Blessed Assurance: Beliefs, Actions, and the Experience of Salvation in a Carolina Baptist Church (original) (raw)

Journal of Southern History, 1996

Abstract

In the second section, George traces Peale's genius for organization. His ideas, captured in his best-selling The Power of Positive Thinking, reached millions, and his impact was lasting because of the organization he built. That organization encompassed his church, Marble Collegiate in New York City; his magazine, Guideposts; the Institute for Religion and Health; his many books; and the Foundation for Christian Living. This network of organizations enabled Peale to maintain regular contact with people across the nation. He also traveled almost weekly to speak to church groups and professional organizations around the country. Peale was successful as an entrepreneur, but he was also successful because he formed close partnerships with people, his wife Ruth in particular, who helped him manage and expand his ministry. In the third section George outlines Peale's basic message. His theology assumed that the human mind, or Mind, was good and that the human will had the freedom and power to determine one's destiny. His populism made him suspicious of elites, whether intellectual or ecclesiastical. He was critical of the establishment, of bureaucracy, and of liberalism, both theological and political. Though Peale wanted to exercise religious influence, he could not resist the temptation to embrace politically conservative causes and to align himself with politically conservative organizations. His political involvements got him into trouble on more than one occasion, especially when he opposed Kennedy's candidacy in 1960 because Kennedy was Catholic. George is at her best when she simply tells the story without overlaying it with abstruse interpretations written in dense prose, which she is occasionally inclined to do. Her book is valuable because it tells the story of a person who was probably more responsible than anyone for introducing self-help religion to mainstream American culture. It is clear that she did her research well, not only reading virtually everything Peale wrote but also sifting through boxes of material in the Peale archives and conducting extensive interviews with Peale, his wife Ruth, and his associates. She presents fascinating details, such as the controversies between Peale and John Bennett over theology and the misunderstandings between Peale and Billy Graham over politics, especially during the Kennedy campaign. The book includes a thorough index, bibliography, and notes.

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