!! 'J O t ' til
A. f j J il
When My Husband Nearly Quit the Church
by Mrs. Norman Vincent Peale as told to Carl Bakal
It isn't news to those who've read "Norman Vin
cent Peale: Minister to Millions," the recently
published biography of my husband, that he de
cided to give up the pulpit of New York's Marble
Collegiate Church several years ago. You may
also recall the disturbing incidents which led him,
after almost 25 years as pastor of the church,
actually to write out his resignation.
Nevertheless I've often been asked to tell the
story from a woman's point of view and, more
specifically, what it means for a wife to face such
a crisis in her husband's life and her own.
I had suspected and even feared such a serious
situation long before that fateful Fall of 1956 when
Norman, after nervously pacing our living room,
handed me the paper on which he had scrawled
his resignation. I had done as much as possible to
shelter him from the disheartening criticisms
which caused his decision.
It started back in 1952 when Norman's book,
"The Power of Positive Thinking," was published.
The tremendous success of the book it has sold
approximately 2V4 million copies was a mixed
blessing. On one hand, its message was helpful
to millions of Americans of all faiths. On the other
hand, the book brought Norman into the public
spotlight and inevitably attracted the attention of
critics. They included intellectuals, religious
scholars, and church leaders who believed Nor
man's message was wanting in theology.
They held that he tended to oversimplify re
ligion. He offered "easy" solutions, they said, for
some people who might need psychiatric help.
And, they added, he emphasized the material
rather than the spiritual rewards of religion.
In reply, Norman said that there are many ways
of applying Christ's teachings, which were basically
quite simple. "What could be a simpler guide to
everyday conduct, than 'Do unto others . . .' ?" he
asked. The simple methods Norman had developed
on how to get along with one's neighbors, for
example, and how to pray, were part of his way
of applying the teachings of Jesus.
Although Norman conceded that he had tried to
simplify religion in order to help people, he denied
suggesting that it is easy. "Anyone who has read
what I've written," he said, "should know that I
say religion brings results only if you toorfc at it."
He agreed that he may have stressed the values
of religion for living a more effective life in this
world, but he added that he also has stressed that
such values can be gained only as by-products of
spiritual changes within a person.
Finally, regarding criticism that "positive think
ing" might not be enough for emotionally dis
turbed people, it is common knowledge that Nor
man was among the first clergymen to recognize
the importance of psychiatry, setting up a religio
psychiatric clinic at his church 20 years ago.
We left the controversy behind us that Summer
by visiting Europe, where Norman worked on an
other book. It was never out of our thoughts,
though, and a magazine article we saw upon our
return brought the problem to a head.
It was a symposium of criticism of "easy" re
ligion and of Norman by some outstanding figures
in the Protestant church among them Methodist
Bishop G. Bromley Oxnam; Dr. Franklin Clark
Fry, head of the Lutheran church; and Dr. Liston
Pope, dean of the Yale Divinity School. Norman
had time to read the article only hurriedly because
the day we arrived from Europe he received word
that his father was seriously ill. But before taking
the overnight train to Harrison Valley, Pa., where
his father lived, Norman came to me, greatly
troubled by the article.
"If such leaders of the church feel that I am
doing harm," he said, "there is nothing for me to
do but resign from the church." .
I told Norman that whatever he decided to do
would be all right with me because I believed
in him. Not that I had any doubts about his work.
I knew he was trying to help people with their
problems, and trying to teach them how to feel
God's presence in their daily lives.
Nor did I have any doubts about the success of
his methods. His next book, "The Amazing Re
sults of Positive Thinking," which will be pub
lished this Fall, is based on letters from thousands
of people whose lives have been changed by the
spiritual power of positive thinking. But still I
wanted Norman to know that I would stand by
him in whatever course he chose.
I did suggest that he give the matter more
thought and postpone his decision until he'd re
turned from visiting his father. During the trip
there, however, Norman wrote out his resignation.
He had decided it would be best not to tell his
father, who had suffered a stroke, although he did
discuss the decision with his brothers. Leonard,
also a minister, and Bob tried to convince Norman
that he was making a mistake. They pointed out
that although some Protestant leaders might dis
agree with Norman, thousands of others believed
in him and understood what he was doing. I should
also like to make it clear that no officials of our
own church, the Marble Collegiate Reformed
Church, had ever criticized Norman's message.
But the article had sowed the seeds of doubt in
Norman, and he remained unconvinced by his
brothers' arguments. Upon his return from Harri
son Valley, he told me he was going to present
the resignation at the next monthly meeting of the
deacons and elders of his church.
Five days later we received word that his father
had died. The day before the funeral, Norman and
I were in a study off the living room, where his
father's casket had been placed, when Norman's
stepmother, Mary, came in.
"I have a message your father asked me to give
you, Norman," she said. "Just after you left, your
father told me, 'Something is bothering Norman,
and I think I know what it is. It has something to
do with all that criticism. You tell Norman to pay
those critics no heed. Tell him that I know his
message. I've listened to him preach. I've read
every word he's ever written. And his message is
the truth. The people need it and the Lord wants
him to bring it to them. So you tell him to pay no
attention to those critics. Tell him that the Peales
never quit!' "
It was a moving experience. Mary was in tears
when she finished speaking. When we left the
room, Norman took the letter of resignation from
his pocket and asked me to tear it up.
Like most people faced with a crisis, he needed
the kind of reassurance that his father's words had
given him. And I liked to think that the fact that
I had left no doubt of my belief in him helped him
resolve his doubts, too. .
V", I'TIW!.' WIW'W1)
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