THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING - 150

POSITIVE Thinking The theme of The Power of Positive Thinking is that one's faith in oneself will allow good things to happen. The book is a guide to enhancing self-esteem and thereby achieving success. Thus, despite the fact that its author is a religious man, the volume is not strictly a religious book. Peale took his inspiration from his own life. He acknowledged having had an inferiority complex as a younger man and believed that his feeling of inferiority held him back. As a result, he had long preached a message that merged theology and psychology: that maintaining a positive attitude will lead to success and happiness. He was subsequently called the father of the self-esteem gospel, a mixture of modern psychology and the Bible. Peale was not one to use the Bible like a baseball bat, to swat the unknowing reader heavy-handedly. Rather, he was tolerant of his readers', and parishioners', weaknesses. His book recognizes that prayer is the greatest energy in the universe and a link between people's thoughts, feelings, and actions.