In case you didn’t know, Charles Finny had a profound influence on evangelicalism and American Christianity. It was Finney who popularized the “altar call,” a practice still used to this day. I would put him easily in the top-5, maybe in the top-3 most influential people in the history of American Christianity. In Mosaic of Christian Belief, Roger Olson has this to say about him:
In spite of his many great achievements, Finney’s expressed views on salvation were more consistent with semi-Pelagianism than with orthodox Christianity. He more than implied that gracious works of God, in and for individuals and groups of people, wait upon human initiative and that all people are capable by will power alone of repenting, exercising faith in Christ, and living virtually sinless, holy lives. Critics of Finney’s theology and revival methods are quite right to suggest that he became a major conduit of enlightenment rationalism, individualism and humanism into conservative evangelical Christianity. No doubt his motives were pure, but his theology was pernicious.(274)
Essentially, Olson is calling Finney a heretic.
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Go Olson!
I was just listening to Tony Campolo talk about Finny. He said that after Finny’s alter calls, he invited those who came forward to come to a back room. In that room he had two tables: one to sign up for the anti-slavery movement and another to sign up for the women’s rights movement.
Finny saw the direct link between personal relationship with God and taking part in what God was doing in the world.
To those who didn’t want to sign up for either movement, Finny would say, “well, you need to go back out and rethink your decision to follow Christ.”
I would image that phrase would never be uttered in many of today’s american churches though it was uttered by Jesus (rich young ruler….).
***i realize that this point has VERY little to do with your post. I have just always held Finny as sort of a hero in connecting a strong emphasis on evangelism with a strong emphasis on social action. However, I know very very little about his theology.
Well the man was a heretic. His views lined up nearly 100% with Pelagianism.