The Optimist Creed

I am currently reading a book that was a gift from Santa (a.k.a Mark). The Optimist Creed by Christian D. Larson is all about the life changing power of gratitude and optimism. This Law of Attraction business never gets old to me and only one chapter into this book, I am loving it. The following review by David Crumm sums it up nicely.


Most people who are considering this book today have never read a Christian D. Larson book, because his titles were best sellers a century ago. Nevertheless, after many years of covering religion in America as a journalist myself, I can say: This new collection of Larson's best books by Tarcher should be on the shelf of every preacher, teacher, small-group leader and writer who cares about contemporary spirituality and comparative religion.

Larson's "long forgotten" status as a pioneering writer is as obvious as a little Web searching. He is mentioned as the author of the popular creed of Optimist International. A few short web pages (even Wikipedia's entry is woefully short) explain that he was born to a Lutheran family who lived in a logs-and-sod house on the Great Plains. A brilliant student, Larson felt drawn to Lutheran seminary until he discovered a Unitarian book that blew open the doorway to broader spiritual awareness.

I am drawn to Larson because he became a journalist, too. He ran a remarkable magazine for some years, covering Progressive-era news and also articles about what he regarded as "scientific" advances in understanding faith and spiritual forces. Before we scoff at a century-old view of science, I also recommend T.M. Luhrmann's insightful new "When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God." A serious contemporary scholar, Luhrmann spent years studying the experiences of men and women who have vivid daily experiences of prayer. What Larson was trying to do at the dawn of the 20th century came from the same approach toward religion than Luhrmann is following at the dawn of the 21st century. Both asked: What can research and practical study tell us about spiritual experiences?

Why should we read Larson today, out of all the now-forgotten pioneers in inspirational writing and positive-thinking advice? Because Larson was a genius for writing practical prose, pitched for general readers. He had a talent for turning phrases. A century before Oprah, Larson was writing about "attitude of gratitude." A century before Eckhart Tolle, Larson was writing about "Christ consciousness."

Yes, Larson's books are available in many formats these days. But, this handy one-volume collection by Tarcher makes for smooth reading in a handy, contemporary edition. Plus, Tarcher's editors have sifted through Larson's dozens of books to find the handful that stand the test of time.


I hope all of you had a great holiday! I plan to spend these remaining days of 2014 catching up on my reading, spending time with family and friends, reflecting on the year behind us and looking forward to all the wonderful things 2015 has in store! 

~ Love & Light ~