The Role of the Conversion Theology of Charles G. Finney in the Theological Drift of Southern Baptists

This book examines the relationship between the conversion theology that was popularized by Charles Grandison Finney and the theological drift of Southern Baptists from Calvinism to Arminianism. It surveys the historical evidence of the Calvinistic roots of Southern Baptists, gives a brief overview of the traditional or Calvinistic Baptist view of conversion prior to the mid-nineteenth century, outlines the conversion theology of Finney and the opposition from his contemporaries, surveys the effects of Finney’s theology on Southern Baptists and evangelicalism as a whole, a summary of the lingering effects of Finney’s Pelagian theology on the church today, and concludes that Finney’s influence on Southern Baptists was a theological shift from their Calvinistic roots to Arminianism as the dominant theology. It finishes with a practical and pastoral applications for the church today.