The Trouble With Finney

Finney and Mahan's brand of  teaching has long had it's haven in the various charismatic "Kingdom" movements and doctrines which had early influences from Keswick....  These confusing and wordy doctrines have helped to insulate millions from the practical truth of entering His Rest for real in the NOW -by turning their gaze afar off into exciting future scenarios.  I say all this despite the fact that many benefit from reading Finney because of the simple fact that modern ministers seldom deal with these issues at all!!  So polluted water is better than none..  But an abundance of good water is enclosed on this website!!!.

What I have for you here is some material that allows you to do some research in detail: ( PDF format)

•  a six page biography of B. B. Warfield so you will appreciate the stature of this theologian  Biography of Warfield
• a 17 page sample of Warfield's Reformed view of entire sanctification  Warfield's View
• “Oberlin Perfectionism” heavy duty theology by B. B. Warfield  73 pages (long download)  Oberlin Perfectionism

"Oberlin Perfectionism" can be difficult to read due to the detailed analysis of the various extremely convoluted and wild-haired deceptions that were current in Finney's far off era. Whew!! So long ago!!  But so very informative!!!   TP

 Nor can one cannot afford to be be ignorant in these days when there are so many high-sounding voices on the prowl for heavy funding and recognition to feed their vast "ministry" machines.  "The gold, the girls, and the glory" did always turn ministers aside.  Many find it to be to their advantage to identify with Finney's spectacular (but misleading) successes...

And here is my two cents worth:  Trouble With Finney

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Warfield is not the only theologian who disapproves of Finney.  Far from it.  In fact, any more recent theologian who understands the issues surrounding a Wesleyan view of  His Rest agree.  Regrettably this omits virtually everybody in our age!   However, lest you should think that Warfield is alone, here is the respected theologian  J. Sidlow Baxter holding forth on some obvious contradictions:   J. Sidlow Baxter    7 pages

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Note:  The relative isolation from Britain was very real, and had many consequences -for instance the teaching of all religion was greatly weakened, giving opportunity to other remarkable happenings such as the rise of Mormonism at this time.  The isolation started growing several years before the Revolutionary War. Normal relations took many years to be re-established. The isolation was also much greater in the north since the south had a large Anglican influence. (The north had the Quakers instead.) Wesley was a lifelong Anglican. This led to the easier acceptance of Methodism in the south, which is where the "Great Awakening" first took root.

See pages 7-8 on the below  ("History" page)

 The first Apostle of American Methodism
Long before the American war of Independence, Captain Web, retired from the British Army and undeterred by severe war wounds from fighting the French at Fort Louisburg (Nova Scotia), came to be considered the founder of Methodism on the continent of America. This is the colourful story of a truly worthy servant!  12 pages

To gain more of an impression of the stronger pre-Revolutionary War era in the U. S. see (from the "Testimonies" page):

Freeborn Garrettson
Freeborn became a Methodist minister when there were only 19 such ministers in America.  He went on to be the most productive minister in the church after Asbury himself.  At the age of nine, the Lord spoke to him: "Do you know what a saint is?" It was all so real that he answered, "There are no saints on earth in this our day"; and the same strange voice replied, "A saint is one who is wholly given up to God"; and instantly he saw such a person "in idea," as Garrettson phrases it, the most beautiful that his eyes had ever beheld! The vision so affected him that he expressed aloud a desire to bear such a character, and to him there was given a "strong assurance" that such should be his experience....  33 pages  ( his life or death sanctification crisis is on pages 5-6.)  (8/15/1770 - 9/26/1827)