|
by
Doug Ward |
In July 2022 there was a "blast from the past" on the
Publishers Weekly Religion Nonfiction bestseller list. The number two title was
Norman Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking, a book originally
published in 1952 that was celebrating its seventieth anniversary.
Peale
(1898-1993), who was born in Bowersville, Ohio, 125 years ago, pastored Marble
Collegiate Church in New York City from 1932 to 1984 and was a founder and
editor of Guideposts Magazine. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of
Freedom by Ronald Reagan in 1984.
According
to a Wikipedia "List of best-selling books," The Power of Positive
Thinking has sold around 20 million copies over the years. After reading
the book recently, I can understand its continuing popularity. Peale wrote in a
lively style, and he filled the book with anecdotes about people who improved
their lives by adopting a more positive attitude.
Peale
promoted the value of choosing to be happy and striving for a peaceful frame of
mind. He advocated minimizing fear and anxiety and eliminating resentment and
hatred. All of this is in agreement with biblical wisdom. "A tranquil
heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot," we read in
Proverbs 14:30. Verse 15 of chapter 15 adds that "the cheerful of heart
has a continual feast."
As a
Christian, I appreciate the fact that Peale urged his readers to seek God in
faith and develop a relationship with God through prayer and the study of
Scripture. He highlighted God's desire for our success, quoting Jesus'
statement in John 10:10: "I came that they may have life and have it
abundantly."
Peale
emphasized that we should pray according to God's will and pointed out
scriptures on the power of prayer, like the words of Jesus in Mark 11:24:
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have
received it, and it will be yours."
On
the other hand, I am uncomfortable with "new age" aspects of Peale's
thought. At times he seemed to imply that positive thoughts generate a kind of
power of their own.
Key
aspects of the Christian Gospel are absent from the book. There is no
discussion of the Cross or the fact that Jesus called each of his disciples to
"deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34).
Surprisingly, his chapter on life after death made no mention of resurrection.
The
Power of Positive Thinking,
then, should not be mistaken for a presentation of the Gospel and presumably
was not intended to be one. But as a book on the practical side benefits of a
life of faith, it succeeds admirably.
It is an excellent “Christian-ish”
self-help book.
File
translated from TEX by TTH,
version 3.66.
On 13 Jan 2023, 11:31.
