Good news for drivers in Catholic countries: the Vatican is urging motorists to "promote a Christian culture of the road."

Horrified by the enormous suffering caused by traffic accidents, church officials have called for a realization that Christian values must be applied to everyday behaviour behind the wheel.

French bishops have decreed that "lack of safety on the road is a scandal that ought to make all drivers reflect and encourage them to change...The commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’ still holds completely today on the road."

Spanish clergy have drawn up nine commandments for drivers including:

• "The Christian driver should show courtesy, correctness and care."

• "The car, vehicle or motorbike cannot serve to discharge intolerance and violence."

• "Contact should be arranged where possible between accident victims and perpetrators to clarify the circumstances and make forgiveness possible."

• "Christians should stand in defence of the weakest on the road."

Commendable notion

The notion that Christians have an obligation to behave in the world in a particularly Christian way is a commendable one. May I suggest we could begin this revolutionary practice by treating our co-religionists in a humane fashion?

A recent edition of ChristianWeek carried an advertisement from an Ontario charity called Ray of Hope Inc. in which this organization sought to hire an executive director. In the ad was the following statement: "Although we thank all applicants in advance for your interest, only those being considered further will be contacted."

In other words, Ray of Hope stated that many people who applied for this job would not be given the courtesy of an acknowledgement of their application, much less a status report on the progress of the hiring process or a polite note declining their services but wishing them well in their search for employment.

Applicants would have taken the time to update their resumés, contact references and send off a package that bore their hopes for a career and Christian service, but Ray of Hope promised they would be ignored and made to wait for weeks before they at last concluded by default they had been given the brush-off.

Ray of Hope is not alone among Christian para-church organizations in this kind of shabby human relations. Those seeking employment with Youth for Christ in Winnipeg were given the same treatment this year.

World Vision puts a pious spin on their behaviour: "As a nonprofit organization we strive to be good stewards of our resources by maintaining low overhead costs. Due to the large volume of applications received on a daily basis, we regret that we are not able to respond to individual inquiries regarding your application status."

The application form for the Navigators tells job-seekers they must accept that they can be fired at any time, with no notice, for any, or no, reason.

Moral obligation

Such caveats should not let Christian organizations off the hook. Employers who solicit for employees have the moral obligation to invest in the price of a post card and stamp (or the time it takes to send an e-mail) to acknowledge receipt of an application.

They should also care enough about the public image of their company to send a rejection letter that is tactful and encouraging. They should be aware that each job-seeker and his family will have prayed over his application and will have a heavy emotional investment in it. Such a letter cannot merely be shrugged off with a "too big to be bothered" attitude.

Almost anyone who has worked for a Christian charity, college, or missions group knows that the institutional personnel manual shows little influence of 1 Corinthians 13 and more than a touch of Revelation 6:8. Is it too much to expect the agencies we send forth to convert the world behave in a way pleasing to their Master?

A local church has put this notice up on its front lawn: "If you have Jesus in your heart, please notify your face." Not a bad idea. I would add: "If you have Jesus on your letterhead, please inform your ethics."

Gerry Bowler is a Winnipeg author and historian.