web site (or to have their volunteers not tell you the policies when you call).  Their decision not to be 100% transparent left me feeling deceived, frustrated, and biased against their agency.

So what does this have to do with internet ministry you ask? Going back to the post a couple weeks ago on Facebook fakery, I think that many Christians feel that they have to hide who they are and not be 100% transparent with those they are trying to save. In today’s culture, it is very important to be authentic. The best way to win someone to Christ is by building a relationship with that person, letting them see who you are (not just an “avatar” of you, but the real transparent you). Not doing so will eventually lead to the same reaction I had to the cat rescue agency: a feeling of being deceived, a lack of trust, and possibly a bias against all Christians.

So what are we going to do about getting kittens? We are still looking. We did go down to the Orange County animal shelter, where they’ll give animals to anyone who will pay the fees, but we didn’t find any appropriate felines. We may wait until “kitten season” starting in April when the shelter is overflowing and get some then.  Note: the picture at the top of this post is of our cat Jasper, who died a couple of years ago.

Tags: Ethics, transparency