Charles Grandison Finney

But yet they did eventually turn to God from their sin after they heard the gospel.

At some point in time they did want to be free from their sin.
They went from darkness into light.

What happened?

I believe both sides (calvin, arminius) can agree and say "because God opened their eyes to their sin and its remedy".

HankD

 

From Finney's Systematic Theology

The doctrine of an imputed righteousness, or that Christ's obedience to the law was accounted as our obedience,is founded on a most false and nonsensical assumption...his [Christ's] obedience could no more justify himself.It can never be imputed to us...It was naturally impossible,then,for him to obey in our behalf. (p.385)

The doctrine of a literal imputation of Adam's sin to all his posterity,or the literal imputation of all the sins of the elect to Christ... of the literal imputation of Christ's righteousness or obedience to the elect...I say I regard these dogmas as fabulous,and better fitting a romance than a system of theology. (p.397)

 

In the future, when you recommend a link, you should be familiar with the content before suggesting to others that the materials are sound.

 

Perhaps not. You dropped his pic as your icon.

In some quarters, such as mine, that isn't exactly a ringing endorsement.

Joseph Smith was quite likely influenced by Charles Finney. He may have even attended some of Finney's meetings in New York.Smith discussed big revivalistic gatherings in his works.

In your view can anyone rightly be called a heretic or false prophet? To merely say that some of us don't like Finney's theology would be dishonest. We might as well call a spade a spade.

 

Only certain ones are drawn,not each and every person head-for-head --past,present and future.

The drawing of the Father can't be resisted. Everyone thus drawn will be saved. The drawing is always toward a saving union with Christ. All the ones the Father gives to the Son will come to Christ.

But this is off-topic. Charles Finney is the subject of the thread.

 

Of course it's impossible. Just who are these "many Calvinists" who believe that one can be regenerated for years prior to hearing the Gospel? You need to be careful of the words you choose. The word "many" is certainly false. An obsure few ones who have claimed to be Calvinists would be more like it.

 

Preposterous. The passage says nothing of the kind. TULIP does not deny that an unregenerate person can hear the gospel (the way it is described in the above passage). TULIP says only that a man cannot savingly understand the Gospel. His own moral depravity stands in the way.

And this, of course is exactly what we see in the above passage. There is no faith mentioned, only that the person has come in and acted like a Christian.

You know, it is no wonder that you don't believe in Calvinism. You don't even understand it! Keep knocking down those straw men..

 

Also,

Finney was without a doubt a heretic. He denied Penal Substitutionary Atonement, affirming instead Moral Government theology. He denied the doctrine of imputation as well.

 

Just the fact that Finney causes the Calvinist to object so vehemently causes me to like him even more! :BangHead:

 

What kind of flawed logic is that! Do you even care that he denied more biblical doctrines than you can shake a stick at?

 

Jim Erhard quoted the following from Christian History, Volume 8 (1988)

From the website http://www.gracesermons.com/hisbygrace/

In my experience, the overwhelming majority of Baptist churches I am familiar with can get barely 40% of its members to church on any one Sunday.

I read of one megachurch with 30,000 members. It plans for about one-third of them to attend on Sunday, spread over several services.

That is one of Finney's legacies.

 

Bless God for the 10,000.

HankD

 

I would not follow the flawed teachings of Calvin and point fingers at anyone else, if I were you.

 

I follow the teachings of Scripture -- thank you very much. But Calvin is a good guide. If you'd like to pit Calvin's expositions of the Bible against the teachings of CGF -- go for it.

 

LOL> I always think it's funny, people say "I follow the Bible, not __________." Then in the next breath they say "My Pastor was teaching on..." or even worse "My Life Application Study Bible says..."

Actually, they don't follow the Bible, anyway, even if they do read nothing but, nor listen to any sermons...

They follow a translator.:tonofbricks:

:jesus:

 

It's strange how some people around BB want to declare "anathemas" on people with a different eschatology, but welcome with open arms a rank heretic that denied the substitutionary atonement, the very core of the Gospel.

Finney's main contribution to modern Churchianity is not his wobbly doctrines (although they persist in some places) but is his promotion of raw emotionalism (people call it revivalism).

The Gospel is a proposition which cannot be rejected or accepted without a reasonable comprehension of it. Emotions may or may not follow upon one's decision to receive Christ. Believing the Gospel happens when someone receives a miraculous healing of their hardened hearts in which God circumcises the stony flesh, allowing the hearer to know the love of God through Christ upon the hearing of the word.