Christianity” makes the slumping sales executive a “ball of fire.” Faith can cure all manner of diseases, even malignant tumors, for “there is a sound message of health in Christianity,” the reader is further assured. Religion will improve your appearance, for “God runs a beauty parlor.” “Applied Christianity” will help you to live longer.

There is no question about the “power of positive thinking.” By taking a defeatist attitude, by worrying, by having inferiority feelings, by fuming and fretting, by being tense and by nursing grudges we do hamstring our efforts. Counseling against all such is good psychology and it can be found in the sayings of Lao-tse, ancient and modern philosophers and psychologists and other wise men of the world, all of whom are freely quoted. And since the Creator understands man perfectly it is to be expected that His Word should evince a remarkable understanding of what is best for man psychosomatically. By capitalizing on the Bible’s popularity and wisdom, Dr. Peale has produced a best seller. But his philosophy is not true Christianity.

To illustrate: Many of the laws of Moses had good physical effects; one day of rest in seven is good for man and beast; forbidding marriage of close relatives is good eugenics; forbidding of certain meats, good dietetics, etc., but the mere following of these rules because of the physical benefits received would not have made any nation God’s chosen people nor assured them of Jehovah’s protection against their enemies. Such physical benefits were merely incidental. So today, following certain Scriptural principles for psychological reasons is not Christianity and will not assure one of salvation, of everlasting life at God’s hands.

The apostle Paul spoke of some “men corrupted in mind and despoiled of the truth, thinking that godly devotion is a means of gain.” This exactly describes the philosophy of The Power of Positive Thinking, for it quotes with approval: “The maintenance of a sound spiritual life is important to enjoying energy and personality force.” All such reasoning is selfish to the core and the very opposite of true Christianity, which is the essence of unselfishness. Instead of making God our partner and making him work for us, as the book repeatedly suggests, His Word tells us that we are his slaves and that “we are God’s fellow workers.”—1 Tim. 6:5; 1 Cor. 3:9, NW.

The purpose of Christianity is not the enjoyment of energy and personality force. Pure worship of God as taught by Christ places its emphasis not on what we can get out of it but on the vindication of the name of Jehovah, doing what is right and showing love to one’s neighbor. As Jesus himself said, “There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.”—Acts 20:35, NW.

All worldly religion, philosophy and psychology are primarily concerned with the immediate present, with that which seems desirable to the flesh, health, prosperity, success, popularity, etc. But true Christianity has its mind on higher things. Its prime concern is for God’s approval and so it seeks his kingdom and his righteousness, confident that all other necessary things will be added. Jesus did not hold out the rich young ruler as a symbol of success, but said: “How difficult a thing it will be for those with money to make their way into the kingdom of God!” And instead of showing us how to become rich in this world’s goods Jesus showed us how to become rich toward God.—Luke 18:24; 12:21, NW.

Rather than to gather riches on earth Christians are to lay up treasures in heaven. Said Jesus to his disciples: “If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself and pick up his torture stake and follow me continually. For whoever wants to save his soul will lose it; but whoever loses his soul for my sake will find it. For what benefit will it be to a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul?”—Matt. 16:24-26, NW.

Those words of Jesus must have a strange ring to many professing to be Christians in view of their religious leaders’ teaching them just the opposite, namely, that by applying the principles of Christianity to one’s personal problems one can expect to realize the material good things of this life.

And finally, in view of the fact that Jesus’ great prophecy, recorded at Matthew, chapter 24, shows that we are living in the last days, comparable with Noah’s days, applied Christianity requires that we heed his instructions to flee with precipitous haste from this old system of things to the mountains, God’s new-born “land”; that we take refuge in the modern “ark,” the new system of things, and associate with its inmates, the New World society. What folly, therefore, for Christians to be concerned with popularity and success in a world doomed by God!

“Having a Form of Godly Devotion”

WHAT motive prompts our religion, our form of worship? Is it love for God, for what he is and what he has done for us? Is it done because we want to praise and honor him? Or is it based on what we hope to get out of it, because of some material benefits we hope to receive, such as being thought well of by others? Are we worshiping God with spirit and truth, or are we having only “a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power”?—2 Tim. 3:5, NW.

To deceive ourselves along this line is very easy because, as the prophet Jeremiah expressed it, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?” Why should this be the case? Because original sin has caused the heart of man to be bad from his youth. That is why we are told that “folly is