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| Palmer Becker (left) signs a copy of the book Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories for a Better World for Clark Roth, vice president for admissions at Hesston College. A story by Becker titled "I Was Ready to Fight" appears in the latest book of the series. Becker is director of the Pastoral Ministries program at Hesston College. |
September 5, 2005
The latest edition of Chicken
Soup for the Soul contains a story by Palmer Becker, Bible instructor
and director of the Pastoral Ministries program at Hesston College.
Becker's story, "I Was Ready
to Fight," is one of 101 stories in the 101st edition of Chicken
Soup for the Soul, subtitled Stories for a Better World.
In his story, Becker retells how
he spent nearly five years in Taiwan (1958-63) working in alternative
service as a conscientious objector because of his religious beliefs.
"I was involved in a mobile clinic, along with radio and literature
work," he said. "My service was recognized by officers of
the U.S. military, by officials from a Chinese government owned and
operated radio network, and also by a U.S. Senator as an effective
way of overcoming an oppressive force."
Later, he recounts how he defended
a new member of the U.S. House of Representatives under attack from
war veterans who discovered the new congressman was also a conscientious
objector.
"I hope my story can be a
clear witness to my faith in Jesus Christ," Becker said. "It's
an honor to have an opportunity to make a statement about Christ's
way of peace in a book that might hit the New York Times
best-seller list. At any rate, it will be read by a much larger audience
than I've approached before."
"I believe passionately that
we should use our resources to meet the physical, medical, educational,
and spiritual needs of people," he continued. "If we can
get to the root of what causes anger and hostility, we will be much
more effective than if we just treat the results. That principle applies
today in the Middle East, in Iraq, and other parts of the world involved
in conflict and war."
"There's another way to fight
evil than with a gun," Becker said. "In my case, my non-violent
efforts were deemed effective and were recognized by military and
government leaders."
"I believe few people want
war," he said. "I agree with Jim Wallis of Sojourners that
the world and the U.S. miliary are looking for alternatives to our
violent way of responding to violence."
Becker said he received a phone
call about a year ago from one of the book's editors, Linda K. Williams,
who said she had read his story and wondered if it could be printed
in the book. It had previously been printed in the Spring 2004 issue
of Our Faith, and was posted last summer on the Third Way
Cafe website (www.thirdway.com).
Competition was tough, with more
than 2,000 stories received from around the world. Stories with "soup
potential" were edited and submitted to co-authors for grading
on a scale of 1 to 10. Stories that received over a "9"
were re-edited and submitted to a team of 2 to 5 readers at Chicken
Soup for the Soul Enterprises. Stories that those readers graded over
a "9.5" were assembled into a manuscript of 150 stories.
That "readers manuscript" went out to 40 people across the
country who then graded the stories again. The top 101 stories were
balanced with the need for a good mix of subjects and styles.
Jack Canfield and Mark Victor
Hansen first published Chicken Soup for the Soul in 1983,
and the book quickly rose to No. 1 on the New York Times
bestseller list. The series has sold more than 85 million books in
35 languages around the world.