Charles Finney: Revivalism, Evangelism, and Criticism - Christian Biographies

Charles Finney is a man of great division. To this day, many debate what precisely he believed and whether it was beneficial or harmful to modern Christianity. In this video, we look at Finney's life and ministry. We also look at why many people disagreed and criticized his work within early Revivals.

Time Stamp:
0:00 Intro
0:44 Early Life
1:48 Studies and Ordination
2:52 Anti-Intellectualism
3:45 Second Great Awakening
5:18 Calvinism
6:11 Preaching
8:48 Rochester New York
9:55 Abolition and Social Reform
12:09 Oberlin College
13:55 Living Legacy

Born in 1792, Finney used his first practice as a lawyer for the rest of his life. After coming to a conversion moment in his life in 1821, Finney turned his attention upon the ministry. Starting his studies under Rev. George Gale, a Presbyterian minister. But the doctrine of the Presbyterian Church did not sit well with what Finney had experienced throughout his life. He believed that the doctrine that they taught was not Biblical or practical for ministry. Nevertheless, he was ordained as a preacher within the Presbyterian Church.

Finney started his ministry at the beginning of the Second Great Awakening (the early 1800s). He got his start in what is known as the "burnt-over district" of New York. After moving from Revival to Revival, he finally made his way to Rochester in 1830. Here he began his largets Revival work as he spent six months day in and day out preaching to the people. Finney's preaching style was very unique, as some say he ran his sermons like a lawyer presents a case to the jury. Focused on bringing facts and emotions to the pulpit, he made the audience decide, either they would answer the invitation into a relationship with Jesus, or they would reject it, there was no middle ground.

Not only was the preaching style very different from most people, but Finney also made social justice movements a significant part of everything he did. Focused on not having divisions, many who attended his sermons were rich, poor, black, white, male, female, etc. But he didn't just push for a breakdown of barriers inside the Church, Finney led movements of Change focused on the outside of the Church as well. From anti-tobacco to prison reform, many movements got their start in the effort Finney put on these things.

Finally, Finney would spend his last years teaching at Oberlin College as first a professor and then as the second president. He brought much criticism over his life, his focus on Revivals, going against Calvinistic doctrine, and not backing down from what he thought was right caused many people to disagree and argue the life of Finney. But this video is here to introduce you to all of these things, and we now ask what you think about his life in the comments below.

Resources:
- http://www.gospeltruth.net/cgfworks.htm (This is a complete collection of Finney's original, unedited versions, this is a great place to start your research)
-(Book) "Charles G. Finney and the Spirit of American Evangelicalism" July 1996. This resource takes a full look at the life of Finney and offers up a readable, yet scholarly review of the life and actions of Finney.
-http://truthinheart.com/EarlyOberlinC... (“A Biography of Charles Finney by G. Fredrick Wright” Holiness Perspective: supportive)
- http://www.gospeltruth.net/nouncertai... (“A Vindication of the Methods and Results of Charles Finney’s Ministry”: Revivalists perspective, favorable; answers many of the Old School Calvinist critiques)
- http://www.thearda.com/timeline/event... (An overview of the Rochester Revival and timeline of events)
-(Book) The Second Great Awakening and the Transcendentalists (Greenwood Guides to Historic Events 1500-1900) (Here, you will see a deeper understanding of the Second Great Awakening and Finney's connection with these movements.
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberlin... (A look at the history of Oberlin College)
-https://reformed.org/calvinism/ (An introduction to the theology of Calvinism)