Charles Finney's on Revivals of Religion: Summary

This post offers a biographical sketch of Second Great Awakening revivalist Charles Finney and summary of his most important book.

Charles Grandison Finney was born in Connecticut on Aug. 29, 1792 and died Aug. 16, 1875 in Ohio.  After a brief stint teaching, Finney studied and practiced law.  In 1821 he underwent a religious conversion and dropped his law practice to become an evangelist and was licensed by the Presbyterians. Finney was most active as a revivalist between 1825-35 and was known for his innovations including having women pray in public meetings of mixed gender, development of the "anxious seat" (a place where those considering becoming Christians could come to receive prayer), extemporaneous preaching and public censure of individuals by name in sermons and prayers. His revivals achieved spectacular success in large cities, and in 1832 he began an almost continuous revival in New York City as minister of the Second Free Presbyterian Church. His disaffection with Presbyterian theology and discipline, however,

The Next Christians: Krista Tippet with Gabe Lyons and Jim Daly

In this fascinating video, Krista Tippet, host of NPR's Fresh Air, interviews Gabe Lyons and Jim Daly.  Lyons is co-author of UnChristian, author of The Next Christians and founder of Q, a TED-like gathering for Christian culture-makers.  Daly is President and CEO of Focus on the Family.  Together they discuss the diverse Evangelical approaches to public engagement in politics and culture.  It's a fascinating, and at points hope-giving look at one potential future of evangelicalism.  I will say I was a bit let down that there wasn't more (evident) disagreement between the guests.  

You may want to skip the first 6 minutes of set-up. 


The Next Christians ~ In the Room with Gabe Lyons, Jim Daly, and Krista Tippett from On Being on Vimeo.

Lord, Save Us From the American Patriot's Bible: Christian Magazine Ads Face to Face

This unlikely pair of mutually illuminating ads appeared on opposite pages in a popular evangelical magazine a couple years ago.  After narrowly averting the inclination of my gag-reflex, I laughed out loud at the sad irony. (You'll want to click it to enlarge and read the text).

Lord, Save us From Your Followers, the movie, poses a question as a subtitle:  Why is the Gospel of love dividing America?  To which the opposite page would seem to provide a clue with the suggestion that the Last Supper and Signing of the Declaration of Independence were moments when history repeated itself.  The second ad is peddling the American Patriot's Bible.

I can't help but wonder if the pairing was the unspoken commentary of an editor...or divine happenstance.

Watch Lord, Save us From Your Followers free on hulu. 

Related Posts
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The Myth of a Christian Nation
Book Review: Christian America?  What Evangelicals Really Want by Christian Smith

Evangelicals and Politics since 1980: A Documentary

Reagan was the first presidential candidate who the press credited Evangelicals for electing in 1980, the year I was born.  Find 50 minutes to watch this excellent PBS documentary (The final episode of an excellent six part series).

It looks at key figures including Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Robert Cizik, Rick Reed, Jim Wallis, George W. Bush and Barack Obama evenhandedly. 

Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.

The Sociology of Catalyst Pt 5: Trying to Change the World

While all “religions create action orientations,” one of the most striking, and for some alarming, facts about Catalyst is its undeniable attention to impacting, engaging and changing the world.[38]  As Smith notes in Christian America?, evangelicals are the most “most intensely distinctive and most publically oriented subgroup of conservative Protestants.”[39]  Furthermore, as Smith documents repeatedly, the language used by some evangelicals has caused media and society generally to view them as organized and poised for a rather aggressive campaign to change the nation.

The Sociology of Catalyst Pt 4: Hipsters in the Kingdom

In contrast to the “coolness” of being “in the world,” Catalyst also nurtures the “hipness” of a distinct subculture, which it sees as equally important to its mission.  Smith, who argues that evangelicalism is “the strongest of the major Christian traditions in the United States today,” attributes this vitality to what he calls their “subcultural identity.”[33]  In the wake of secularization theory’s demise, Smith articulated a “subcultural identity” theory of religious vitality through eight propositions:

1) human needs for meaning are socially met,
2) group identity is necessarily in distinction,
3) religious adaption is not necessarily accommodation,
4) individual choice can strengthen religious identity,
5) reference groups, not society en mass, establish group and individual meaning,
6) modern pluralism promotes formation of strong subcultures,
7) intergroup conflict typically strengthens group identity and
8) modernity can intensify the felt needs that make religion appealing.[34]  

Through the lens of this theory, evangelicals are thriving because they, better than other Christian groups, “possess and employ the cultural tools needed to create both clear distinction from and significant engagement and tension with other relevant outgroups, short of becoming genuinely countercultural.”[35] 

The Sociology of Catalyst Pt 3: The Culture of Cool

Catalyst manifests the coolness-pursuit of being “in the world” in a myriad of ways.  First, the music used in the interims, rather than being your typical slate of Christian worship or even Christian rock, was rather a mix of popular secular hits.  Live bands in hallways, outside and from the mainstage played songs including: Jack Johnson’s “Waiting on the World to Change”; U2’s “City of Lights”; Maroon 5’s “All I Need”; Kanye West’s “Gold Digger”; Lenny Kravitz’s “Fly Away”; Boyz 2 Men’s “End of the Road”; Enimem’s “Not Afraid”; Michael Jackson’s “Beat it”; and B.o.b’s “Airplanes”.  Tweeter @jasongrant777 expressed a common sentiment: “Best Christian event ever. Yesterday an Eminem cover and today the band just covered Kanye West's gold digger now MJ's beat it #cat10 #fb”.   While I believe an in depth analysis of the lyrics and themes of these songs would yield profitable insights (for I am sure these songs were not thoughtlessly selected), this is, unfortunately, beyond the scope of this project.  Suffice it to say that Catalyst embraces popular music as a legitimate means of coolness.  

      Second, Catalyst, its exhibitors, and its attendees are sold out on popular technology.
The clearest evidence of this was the ubiquity of iphones.  I’d approximate based on my observation that half of all people present were carrying the devices.  There was enough iPhone use that I noted several comments, both on Twitter and on site, about the resultant slowing of AT&T’s 3G network.  For example, this one from @SiteOrganic: “Skinny jeans, plaid shirts, black glasses and iPads (with really slow wireless). Welcome to #cat10!” 

The Sociology of Catalyst Pt 2: Engaged Orthdoxy and Hipster Christianity

Christian Smith’s landmark American Evangelicalism: Embattled and Thriving labels the evangelical posture toward society as “engaged orthodoxy.”  Smith traces this to the founding of the American evangelical movement to the likes of Billy Graham, Harold Ockenga, Charles Fuller, and Carl Henry, beginning in the 1940s.  These reforming fundamentalists were “fully committed to maintaining and promoting confidently traditional, orthodox Protestant theology and belief, while at the same time becoming confidently and proactively engaged in the intellectual, cultural, social, and political life of the nation.”[16] 

            Almost 70 years later, “engaged orthodoxy” is alive and well with Catalyst as one of its freshest champions. 

The Sociology of Catalyst Conference Pt 1: Anonymous Evangelicalisms Hip New Hub

In October of 2010, 13,000 zealous Christian leaders gathered and talked about changing the world. This study applies some of the tools of the sociology of religion to an understanding of the organization behind this gathering, Catalyst. The research that informs this work includes participant observation at the annual Catalyst East Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on October 5-7, 2010, analysis of Catalyst’s presence on the internet, attention to participant comments via Twitter and relevant written sources. The primary questions pursued in this research center around the posture of Catalyst and those who affiliate with it toward the wider culture. In this respect, the work of Christian Smith and others on American evangelicals has proven immensely helpful.

I'm an Evangelical (Gasp!)

I am a born and bred evangelical.  I was born in an evangelical Christian family, attended private evangelical Christian schools in elementary, middle and high school, graduated undergrad from the ‘Harvard of evangelicalism,’ Wheaton College, got an M.Div from the largest evangelical seminary, Fuller Theological, and have worked in two evangelical mega-churches.  So, I guess I’d have to say,
“I’m an evangelical.”

I consider it quite a daring move on my part to come out as an evangelical, given some recent polls,  published in UnChristian.  These indicate that among young people who aren’t church-goers, 49% think ‘evangelical’ is a dirty word...and only 3% think good thoughts when the word is mentioned.  In other words, there is an 16:1 ratio of bad connotations to good.

So odds are good that you think less of me now than you did before I opened my mouth.  So why would I admit the label?  Simply because evangelicals are my people.

The truth is, though, that I’m beginning to wonder if “my people” really want me anymore.  It seems that since being educated in some of our/their most prestigious evangelical schools, I somehow no longer belong.

As I was finishing up at Fuller seminary, I began a conversation with an evangelical Christian high school about filling an open position as a Bible teacher.  All was going so well I thought it was a done deal, until the head of the Bible department asked me about my view of the Bible.  My answer would have made my Fuller professors beam.  I talked about its divine authority and its contextual nature. Then I gave an example: “I don’t believe Scripture intends to teach us that creation happened in a literal 7-days, but rather that it demonstrates, by deliberate contrast with the then dominant creation myths, the true nature of God's good intention for creation, and most importantly, his love for humankind.”  Suffice it to say, ‘my people’ didn’t want me teaching their students.

More recent events, which are too raw to mention, have been even more painful.  And now, I find myself ready to identify as a recovering evangelical.

St. Augustine, a major source of Christian theology, has this jarring quote that rings true for me, and I suspect for many of my post-evangelical peers.  He said “The church is a hoar, but she is my mother.” Well, when it comes to my relationship with evangelicalism, that about sums it up.  I wouldn’t brag about her virtue, but I no less owe her an eternal debt.

The Myth of a Christian Nation: Greg Boyd on Video

"You can't pick up the cross, without putting down the sword." ~Greg Boyd

Charlie Rose interviews Pastor Gregory Boyd on his book, "The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church."

Although Boyd is no liberal, he lost one-fifth of his congregation when he preached that the church should steer clear of mixing the gospel with a specific political stance, noting that the Kingdom of God is, in Jesus' words, "not of this world."

I've read the book, and found it a compelling elucidation of the Kingdom and way of Jesus in contrast to the way of the kingdoms of this world. The book.