Norman Vincent Peale was born in Bowersville, Ohio on May 31, 1898. He received degrees at Ohio Wesleyan University and Boston University School of Theology. He was ordained into the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1922 and served as a pastor in a variety of churches in the eastern United States for the next decade. In 1932, he joined the Dutch Reformed Church and became the pastor of the Marble Collegiate Church, a post he would hold for more than 50 years. During his lifetime, he wrote 46 books including The Art of Living, You Can Win, A Guide for Confident Living, The Power of Positive Thinking, and This Incredible Century.