Peale on Leading Edge of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
AbeBooks (https://www.abebooks.com) comments that Power Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale, published in 1952,) “proves, by actual experiences, that an attitude of the mind can change all minds, win success in all things and overcome all obstacles.” Peale was on the leading edge of cognitive psychology, which revolutionized psychology in the 1950s. In the 1960s, Aaron Beck pioneered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. On the contemporary scene, neuroscientists can demonstrate some of the mechanisms of brain function and track thinking.
Absorbed It from the Scripture Partially
The interesting biblical perspective from Genesis onward is summed up in Proverbs (23:7), “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” If you use Microsoft products, you may have observed that the power of positive thinking appears to be the driving force of their ongoing marketing campaign. Why? Because it works. And why does it work? It works because the Designer designed it to work. Before the fall, Adam and Eve were instructed to think positively. Even the one negative exhortation was positive—listen to God, and you shall live (not die).
Positive Thinking Biblically Pervasive
Consider these action verbs addressed to the believer.
- Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
- Love one another (John 13:34) This shows up eleven times!
- Pray for one another (
- Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
- Honor one another (Romans 12:10)
- Live harmoniously with one another (Romans 12:16)
- Build up one another (I Thessalonians 5:11)
- Bear one another’s burdens (Colossians 3:13)
- Regard one another as more important than yourselves (Philippians 2:3)
- Comfort one another (I Thessalonians 4:18
You get the point. The Bible is a book of positive thinking. In fact, thinking about Jesus’ mission, “I have come to seek and to save that which was lost,” exudes positive thinking. Then there are the Ten Commandments, which, stated in the negative, are actually positive thinking. Remember how Jesus sums them up when asked what the greatest commandment is? He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ‘ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself. “
Positive Thinking Prepares to Take the Promised Land
Vigilant positive thinking establishes a life trajectory of righteousness and prepares the heart to endure hardship. One of the finest examples of these principles is observed in two Old Testament men, Caleb and Joshua. They were the spies sent into the Promised Land to scout it out. When this group returned, they were the only two thinking positively. Their statement of faith was, “We can defeat them. They have no protection, nothing to keep them safe. But we have the LORD with us, so don’t be afraid!”
For forty years, these two men faithfully endured the hardships of the wilderness wanderings. Then, when God gave the word, Joshua was challenged to lead the people. He thought positively for 40 years, and then the trajectory blossomed into opportunity, and he charged forward. Caleb, likewise, as evidenced by his response to settling his tribe’s portion of the land, “ Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will [a]drive them out just as the Lord has spoken.”
Positive Thinking Requires Training
Positive thinking does not come naturally. It is cultivated. It is a learned way of thinking which implies the necessity of training. Even the secular Cognitive Behavioral Therapist understands this. He has observed it and, therefore, trains people to practice it so that it becomes second nature. Even the non-Christian can learn to think positively and net the results.
The basic parenting training program articulated by Moses (Deuteronomy 6) is essential. If practiced faithfully in the context of a loving relationship, it tends to override the negative bent of the sin nature. It facilitates the development of a positive thinking trajectory rooted in biblical theology.
Training, which implies resistance, is necessary to overcome negative thinking. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy taps into this design, and even though the sinful nature weakens the capacity, positive thinking training can change the trajectory to some extent.
The Wonder of the Gospel
The gospel’s message is that of a new heart with a new capacity empowered by the Holy Spirit to put off those behaviors of the old man, being continually renewed in thinking, thereby enhancing the capacity to put on the new man, thinking and behaving directed and supported by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Biblical Cognitive Behavioral Counseling taps into the Designer’s design to effect the transformation of the believer more and more into the image of Christ.
The fundamental positive thought for the believer is twofold. First, trust this basic truth: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” This knowledge develops a mindset of humility, thankfulness, and the faith to see life through God’s perspective. The second is so well stated in the famous catechism question, “What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”1 Nothing engenders positive thinking more than glorifying God.
Conclusion
This short blog does not advocate the need for Christians to study cognitive behavioral psychology to learn how to think positively. It demonstrates that God designed people so that their thinking determines their behavior. If they think negatively, they will act accordingly. If they think positively, they will act accordingly. However, Peale and those who followed him left God out of the equation. Without God, there is no moral framework to define positivity. Without God, no new man is empowered by the Spirit of God to train to think positively and to enable one to put off the old behavior even if he decides to think positively.
The born-again believer can think positively and respond positively to the various imperatives set before him. By practice (II Timothy 3:17), he can be trained for every good work.
Let us focus on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2)—now, there is Christian positive thinking—that will result in subduing the Promised Land and taking that mountain. We can be Joshuas and Calebs.
1 Westminster Catechism question one