Product Description

True to Scripture, true to reason, and true to life.

Discover why these writings have been the impetus for revivals around the world.

Students of revival agree that Charles Grandison Finney spearheaded one of America's greatest revivals and influenced the course of history. Church rolls swelled in the wake of Finney's revivals. He is often directly or indirectly credited with the conversions of around 500,000 people.

Finney's theological convictions were born in the fires of revival and shaped by a keen lawyer's mind committed to the full authority of the Bible. He gave his life to promote: "The return to and practice of Biblical Christianity in the power of the Holy Spirit for the sake of God's kingdom and glory." The distinctive truths that Finney preached brought such a deep conviction of sin that today's church does well when it studies his position on the moral government of God, the nature of man, the atonement, sovereignty, attributes of love, unity of moral action and regeneration.

This expanded volume represents the complete 1878 edition, two lectures of truth from the earlier 1847 and 1851 editions, a comprehensive introduction from L.G. Parkhurst, Jr., plus appendixes, a glossary, and a scripture index.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #483516 in Books
• Published on: 1994-07-01
• Released on: 1994-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 640 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781556615146
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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About the Author
size : 5.4 x 8.3

Customer Reviews

excellent work but be prepared
In reading through this book, I experienced a range of emotions. At first, I was confused because Finney spends an enormous amount of time building up a "toolbox" of principles that is not immediately apparent where he is going. Components of this toolbox you will have never encountered before and will sound very strange. Thus the first 1/4-1/3 of the book left me unsatisfied and to be honest, I almost stopped reading the book. But then, everything began to come together and I could see how incredibly powerful this toolbox that he developed was. He essentially formulates Christianity, in the tradtion of Jonathan Edwards, using a moral government framework, where loving God and loving our neighbor is the "law of love" that is required of all moral agents.

That probably sounds very abstract, but it will absolutely blow you away. During some parts of the book, I was nearly crying because I saw for the first time how deficient my previous understanding of Christianity was. This book ultimately completely transformed my walk and understanding of the Bible.

The book is very honest, and very well crafted. Unlike most Systematic Theologies, it reads like a fireball of reason.

I wish that everyone, both admirers and critics of Finney, would read this book in its entirety. Do not get discouraged in the first part, just be patient. It really will revolutionize your understanding of the gospel.

The Theology of Revival - to help understand revival
The most thorough and authoritative discussion I have ever seen. Though probably not for new christians as his language is very deep and legal sounding. Remember, Finney was a lawyer before his conversion. For those who know their bibles at all, this book will answer many questions and shed light on many "false" doctrines being shoved down peoples' throats in our churches today. These false doctrines dilute the effectiveness of the ministry and quench the fires of revival. It is no wonder that there is little true revival today. For anyone truly interested in revival (new christians included) let me recommend Finney's "Lectures on Revival" to learn how to have personal revival, then his "Autobiography of Charles Finney" to see real life examples of what happens when his theology is preached, and then return to this book, which is a must read after you understand the others. A word for those of you who criticize his theology: I wonder if any of you have truly read his works with an open mind (if at all), and whether you have the spiritual insight to realize that what you are preaching is NOT WORKING. Look at America today. Let's wake up and smell the coffee. God did not give us a powerless bible, for the gospel is "the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth", Rom. 1:16.
Notice "to EVERYONE that BELIEVETH". Note 1) it was to everyone that believed and not just to those chosen, and 2) they believed, they didn't just sit and wait for God to come their way. As I quoted in other reviews, one preacher said, "They criticize his theology, but they can't match his power." Please just read the book.

Challenging, thorough - a must for every student of theology
Charles Finney's systematic theology is the only volume in print which collects together all of Finneys theological writings in one book. The first impression one gets is the detail - more than 600 hundred pages of deep, theological discussion, with deep being the operative word. This is not a book for the casual, or superficail inquirer. Even if one desires to gain a remedial understanding of Finney's theology, one has to be prepared to spend many hours getting to grips with even his most basic ideas. One has not been reading the book very long before one notices Finney's unique style of writing. It is, at times, a little difficult to understand; Finney uses long, drawn -out sentences, reminiscent of the 19th century lawyer that he was. However, if one persevers they will discover an incredible depth of thelogical thought and argument which has been the inspiration of several revivals of faith around the globe. Finney's theology is rooted in his understanding of the moral nature of God, followed by His premise reagrding moral government. At the time of writing, much of Finney's theology was considered very controversial and even heretical by much of the established church. Most of the unrest was concerned with His ideas on entire sanctification and his rejection of the idea of eternal security outside of obedience to God's moral law. These ideas, at a time when the church was dominated by calvinism, were not well received by the general clergy of the time. However, this did not stop Finney from going on to become possibly the greatest revivalist preacher since the Apsotle Paul. Whatever one's personal opnions on Finney's theology, one cannot deny the practical results of such a theology - over 500,000 confirmed conversions to Jesus Christ during Finney's lifetime. Surely the ultimate test for any theology is - does it bring life? Finney's force of argument is very impressive. He puts forward his ideas so persuasively that one may find it difficult to disagree, at least Biblically speaking. I would not recommend this book to any casual student of theology. One has to be serious and studious if one is to even begin to understand Finney's arguments; it takes time and effort to get to grips with his ideas. But as one great preacher once said, 'if you can read something once and understand it, its probably not worth reading". I agree. This book will find its best use in the hands of those who are serious about their theology and are ready to be challenged in their theology, some of which may well need to change after reading Finney's Systematic Theology.