Born in Warren, Connecticut, on August 29, 1792, Finney was the youngest of nine children. The son of farmers who … See more

Finney was active as a revivalist from 1825 to 1835 in Jefferson County and for a few years in Manhattan. In 1830–1831, he led a revival in Rochester, New York, which has been noted as inspiring other revivals of the Second Gr… See more

In addition to becoming a widely popular Christian evangelist, Finney was involved with social reforms, particularly the abolitionist movement. Finney frequently denounced slavery from the pulpit, called it a "great natio… See more

In 1835, the wealthy silk merchant and benefactor Arthur Tappan (1786–1865) offered financial backing to the new Oberlin Collegiate Institute (as Oberlin College had been known until 1850), and he invited Finney, on … See more

Finney was twice widowed and married three times. In 1824, he married Lydia Root Andrews (1804–1847) while he lived in Jefferson County. They had six children together. In 1848, a year after Lydia's death, he … See more

Finney was a New School Presbyterian, and his theology was similar to that of Nathaniel William Taylor. Finney departed strongly from traditional Calvinist theology. In the field of soteriology, he denied the doctrine of … See more