The purpose of these essays is not to argue about the theoretical legitimacy of Finney’s thought, but to point out the outcome it has had for the practice of Christianity in America. The first essay offered an overview of Finney’s religious system and mentioned several areas in which Finney introduced new ideas or methods. This second essay aims to make explicit the consequences of Finney’s ideas with respect to American Christianity.
The first such consequence was to open the door for theological modernism. If the twin criteria of reason and consciousness could nullify the authority of tradition and the confessions, they could also nullify the authority of Scripture. When modernists called an authoritative Bible a “paper pope,” they echoed the very language that Finney used in his diatribes against the Westminster Confession. Finney provided a precedent for the rejection of all external spiritual authority, as well as for undisciplined doctrinal deviation. Continue Reading>>>
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