Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
How did Norman Vincent Peale's book, The Power of Positive Thinking, pave the way for the prosperity gospel and the law of attraction that still has its claws in today's culture?
That's what we explore in this third and final part of our dive into the book.
Part One explored Peale's foundations in the New Thought Movement of the nineteenth century and its theological departure from Puritanical Calvinism: youtu.be/hpqbMQj7bEQ
Part Two linked Peale's version of Positive Thinking with the corporate culture of the twentieth century. We saw how it provided bonus benefits to companies laying off workers: youtu.be/4U0Yk4Zryrw
In this final part of the Power of Positive Thinking mini-series, we look at links between Positive Thinking and the Prosperity Gospel, and its potential to exploit vulnerable people with promises of great wealth in exchange for willingly giving their money and going into debt because of promises made by those in power over them.
Full Post: the-haven.co/power-of-positive-thinking-and-prosperity-deception
This episode is part of the project I'm working on, 'looking at notable books and figures in the self-help industry. It is about slowing down to examine and expand my own critical thinking.
Get in touch...
What else should I read? Drop a comment and let me know! Or send me a message: the-haven.co/contact
How did Norman Vincent Peale's book, The Power of Positive Thinking, pave the way for the prosperity gospel and the law of attraction that still has its claws in today's culture?
That's what we explore in this third and final part of our dive into the book.
Part One explored Peale's foundations in the New Thought Movement of the nineteenth century and its theological departure from Puritanical Calvinism: youtu.be/hpqbMQj7bEQ
Part Two linked Peale's version of Positive Thinking with the corporate culture of the twentieth century. We saw how it provided bonus benefits to companies laying off workers: youtu.be/4U0Yk4Zryrw
In this final part of the Power of Positive Thinking mini-series, we look at links between Positive Thinking and the Prosperity Gospel, and its potential to exploit vulnerable people with promises of great wealth in exchange for willingly giving their money and going into debt because of promises made by those in power over them.
Full Post: the-haven.co/power-of-positive-thinking-and-prosperity-deception
This episode is part of the project I'm working on, 'looking at notable books and figures in the self-help industry. It is about slowing down to examine and expand my own critical thinking.
Get in touch...
What else should I read? Drop a comment and let me know! Or send me a message: the-haven.co/contact
