Charles G. Finney and the spirit of American Evangelicalism

By Charles E. Hambrick-Stowe

Book Description

This compelling biography illuminates the extraordinary life of Charles Grandison Finney, America's most influential evangelist before the Civil War, while revealing the deeper currents that shaped a nation's spiritual awakening. Through meticulous research into Finney's personal papers and contemporary sources, historian Charles E. Hambrick-Stowe crafts a vivid portrait of a man whose revival campaigns transformed cities from the Erie Canal region to the British Isles.

Finney's journey from lawyer to revivalist to educator at Oberlin College embodies the dynamic evangelical spirit that swept nineteenth-century America during the Second Great Awakening. His innovative methods at New York's Broadway Tabernacle and his organized campaigns in major cities like Philadelphia and Boston established new patterns for spiritual renewal that continue to influence religious movements today.

Rather than simply chronicling one man's achievements, Hambrick-Stowe uses Finney's remarkable story as a lens through which to examine the broader evangelical movement and its lasting impact on American culture. The author demonstrates how Finney's characteristics reflected the essential qualities of evangelicalism that persist in contemporary spiritual life.

Written with scholarly depth yet accessible prose, this biography invites readers to explore how individual spiritual conviction can spark widespread transformation. Enhanced with maps of Finney's travels and period illustrations, the book offers both historical insight and inspiration for understanding the enduring power of authentic spiritual leadership.