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Early Life Born in 1792 in Warren,
Connecticut Parents moved to Western
New York Little access to religious
services or books “I seldom heard a sermon,
unless it was an occasional one from some travelling minister, or some miserable holding forth of an ignorant preacher who would sometimes be found in that country.”
Middle Years In 1821, when he was 29
he converted to American Evangelism
Rejected Predestination “The sinner chooses to sin
just as the penitent chooses to repent.”
God offered himself to everyone, but you have to save yourself
Started slowly, used new tactics to reach the greatest amount of people
Middle Years Cont. “I now think that I sometimes criticized his
sermons unmercifully. I raised such objections against his positions as forced themselves upon my attention. . . . What did he mean by repentance? Was it a mere feeling of sorrow for sin? Was it altogether a passive state of mind? or did it involve a voluntary element? If it was a change of mind, in what respect was it a change of mind? What did he mean by the term regeneration? What did such language mean when spoken of as a spiritual change? What did he mean by faith? Was it merely an intellectual state? Was it merely a conviction, or persuasion, that the things stated in the Gospel were true?” [Memoirs, 10-12.]
Middle Years Cont. Crucial figure of
Jacksonian Era Stressed qualities of
Equality of menSelf-governanceFree will
Later Life Was at odds with
conservative clergy Worked at Oberlin
College and Theological Seminary
President of Oberlin from 1851 to 1866
After Finney stopped his campaigning he began devising a doctrine of Christian perfectionism
He died August 1875
Movement-Revivalism Movement
characterized by:Located in the WestEmotional Meetings,
where conversion occurred
Impassioned preaching, examination of souls
Revivalism Continued First occurred in small,
emotional meetings (not as emotional as in First Great Awakening)
Served as social gatherings
Conversions jumped from 1 in 15 in 1800 to 1 in 6 in 1850
Encouraged return to God
Finney’s Reforms Desire to reform social
America
Wanted to limited of alcohol and abolition of slavery
Allowed and encouraged women to participate in his sermons and mass
Contributions Made Most influential of all
of the Revivalists Caused the Baptists
and Methodists to have the most conversions
Very theatric, created the interactive and enthusiastic sermon
Effects of the Contributions Even with massive
conversions, problems aroseCult-like perfectionismDoctrinal compromiseAnxious Seat
Even with his revivals, Evangelical Christianity almost disappeared
New Measures Mass Conversions Man controls his destiny
Effects Continued Burnt Over District-
Western New York Pelangianism
Original Sin did not taint humans
Perfectionism
His choice, no original sin
Bibliography Charles Grandison Finney. Virginia College. Taken from
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/detoc/religion/finney.html on April 8, 2010
Charles Finney. Institute for the Study of American Evangleicals. Taken from http://isae.wheaton.edu/hall-of-biography/charles-finney/ on April 7, 2010
Johnson, Phillip R. A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing. Taken from http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/articles/finney.htm on April 7, 2010
Scott, Donald. Evangelicalism, Revivalism, and the Second Great Awakening. Taken from http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nineteen/nkeyinfo/nevanrev.htm on April 8, 2010.