Norman Vincent Peale
Norman Vincent Peale was an influential American clergyman and author, best known for his role in popularizing self-help concepts through the integration of psychology and religion. Ordained in the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1922, he later became the pastor of Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan, where he served for over fifty years. Peale co-founded Guideposts magazine in 1945, which became the largest circulating religious magazine in the U.S. by the 1950s. He is widely recognized for his book, "The Power of Positive Thinking," which has been translated into forty-one languages, and he is often referred to as the father of the self-esteem gospel. Peale's sermons combined motivational speaking with spiritual teachings, leading to a significant impact on North American culture during the mid-20th century. His work emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive attitude to achieve success, stemming from his own experiences with feelings of inferiority. Throughout his lifetime, Peale authored forty-six books and maintained a daily radio show for over five decades, further establishing his influence as a motivational figure.
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Subject Terms
Norman Vincent Peale
- Born: May 31, 1898
- Birthplace: Bowersville, Ohio
- Died: December 24, 1993
- Place of death: Pawling, NY
Identification Minister at the oldest protestant church in the United States, author, and motivational speaker
In 1952, Norman Vincent Peale published The Power of Positive Thinking, a book destined to sell more than twenty million copies over the next half century. His book became a model for the thousands of self-help books that followed.
Peale was ordained in the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1922 and held several pastorates. In 1932, he changed his affiliation to the Dutch Reformed Church so that he could become the pastor of Marble Collegiate Church, a Dutch Reformed Church founded in Manhattan in 1628. He remained the pastor of Marble Collegiate for fifty-two years. He and his wife founded Guideposts magazine in 1945, and by the 1950’s, it was the largest circulating religious magazine in the United States. Peale’s life was the subject of a 1964 movie titled One Man’s Way.
Peale acknowledged having had an inferiority complex during his younger days and felt that his feeling of inferiority had held him back. As a result, he preached a message that merged theology and psychology: maintaining that a positive attitude would lead to success. He was subsequently called the father of the self-esteem gospel, a mixture of modern psychology and the Bible.
Impact
Peale was one of North America’s most influential clergymen during the 1950’s and throughout the remainder of his life. For fifty-four years, he broadcast a daily radio show, and in later years, his sermons were broadcast on television. He was constantly in demand as a motivational speaker. Throughout his lifetime, he authored forty-six books. His best-selling book, The Power of Positive Thinking, was published in forty-one languages.
Bibliography
George, Carol V. God’s Salesman: Norman Vincent Peale and the Power of Positive Thinking. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. Author uses interviews and access to Peale’s personal archives to tell his life story and to explore the impact of his writings.
Peale, Norman Vincent. The True Joy of Positive Living: An Autobiography. New York: Morrow, 1984. Combines autobiographical information with further words of personal motivation.