Case Studies
- Do you agree with the advice of the real estate agent or not? Why/why not?
- What should have been the most primary principle at work in this process? What, if anything, does the Bible have to say about it?
- What place does "intent" have in decision-making when an ethically difficult situation is at hand?
- Do you think most ethical situations are glaring dilemmas where the temptation to compromise is clear, or are most like Rudolpho’s milder situation where there is some "gray" area? How will that affect how you approach them?
A STUDY IN CHRISTIAN ETHICS: RUDOLPHO
by Randy White
Rudolpho Blanco was moving to Sao Paolo, Brazil to work with street kids. He and his family had sold their house and the escrow was to close this Friday. He had arranged for over 30 people to come the next day, Saturday, to help with the move, not so much because he needed that many people to help, but because this move was important to these Christians in their community. Many had been there as Rudolpho’s call to ministry had developed. Many felt that it was their move too, and were happy that it was on a weekend so they could help. Rudolpho had also secured a large moving van to be donated by a rental agency for use that day. His wife, Tiara, had arranged time off at work to assist in the move. The phones had been scheduled to be changed on that day, and the postal service had been notified. Most importantly, the people who had bought Rudolpho’s home would be moving in the same day he and his family were moving out. It would be tight, but it was going to work.
Then on the Tuesday before, Rudolpho’s real estate agent called to say that Rudolpho would have to secure fire insurance in the next 24 hours. This caught Rudolpho off guard, as his insurance man lived many hours away in Rio de Janeiro. He knew even if he could track down his insurance man he could not get the original by the deadline. He was told that if he did not get the original policy in the hands of the lender by tomorrow, that his close of escrow would be delayed, sending the delicate balance of the coordination into chaos. Rudolpho asked if a FAX would do, but after many calls, found that the lender’s underwriter would only accept the original. He explained his dilemma to his agent, who promised to work on it and get back to him.
When the realtor called back this is what he suggested: "Have your insurance man FAX a copy of the new policy to the lender, then have him Federal Express the original to the lender to arrive the following day. The lender has agreed to tell a ‘little white lie’ to her underwriter and say she has the original, knowing that it’s coming in the mail. Hopefully it will be before the underwriter asks her if she has it in hand. We could get in trouble ‘big time’ for this, but it’s not a problem. The lender wants to make this work for you because she knows you are up against a wall." When Rudolpho expressed concern over whether it was ethical, his realtor was not troubled. "It’s not illegal," he said, "but it does circumvent the policy of the underwriter. It’s kind of a grey area. We’re not trying to get away with anything, since we know the original is coming, but we’re not being honest with the underwriter. Still, I don’t see a problem. We’re satisfying the intent—that is, to make sure you have insurance on your new property—and we’re saving a lot of time and trouble for a lot of people by not having to reschedule your close of escrow and maybe seeing it all fall apart."
Rudolpho hung up the phone and made the call to his insurance man in Rio. As the phone rang, Rudolpho and Tiara wondered what they should do. Should they go along with the plan as suggested by the real estate agent? The agent seemed convinced of the rightness of it. Or should they refuse the offer of the agent and the lender, just accept the fact that it wasn’t going to close on Friday, and begin to call off all the people who had planned to come and help. He didn’t know if the rental agency would still be willing to donate the van at a future date. And he knew that the buyers of his home would literally be homeless. He was confused. Before his insurance man can answer, he hangs up and calls you for your advise. What would you tell him to do?
Here is what Rudolpho did:
He called his insurance man, still unsure of what to do. He wondered if the insurance man could drive the original policy to arrive by the deadline, though he wasn’t very hopeful. His real estate agent was so confident and this weighed in his mind. This was not illegal. It involved some mild deception— though it was not likely that he would personally have to lie. When the insurance man answered the phone, he began to spell-out the situation, and before he could get very far the man said, "Rudolpho, thanks for trying to keep your business with me. That means a lot. But you should have a policy with someone local, who can deal with situations like this. I don’t want to FAX you anything, and I’d have a hard time Federal Expressing you the original in time. But why don’t you track down an agent tonight who can get on this first thing in the morning? If you work at it, you might be able to get an agent’s home phone and get a head start." Rudolpho did, and to his amazement, after only a few calls he found a very helpful agent who promised to give it his first priority. In essence, Rudolpho was off the hook for having to make the decision because an alternative appeared.
Some questions for discussed:
Written for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Fresno’s Marketplace Study Group. Used by permission.
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