American preacher and writer Norman Peel was one of the first to raise the question of the usefulness of positive thinking. He created the concept of positive thinking that was very popular in America. This concept is described by him in the book The Power of Positive Thinking.
In America, his concept was actively discussed, and the voices of both its supporters and opponents were heard.
Biography
Norman Peel was born in 1898 in Bowersville. He was educated in theology school and graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University.
Norman's parents were supporters of the Methodist Church, which had spun off from the Anglican. At first they were considered sectarians, but gradually the church gained strength, its supporters became many, and it acquired the status of an independent movement. The main feature of this church was the many hours of services, in which children, including Norman, participated.
Therefore, it is all the more incomprehensible why at about thirty-three years old he moved to the church of the reformers and became a priest there. He worked as a pastor in a Manhattan church.
It was then that his talent as a preacher manifested itself: people went to services specifically to listen to Norman Peel. The fame of him went beyond the city. During his service, the number of parishioners in the church increased almost ten times - this indicates that people came here again and again.
Positive thinking theory
Peel had a friend, the psychoanalyst Smiley Blanton, who worked in a psychiatric clinic. He recruited Norman to write books on faith and other topics.
Peel also spoke on the radio - he hosted the "Art of Living" program, and then began appearing on television. He also served on the editorial board of Guideposts magazine and wrote his own books.
When the clinic acquired the status of the Foundation for Religion, Peel became its president. Then he released his book The Power of Positive Thinking. That book caused a lot of negativity among psychiatrists, and Blanton disowned his friend.
However, this did not in any way affect Peel's confidence that his concept is correct, and that with the help of positive thinking a person can be led to faith, to gain meaning in life and self-confidence.
Despite the fact that Peale opposed the election of Bill Clinton as president of the United States, Clinton himself spoke highly of his talent as a preacher and writer.
When America hit the Great Depression, unemployed managers were helped by the 40Plus organization, whose board included Peel. The organization helped people not to get lost in the conditions of a total crisis, to find their place in life. And that people received psychological help, there was no small merit of Norman Peel.
Social activity
The priest was friends with Richard Nixon, the President of the United States. It was a personal friendship, backed by political views. And when Nixon had difficulties in his career, Peel was one of the few who remained his friend in a difficult situation.
He also talked with Ronald Reagan, albeit on official occasions. And in 1984, Reagan presented Jigsaw with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contributions to theology.
The personal life of Norman Peel is not covered in the available sources. He may well have been celibate, although by the time he began serving in the Reformed Church, the celibacy had been canceled.
Norman Peel died at the age of 95, and is buried in the city of Powling.
