Charles Finney and Albert Barnes

In Charles Finney's obituary in 1875, the New York Times characterized him as “the Moody of his day, and great revivals followed his efforts.”[1] Barnes, on the other hand, “was not an attractive or an impressive preacher,” according to his 1870 obituary in the New York Times. His impact was achieved by clear, forceful, and honest argument, “rather than by any of those pulpit pyrotechnics that dazzle for an instant and die into a greater darkness.”[2] It is an interesting contrast to view these historical legacies side-by-side. Barnes’ legacy was his complete and extensive commentary on the entire Bible, entitled Notes on the Whole Bible, which marked him along with the “foremost divines” as a master of theology.[3] Finney’s was in his preaching and New Measures of revivalism. Finney’s obituary runs just 139 words in the New York Times, but surprisingly, Barnes obituary runs seven times that at 980 words.[4] Clearly, a century and a half removed, the modern historical evaluations of the legacies of these two men are skewed towards Finney; whereas, in the 1870s, Barnes received far more attention. 

[1] "Charles G. Finney," New York Times (1857-1922), Aug 17, 1875, 4.
[2] "Obituary: Sudden Death of Rev. Albert Barnes," New York Times (1857-1922), Dec 27, 1870. 5.
[3] Ibid.
[4] For an easily accessible historical reference, Appendix A contains Barnes’ obituary and Appendix B contains Finney’s.

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