Hti: Give Peace A Chance

Little known in America, evangelist Dr. K.A. Paul shoots from the hip on a personal crusade to make the world a more peaceful place.

'Look, do you really want peace in your country, or are you fighting for power?'" If Philippe loved his people, Paul told him, he would abandon threats to seize control of the government and instead follow Jesus' directive to "show the other cheek." For three hours, the men engaged in a one-on-one prayer session. "He was in tears," recalls Paul, with obvious satisfaction. "Immediately, one of my guys walked in and taped it. I said, 'Now speak. After three hours, what happened?' He said, 'I'm now ready to lay down my weapons--follow the path of peace, as [shown to me by] Doctor Paul. I've asked him to be my spiritual leader, to guide me, to bring peace to my country.'"

It's an unbelievable story, growing progressively more unbelievable as the diminutive, almost wispy Paul details his scolding of the thuggish Philippe. ("I said, 'Enough is enough. ... One soul is more valuable than all the wealth of the world. You have no right to kill!'") I'd be inclined to laugh at the increasingly animated minister--his arms waving, dark eyes flashing, neatly trimmed mustache quivering--if reports by the press and other observers (including former U.S. Representative Bob Clement) didn't support the basic gist of his story. And, while U.S. military pressure clearly swayed the rebels' decision to disarm, Philippe is on record as having been strongly influenced by his quirky new guru--an odd turn of events that seems to have surprised everyone. Everyone, that is, except Paul, for whom sermonizing to armed goons has become almost commonplace.
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