“Others can stop you temporarily. You’re the only one who can do it permanently.” Zig Ziglar
1953 – New York City, NY: Norman Peale was distraught. He couldn’t sleep. He was shocked by the violent public opposition to his new book. He wrote his letter of resignation from the church he was pastoring. But before quitting as Senior Pastor, he took the train from New York to Bellefontaine, Ohio, to visit his elderly father and seek his advice.
From his rocking chair, Charles Peale advised his son, “Norman, you have always been true and loyal to your faith. You have blazed new pathways of positive thinking to counter the old, destructive, negative ones.” At this point, his father was silent for a moment, “Besides, and remember this, Peales never quit. It would break my heart if one of my sons were a quitter, afraid to stand up to face any situation. And Norman, there’s just one more thing,” he paused, “tell them to go to hell.” Having never heard his father swear, Norman was shocked. He tore up his resignation.
Norman Vincent Peale was born in Bowersville, Ohio, in 1898, the son of the local Methodist minister. It was a foregone conclusion that he would follow his father’s footsteps into the ministry. Still, Norman suffered from an inferiority complex and a mortal fear of public speaking. To overcome this fear, his father taught him to recite Bible scripture to create a positive self-image.
After graduating from high school, Norman attended Ohio Wesleyan University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1920. Four years later, he graduated from Boston University School of Theology with his master’s degree and took his first pastorate at a small Methodist church in Berkeley, Rhode Island.
At age 34, after serving as pastor of Methodist churches in Brooklyn and Syracuse, New York, Norman changed his denomination to Dutch Reformed and became pastor of the 300-year-old Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, one of the oldest Protestant churches in America.
He published his first book, The Art of Living, in 1937, and a second book, A Guide to Confident Living, in 1948. But it wasn’t until 1952, when he published The Power of Positive Thinking, that Dr. Norman Vincent Peale became famous, or infamous, depending on your perspective.
Norman was surprised by the book’s immediate success. It was on The New York Times Best Seller List for 186 weeks, the third-longest period in the history of the list. But not all the reviews were positive. He was saddened by the angry, negative criticism he received from the psychology and religious communities. He received hate mail, was criticized in national newspapers, and was attacked from numerous pulpits.
A leading psychologist labeled the book, “The Bible of American Auto Hypnotism, disguised by the use of religious terms.” The Yale Divinity School feared the book would create cults, “Where God becomes a master psychiatrist who will help you get out of your difficulties.” Christian fundamentalists criticized Norman for preaching the significance of psychology and optimism from the pulpit rather than hellfire and brimstone.
After the conversation with his father, Norman returned to the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City. With the congregation firmly behind him, he went about his business despite the hate mail. He chose to love his critics and remained at the church for 52 years, until his retirement in 1984.
During his career, Norman wrote 40 books. Still, none was as popular as The Power of Positive Thinking, which sold more than 20 million copies in 40 languages. In 1945, he and his wife Ruth started Guidepost Magazine, which currently has 4 million monthly subscribers. For 54 years, NBC carried Norman’s weekly radio program The Art of Living.
“I don’t know of anyone who has done more for the kingdom of God than Norman and Ruth Peale,” the late Billy Graham once said, “Or who has meant any more in my life for the encouragement they have given me.” Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, the Father of Positive Thinking, died on Christmas Eve, 1993, at the age of 95.