20 years ago I read the incomplete memoirs they were excellent this edition adds some unpublished material, many cross-references and footnotes which I found nice to have, the compilers Rosell & Dupuis have done a great job. The book itself is very inspiring.

Mind you when I've drifted a little from God I found Finney objectionable, to hard to take! but when I've gone down the track of James 4:8 "draw near to God and God will draw near to you, cleanse your hands you sinners, purify your heart you double-minded" then Finney speaks as one who has faithfully gone down that path before me and as one who knows how to give good clear instructions on how to progress effectively! Good bye dead-religion, hello God.

I also highly recommend his "Revival Lectures". I have learn't more on answered prayer, effectiveness, revivals and my relationship with God from Finney's books than any other (outside the Bible) and I have many many answers to prayer to suggest it isn't just theory or dead words.

Best wishes to all.

Charles Finney is THE posterboy for American evangelicals--at least when the subject of revival is raised. Finney is lauded for his zeal, the crowds he drew, etc. What so many fail to note is that Finney WAS A HERETIC. Plain and simple. He denied the sinfulness of man, the death of Christ for the sins of man (he denied the imputation of our sin to Christ, and Christ's righteousness to us), and salvation by faith alone. So why did I give this book a five star rating? Because Messrs Rosell and Dupuis don't whitewash a thing about Finney--they give us the heretic, warts and all. There have been sanitized versions of Finney's memoirs on the market for years, but now the curtain is lifted, and we can see Finney's fishy theology for what it is, and from the source. This quote from Chapter 4 is significant: "[I could not believe] that men were utterly unable to comply with the terms of the Gospel, to repent, to believe, or to do anything that God required them to do. That while they were free to all evil, in the sense of being able to commit any amount of sin, yet they were in regard to all that was good. That God had condemned men for their sinful nature, and for this, as well as for their transgressions, they deserved eternal death, and were under condemnation...That men were passive in regeneration; and in short...the fact of a nature sinful in itself. These doctrines I could not receive. I could not receive his [George Gale, Finney's pastor] views on the subject of atonement, regeneration, faith, repentance, the slavery of the Will [sic] or any of their kindred doctrines." (pg. 48)

It should be noted that George Gale was a Presbyterian minister, and held to the doctrinal stance outlined in the Westminster Confession of Faith. That Finney did not hold to the WCF is clear from his account of his ordination:

When they [the ordination committee] had examined me, they voted unanimously to license me to preach. Unexpectedly to myself they asked me if I received the [Westminster] Confession of faith of the Presbyterian church. I had not examined it--that is, the large work, containing the Catechisms and Presbyterian confession. This had made no part of my study. I replied that I received it for substance of doctrine, so far as I understood it. But I spoke in a way that plainly implied, I think, that I did not pretend to know much about it. However, I answered honestly, as I understood it at the time." (pp.53-54.) The Westminster Confession of Faith, while unashamedly Calvinistic, still contains an understanding of justification that all major denominations would agree on; even those who would reject its Calvinism. Thus, for Finney to repudiate the WCF shows his flaming heresy.

That Finney didn't have a grasp of orthodox theology is evident from the assessment of George Gale after hearing Finney's first sermon: "When I came out of the pulpit [George Gale] said to me:'Mr. Finney, I shall be very much ashamed to have it known, wherever you go, that you studied theology with me.'" (Finney refused a chance to study at Princeton Seminary, claiming financial hardship. When he was told his tuition would be provided for, he still refused, stating that the Princeton grads he knew, George Gale included, "were not ministers that met my ideal at all of what a minister of Christ should be" (pg. 47.) (Why Finney consented to study with Gale, when it was plain how he felt about Gale, and Gale's theology, is beyond me. But then again, how he could deny all the cardinal tenents of orthodoxy and still be licensed by Gale and others is also beyond me.)

There is much more to this book than the portion I have chosen to concentrate on, and it is all interesting. I am just happy to find, in plain English, and his own words, evidence of Finney's heretical beliefs. I am tired of people accusing me of slander when I charge Finney with heresy; now I can prove it. This book is full of fascinating history, bad theology, and juicy narrative. If you are a Finney fan or foe, you should read this book--you won't be disappointed.

I first read Finney's Memoirs when I was around 18, and it ignited within me a passion for revival that has not ceased. This edition, with all of its additions and footnotes, makes the Memoirs even more exciting.

Finney was used of God to birth revivals through intercessory prayer and preaching against sin in both America and England. Someone has said that 90% of his converts stayed true to the faith (about 10% of Billy Graham's stay).

In his Memoirs, written when he was in his 70's, Finney shares how God saved him, baptized him with the Holy Ghost, and immediately began using him in the conversion of souls. Formerly he was a lawyer, but he gave it up in order to become an evangelist. He tells stories from various revival meetings, including the humorous (and awe-inspiring) revival in the town of Sodom, with it's one righteous man -- Lot! He also shares how the Lord led him to give a series of lectures on revival, which were later published in book form and used by God to bring revival in various countries, including China through the ministry of Jonathan Goforth in the early 1900s.

If you're hungry for revival and more of God today; if the state of the modern church upsets you, then read this book.

I have read other autobiographies of Charles Finney, but this book is by far the most thorough and accurate one. It includes parts of the autobiography that the orginal editor left out and foot notes that give a background on people, places, and beliefs prevailing at that time. Be prepared though,this is a good size book and much more than just Charles Finney's original autobiography, but historical information that helps you better understand how and why things happened in Finney's life. At times the foot notes and background do not apear very important to the readers of today, but regardless the life of Charles Finney was indeed exciting.

If you're looking for a book that gets in your face and calls sin, sin--this is it! This is not for those who are weak of heart but for those who are seeking to know God in the deepest way. Those who are not afraid to examine their own lives to the deepest levels and root out the stench of sin and worldly compromise. This book was a blessing to my life.

This was one of the first Finney books I ever read in the mid-80s. The principles of prayer I learned from this book then are still used in my life today. This book is the cream of his teaching on prayer from his Lectures on Revivals, broken down into daily devotionals. If you're longing for revival, or longing for God to answer your prayers, this may be just the book you need.

People who praise Finney for his works and theology haven't done enough study of theology itself! Finney denied Sola Fide (a central doctrine of evangelical Protestantism), expoused Pelegianism (he argued that people can choose good and be saved apart from God's grace), denied prevenient or common grace, and opposed total depravity. Most Arminian/Wesleyans would agree that Finney's views were not evangelical, Protestant, or orthodox. You could best describe his view as hyper-Arminianism. Those who support Finney and his views are unbiblical emotionalists who think that the real problem among Christians is lack of commitment. Sorry to say, but the real problem these days is the downgrading of Christ's sacrificial work on the Cross and imputed righteousness.

If you ever wanted revival in your own life or ministry, this book is the most clear representation I have ever seen in print anywhere. It is a riveting book that has kept me up at night for hours until I could read no more. Many people talk about revival and many people desire it, but until it is seen personally, it is difficult to comprehend. This book comes about as close to really "seeing" revival as possible. Once you see that as Finney uses the same techniques over and over and gets the same results, you come to the realization that maybe we can do it, too. These are not some mystical "techniques", but good old-fashioned bible techniques like prayer, fasting, faith, humility, etc. You must read the book. Don't criticize his theology until you have read his work. As one preacher told me, "They criticize his theology, but they can't match his power!" See for yourself. Then, after you get inspired about doing this in your own life, then read "Lectures on Revivals" by Finney to see how to incorporate it in your own life, and then "Systematic Theology" by Finney to understand the theology behind it.

The reader from Canada has righteous indignation and perhaps some knowledge but proves he has not read the book. First of all, what did you think of the book? You dont make any attempt to explain anything in the book so you were using this as a platform for your dislike of Finneys doctrines. First of all, if you had read the book, the very first part of it, you will discover that Finney comes to faith in Christ through a gut-wrenching realization he can not save himself. The grace of God stepped in when Finney reached this conclusion on a little retreat to a near-by wood. Although I dont always agree with some of Finneys teachings, overall I have greatly benefited from them. And please let me offer an opinion to you 5-Pt Calvanists. Just because someone doesn't embrace your doctrines we (I guess you could call me an Armeniast) understand salvation comes by grace alone, and is a result of Gods sovereign choice of us. However, the basis on which that choice was made is at best a mystery and if you disagree read 1 Peter 1. I highly recommend the book and think you will benefit from it.

Another book by the champion of emotionalistic "evangelism" and theological unorthodoxy. Finney's methods were flawed and were grounded on serious theological error. Try another book on evangelism and revival. Perhaps a book written by a Reformed author.

This is a great book. The book is compilation of Finney’s reasoning, methodology, partially application of church and personal revival.

Every aspect of revival is explored including how:
* A revival is started
* How to implement a great revival after one is started
* How not to have a poor revival
* What should be done after a revival has run it’s course

If your looking for a strong work on what a church revival is I strongly recommend this. I personally am a fundamentalist and found this book to be very useful and truthful.

What an awesome book! I have been a Christian practically all my life - 30+ years. A friend of mine gave me this book, and when I started reading, I didn't want to put it down. This is a wonderful book. It will certainly draw you closer to the Lord!

To those of you who think that Finney was such a great revivalist and preacher because he brought in so many "converts" should examine his theology carefully with the historic Protestant tradition. One will clearly recognize that he taught something that was contrary to the views expoused by the Reformers--Luther, Calvin, and even Arminius. Finney was a hyper-Arminian heretic who deceived many people with his false teachings. Finney essentially denied the cardinal doctrines of the Reformation like sola fide, sola gratia, sola Christus, etc. He advocated a man-centred soteriology that keeps people out of the Kingdom. Avoid this book and others written by hyper-Arminians like Dan Corner. Just because something "works" doesn't mean it is Biblical.

Some of the reviewers below have obviously not read the book, but are typical "anti-Finney" persons whose aim is to lower the book's rating by giving it one star. They believe Finney is a heretic and will denounce what they have not read just because it's written by Charles Finney.

That being said, when I first read the "Revival Lectures" it completely changed my life. Finney's presentation of the gospel is so much more challenging than the standard 20th/21st century version. This book transformed a generation in the 1800s. It also touched countless lives in the 20th century. (For example, the singer Keith Green was converted by reading this book.)

All this being said, I do not recommend this "modernized" version of the Revival Lectures. Their goal was to make the book easier to read (not that it was that hard to begin with). The language is far too "chatty" and loses all of Finney's style. It also outright changed the meaning of many sentences when you compare this book with the original-language edition. They took a great book and made it mediocre.

The book is also available from several websites in html or pdf form for free (in the original 1800s languge), and I know of two efforts to publish it in book form that will happen in 2003 (one in the original language, one a more conservative and faithful update). Best wait for those if you're looking to buy this classic in book form.

There are many good christian biographies and many good christian books written on many subjects, but I have yet to find a single one that even comes close to the "Lectures on Revival" concerning having personal revival. A fantastic "how to" book, it is unparalleled. Though written about 150 years ago, the methods in this book are timeless and do work. I have seen it myself on a smaller scale when his principles (which are bible principles) are followed. Think what would happen if one or two of us really yielded ourselves to God as he did. We COULD have sweeping revival today. If you still have any doubts, read the "Autobiography of Charles Finney" and see for yourself that over and over again he used the same biblical methods mentioned in this book and achieved the same biblical results. The autobiography makes this book even more believable. The books go together. It has been noted, (not by him), that 85% of his converts were still living for God 7 years after conversion. Compare that with 1% today. Who's wrong? You be the judge. I challenge you to read the book and don't criticize his theology until you do. As one preacher friend told me, "They criticize his theology, but they can't match his power!"

I liked this Book!!! It wasnt the best book ever write but it was good!!! It kinda shows me that there is hope... and the i can go out into world unprepared and i can probably make it!!! it is a good book i would suggest it to anyone and/or everyone!!!

Gillian is a good book. This book is about a girl who moves away from home. This story takes place in Canada at a camp in both summer and winter. The ending of the story is so exciting, Gillian gets engaged. Everything becomes all so wonderfull for Gillian all because she moved to the camp. I would recommend this book to anyone!

This is a very good book. It has very sad, happy, and funny parts. The story is about girl atthe age about 16-18. She trys to find a job. Then she finds one at a montain, its a camp. She works at the kitchen. To find more read the wonderful book. Thank you.

If you want to know how NOT to enter heaven, read this book. Finney was a heretic who denied the cardinal doctrine of the Reformation: Justification by faith alone. Regardless of what you've read and heard about him and his revivalistic ministeries, his theology was unbiblical and completely unorthodox. Read something more worthwhile.

This book will not give a religious view of salvation, but a true biblical view of what salvation IS and what it is NOT. This book will prove to you that once you "get saved", you are not necessarily always going to be saved--it all depends on your views of sin. Do you have a worldly view of sin, or do you see sin as God does? This book will set you straight. As you read it, you may think it strict! Yeah, but Glory to God in the Highest, this book may very well be a catalyst in changing your mind on some things and in the end, saving your soul and your spirit from death! An awesome book from an awesome evangelist. All of his works should be read by those who have a serious desire to know what religion has been falsely preaching. I praise God for giving Charles Finney such a profound view of Christianity and the Body of Christ. If you think you have a calling on your life, please do yourself a great big favor and read this book! You will be very glad you did!!!

Okay, now, for those of you who think Finney was such a great "evangelist" who brought in so many "converts" to Christ, you should study some of his beliefs before you go on saying how great a preacher and revivalist Finney was. Finney denied justification by grace through faith alone, total depravity, inherited and imputed sin, and prevenient grace. As a result, people become their own saviour. Obviously, the problem with these types of revivalisms are that they have no solid and orthodox theological foundation.

After having read this book, I have mixed emotions. First, I'd say that I learned quite a bit, and enjoyed the tremendous amount of research the author put in. Hambrick-Stowe is clearly knowledgeable and it comes through in the book.

My main hesitations in recommending this book are the almost gratuitous jabs the author takes at Finney and others that really take away from the scholarly feel. For example, after his conversion, Finney quit his practice as a lawyer and told a client (as he writes in his autobiography), "I have a retainer from the Lord Jesus Christ to plead his cause, and I cannot plead yours." Hambrick-Stowe felt the need to follow this up with the line "A famously witty utterance, it is also the kind of line that may have gotten better with each telling until it finally saw print" (p. 19). This type of cynical statement, grounded only in the author's speculation, almost ruined the book for me. He does it several times. Sometimes it's based on his opinion (as the above example). Other times, when there are two conflicting accounts, he will select one as the "correct" version and then put the other version in a bad light. He does this a few times with Finney's Memoirs. Charles Finney wrote his Memoirs (his autobiography) when he was in his seventies, about events that happened up to fifty years earlier. Interestingly, he asked his wife to burn it the day before he died. He never even intended his autobiography to be published! Though there are undoubtedly some errors in his Memoirs, it was actually a "prodigious feat of memory" as Hambrick-Stowe calls it (p. 292). Whenever Hambrick-Stowe finds a discrepancy in it, he should have been more charitable, realizing it was the work of a man in his seventies who did not intend it to be published. In general, I wish he had been less caustic in general, especially in the early parts of the book.

To his credit, Hambrick-Stowe does nicely set Finney in the historical context, and acknowledges the immense accomplishments and genius that Finney had. He ends with the appropriate quote from James Morgan that "There was in him [Finney], in prayer, the most remarkable power that I have ever seen in any human being."

Charles G. Finney And the Spirit of American Evangelicalism By Charles E. Hambrick-Stowe

The book Charles G. Finney by Charles E. Hambrick-Stowe is a biography of an influential nineteenth-century Christian, Charles G. Finney. Hambrick-Stowe writes of the ways that Finney influence on the people brought forth the spirit of American evangelism. The author looks at Finney as a typical American, and as a Spirit filled believer mixed into one. One of the major themes in the book is how this complex man, Finney, managed to hold together the very different religious beliefs. These beliefs were of Presbyterian New School-Old School schism, and the Calvinist and Wesleyan versions of the Protestant gospel. Another theme is about the effectiveness of Finney ministry and his way of preaching. Before his conversion Finney was an apprentice to a lawyer, and Hambrick-Stowe points out how this had much influence on the way that Finney preached. Finney began his preaching career in and around New York after the first Great Awakening, and before the Civil War. According to Hambrick-Stowe's account of Finney's conversion and preaching ministry, was anything but traditional. Hanbrick-Stowe continually points out different times that Finny broke with the traditional ways of preaching and went on to forge new ways to evangelize the American people with much vivacity. Hambrick-Stowe did not believe that Finney started the Second Great Awakening, but he was a major contributor influenced by preachers from the Great Awakening. His critical thinking skills and the poor preachers that he heard before his conversion helped strengthen his conviction to present the gospel with furor. Hambrick-Stowe makes Finney out to be the spark that lit the fire of evangelism. Because there was much turmoil in the church, and a lack of enthusiasm in preaching, Finney's style spoke directly to the people and brought on deep conviction of even the hardest critic. People responded to Finney's preaching because he used whatever method was necessary for the congregation. The greater the crisis in the community where Finney preached, the greater the response to the Holy Spirit. If a town or city were experiencing turmoil in any sense of the word, they would look to religion to lighten the burden of the social and economic status. Finney used this to his advantage in the pulpit. Hambrick-Stowe lets the reader believe that another reason for the effectiveness of Finney's preaching is due to Finney's personal interest in the people Spiritual wellbeing. In his ministry, Finney would go to different people's house to talk to them on a personal level, and to get a better understanding of them. He would talk to the local authorities and the religious leaders as well. Finney would encourage people to pray for the ministry, for penitents to give their lives to Christ, and for those who had special needs to come up to the front to be prayed for. Hambrick-Stowe tells us that another factor that contributed to Finney's influence was his message for all peoples regardless of age, race, or sex. Even during a time of heated theological debate between the denominations, Finney brought harmony where there was discord between people. Finney's role in the time was of a person who led the way for a new means of revival that continue today. His idea's of salvation for all persons was a new idea after the puritan and Calvinistic ideas of predestination. Finney encouraged door-to-door evangelism, personal testimonies in a service, and even women's testimonies. This is a good educational book.