Charles Grandison Finney (1792–1875) was a pivotal figure in American religious history, known as the “father of modern revivalism.” His life and ministry were marked by significant contributions to the Second Great Awakening and social reform.

Early Life and Conversion

• Birth and Family: Finney was born on August 27, 1792, in Warren, Connecticut, to Josiah Finney and Sarah Curtiss. His family moved to upstate New York when he was two years old 7.

• Education and Career: Initially, Finney studied law from 1818 to 1821. However, after a conversion experience, he shifted his focus to theology and was licensed to preach by the Presbyterian denomination in 18243. 7.

Ministry and Revivalism

• Revival Techniques: Finney introduced “New Measures” in his revivals, which included the “anxious bench” for potential converts. These methods were controversial but highly effective in causing individuals to investigate their own personal understanding and relationship with God and eternity, in the call to repentance and faith in the conversion of the soul, and the surrender of the will towards God 1. 3.

  Finny rejected the five point (TULIP) Calvinism popularly taught in religious education and institutionalized religious colleges and seminaries–in his day. For this, Finney was highly criticized (and is still being criticized and attacked by hyper Calvinists), and even condemned as a heretic by some popular religious leaders. But eventually many of these highly religious fanatics caved, when they saw the results and the depths of conversion of those attending and being transformed in the Finney revivals. As a result, many of Finney’s detractors, and opposers, became born again and radically transformed preachers of the gospel: Including the Reverend Gale, who was constantly fighting Finney on doctrine points while trying to train him as a Presbyterian preacher. After Reverend Gale himself became converted and became an effective preacher of the gospel, after relinquishing his Calvinism in Presbyterian false doctrines that handicapped him from preaching the gospel of salvation.

• Charles Finney’s approach to preaching was practical, common sense, and logic based: using common contemporary illustrations that his congregations would quickly and easily understand. Then he would legally reason doctrines from the word of God. Finney approached the work of preaching from a legal mindset, laying down principles and speaking to the mind, heart, and will of his listeners: Capitalizing on their own personal sense of justice and bringing them to the point of understanding God’s justice through practical common sense arguments, as if he were arguing his case in a court of law. He told Reverend Gale (Finney’s religious professor) that if he practiced law, as Gail practiced religion, he would lose every court case he ever presented.

   

• Many of Finney’s original and initial opponents gradually became some of his strongest supporters. Finney won over many of his attackers after meeting with them personally, presenting himself humbly, patiently and peacefully seeking common ground in the gospel, as he did so many of the accusations and slander piled up against him dissolved. And his attackers became some of his best friends and lifelong supporters, even as Finney was invited to minister in their pulpits, because they saw a man who was diligently walking with God, and his soul was burning with the desire to see men saved from the wrath that is promised to come.
• Sadly, today, there are many here on the Internet even today, that are just as antagonistic and vocal and slandering the ministry of Charles Finney, as they were in his day. Again, most of these are five point Calvinists, who take great offense at anyone that would expose the weakness and frailty of such rigid religious and arguably false doctrine.

• Influence on Revivalism: He played a crucial role in the Second Great Awakening, leading extensive revivals across the United States. His approach emphasized the role of human initiative in salvation, differing from traditional Calvinist views18. [the five point (TULIP) Calvinism]

• Legacy in Revivalism: Finney’s methods paved the way for later revivalists like Dwight L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham6.

Social Reform and Education

• Abolition and Civil Rights: Finney was a strong advocate for abolition and African-American civil rights. He supported the Underground Railroad and taught at Oberlin College, which was a key stop on the railroad 2. 6.

• Oberlin College: Finney became a professor of theology at Oberlin in 1835 and its president in 1852. Oberlin was the first American college to admit women and African Americans 3. 7.

• Reform Movements: Finney was involved in various reform movements, including temperance and Sabbath keeping. He linked evangelicalism with social action, emphasizing the moral obligation of believers to engage in reform6.

The audio and visual below are not high-quality, but the message is priceless.

If you are wondering why I keep sharing these videos about Keith Green, it’s because he is the closest example of Charles Finney in my lifetime that I know of. Although he died prematurely, he left an enduring impact on my generation. And he himself, was dramatically impacted by the life of Charles Finney, as you can learn from Keith Green’s own testimony.

One night while reading Charles Finney’s lectures on revival, laid into the night and into the early hours of the morning, Keith Green woke his wife Melody, and told her that he had been born again, again from the influence of Finney’s writings.

Controversies and Impact

• Theological Controversies: Finney’s emphasis on human will in salvation and his revival techniques were criticized by some, including Lyman Beecher. He eventually became a Congregationalist due to these theological differences13.

• Impact on American Christianity: Finney’s influence extended beyond revivalism to reshape American religious practices and education. He popularized a more accessible and emotive style of preaching, moving away from traditional rigid structures56.

Overall, Charles Finney’s life and ministry were marked by innovation, controversy, and a profound impact on American religious and social landscapes.

Here is an exhaustive list of villages, towns, and cities where Charles Grandison Finney held revivals during the 1800s, which were pivotal during the Second Great Awakening:

1. Evans Mills, New York (1824)

2. Antwerp, New York (1824)

3. Perch River, New York (1824)

4. Gouverneur, New York (1825)

5. De Kalb, New York (1825)

6. Western, New York (1825)

7. Rome, New York (1825)

8. Utica, New York (1826)

9. Auburn, New York (1826, 1831)

10. Troy, New York (1826-1827)

11. New Lebanon, New York (1827)

12. Little Falls, New York (1827)

13. Stephentown, New York (1827)

14. Wilmington, Delaware (1827-1829)

15. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1828)

16. Reading, Pennsylvania (1829)

17. Lancaster, Pennsylvania (1829)

18. Columbia, New York (1829)

19. New York City, New York (1829-1830, 1832)

20. Rochester, New York (1830-1831, 1842, 1855)

21. Buffalo, New York (1831)

22. Providence, Rhode Island (1831, 1842)

23. Boston, Massachusetts (1831-1832, 1841-1842, 1856-1857)

    Note that in 1931, Charles Finney lost his primary key intercessor “father” Daniel Nash.
    At such a time, some of the miraculous and supernatural aspects of the revival ministry are not as a parent as previously experienced.

    Daniel Nash, often referred to as “Father Nash,” died on December 20, 1831, at the age of 56. He was found dead in his room in the posture of prayer, exemplifying his life of intercession 1. 7. 9.

    The loss of Daniel Nash had a profound impact on Charles Finney’s ministry. Within four months of Nash’s death, Finney left his itinerant revival work to take up a pastoral role in New York City. This shift marked a significant change in Finney’s ministry approach. Nash’s intense intercessory prayer had been a cornerstone of the revivals, and his absence left a void that was deeply felt. Finney himself acknowledged the critical role that Nash’s prayers played in the spiritual success of his meetings 2. 4. 9.

     

24. Oberlin, Ohio (1835-1840, 1851-1853, 1860-1868)

25. Hartford, Connecticut (1852)

26. Syracuse, New York (1851-1853)

27. Houghton, England (1849, 1858-1860)

28. Birmingham, England (1849)

29. Worcester, England (1849)

30. London, England (1849-1851, 1858-1860)

31. St. Ives, England (1858-1860)

32. Huntington, England (1858-1860)

33. Bolton, England (1858-1860)

34. Manchester, England (1858-1860)

35. Edinburgh, Scotland (1858-1860)

36. Aberdeen, Scotland (1858-1860)

This list encompasses the major locations where Finney conducted revivals, spanning from his early work in New York State to his later international efforts in England and Scotland 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.