Abstract

Classic descriptions of revivals and its characteristics began with the XVIII-century Methodist one. John Wesley’s teaching regarding the necessity of experiencing ‘a second blessing’ – a total sanctification in his view – can be found throughout the XIX-century Holiness Movement that cherished this particular idea. The greatest theologian of revivalism in XVIII century, however, was not Wesley, whose influence extended even to America, but Jonathan Edwards, the first to have systematically described religious renewals. His follower, but also a modifier of his teachings, was Charles Finney, possibly the most acclaimed among revival theologians. His influence on theology and evangelism was so significant that he has been hailed ‘the Father of modern revivalism’. My intention here is to present the core of Finney’s theology in its historical-biographical context as well as to demonstrate its impact on later revivalism.