By: Seth Valenziano, Alex Erdenberger, and Mark Zimmermann

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.

By: Seth Valenziano, Alex Erdenberger, and Mark Zimmermann