Barnhouse on “Vincent Peale,” a story from Walter Martin

“I’ll never forget the time when my teacher, Donald Grey Barnhouse, told me of a luncheon he had with Norman Vincent Peale—who was then riding the crest of the wave on the power of positive thinking. They had chatted for a few minutes when Peale unexpectedly remarked, “I’d like a candid answer, Donald. I know you’ll give me one. What do you really think of what I’ve written on the power of positive thought?”

Donald Barnhouse was quiet for a moment before replying, “Well, I can only tell you what a great many clergymen have said to me.” “And what is that?” asked Peale.

“Paul is appealing, but Peale is appalling,” said Barnhouse, irrepressible as ever. “You have forgotten the most important thing. Before anyone can think positively, they must think negatively.”

“What do you mean by that?” Peale asked.

“Look,” said Barnhouse, “I am a sinner. Negative or positive?”
“Negative.”
“I am a lost sinner. Negative or positive?”
“Negative.”
“I am going to eternal judgment. Negative or positive.” “Negative.”

Dr. Barnhouse smiled, “Those are three negative propositions, without which, you cannot think positively. ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved’ (Acts 16:31). But if you don’t think the first three, you’ll never get to the fourth.”

“I never thought of it quite that way before,” answered Dr. Peale, rather disturbed.

“You must write a new book,” said Dr. Barnhouse, “The Power of Negative Thinking.” “I can’t do that; it would ruin me!”

“Get out the truth,” said Barnhouse. “The Lord will take care of it.”

He never wrote the book, but Dr. Peale was told what he should do. The truth of the matter is this: Whatever the cost—tell the truth. This is what we must do. Speak the truth in love, but for the sake of Christ, let’s speak it!”

Any familiarity with Walter Martin’s work would reveal that his weapon was the Sword of the Spirit—the Word of God—not a hair-trigger, Ad Hominem gun.  Guns kill, and Walter Martin never aimed to kill.  He loved people, and the only thing he wanted to kill was the false doctrine that would send them to Hell.  My father’s weapon was the Bible, and it is a precision instrument: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

What kind of apologetics did Walter Martin practice?  I think he said it best:

“I love Mormons.  I love Jehovah’s Witnesses.  I love the people in the cults.  I care.  I’m fighting for their lives; for their souls.  That’s love.  Love isn’t this sickly, gooey, syrupy garbage that flows out; where people are forever saying with this plastic evangelical smile plastered to their faces, ‘Jesus loves you.  Jesus loves you.  We want you to be born again.’  Butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths!  In the name of God, people are dying in their sins.  You have to tell them more than ‘Jesus loves you.’  You have to tell them Jesus is going to judge them!  If they are not going to receive love, they’re going to receive justice.  As long as we do not tell the whole story the world will tolerate us.  But if we tell the world the whole truth, it will hate us as it hated him.  Controversy is part and parcel of the Christian heritage.  You cannot escape it if you truly want to serve Jesus Christ.”