1952
After the dark days of World War II, when the GIs came home, the last years of the 1940s were years of rebuilding. But the honeymoon was soon over. Wartime marriages were breaking up, young businessmen were going bankrupt, and a new war (called a ״police action״) in Korea threatened to be a long and disastrous venture with thousands of casualties. As the 1950s began, America was discouraged.
Seldom has an uplifting book been so sorely needed. When one came out, heralding something called "positive thinking," America eagerly grabbed hold.
Norman Vincent Peale called it ״applied Christianity״; his critics called it watered-down theology." But whatever it was, it stayed on the best-seller lists for months, influencing millions during the decades of the 1950s, 60׳s, and 70׳s. Religious historian Russell Balmer says that Peale's message ״fit the tenor of the times in the middle decades of this century. It was a message of hope, optimism, and American middle-class values.״ Balmer also s^§8*־sted that Peale is ׳probably directly or indirectly responsible for everything from Robert Schuller to the prosperity gospel." And from Dale Carnegie to Zig Ziglar and beyond, every time a motivational speaker takes the podium and starts stirring a crowd—there's a bit of Peale in his or her appeal.
When he wrote this book, Peale was the fifty-four-year-old pastor of New York City's Marble Collegiate Church. At first he couldn't find a publisher, but then Prentice-Hall took it. It became an overnight sensation. Before a paperback edition was printed, the book had sold two million hardcover copies. Promotionally, it was called "the greatest inspirational best-seller of our time." (By the end of the century, Peale's forty-six books had achieved sales of twenty-one million in forty-one languages.)
The book, Peale writes, "teaches positive thinking, not as a means to fame, riches or power, but as the practical application of faith to overcome defeat and accomplish worthwhile creative values in life. It teaches a hard, disciplinary way of life, but one which offers great joy to the person who achieves victory over himself and the difficult circumstances of the world."
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In his New York City ministry he integrated psychology with his theology, and the book follows the same mix. It begins, "Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities!" Soon he quotes, ״I can do all things through Christ which strengthened! me" (Phil. 4:13). "Develop a tremendous faith In God," he says, "and that will give you a humble yet soundly realistic faith in yourself." So in one sense it׳s a self-help manual on personal happiness and fulfillment, but in another sense it׳s a guide to a positive lifestyle based on confidence in the goodness of God.
Often the chapter titles sound completely secular, but the text itself is full of references to Scripture and to prayer. His chapter "Try Prayer Power" concludes with ten very practical rules "for getting effective results from prayer." In his chapter "Prescription for Heartache," he finishes with "Read and believe the Bible. . . . Pray sincerely and with faith. Make prayer and faith the habit of your life. Learn to have real fellowship with God and with Jesus Christ." When he talks about inner peace, Peale refers to the "inner therapy of Christ," who provides forgiveness to "anyone who asks him."
Peale also founded Guideposts magazine (with four million subscribers during his lifetime), had a syndicated newspaper column, wrote about forty other books, and conducted a weekly radio program, in addition to his church ministry.
In a 1992 Christianity Today interview, a year before his death, Peale was asked to name his best and worst qualities. "I've got plenty of worst qualities," he replied. "A good quality I have is I have always loved Jesus Christ and I think he's the greatest thing that ever happened to this world."