Revival Stories

The Burnt-Over Districts of New York in 1825


The 2nd Great Awakening started in the small towns of New England, blazed through the frontiers in Kentucky, and spread like wildfire across the nation. God used men like Asahel Nettleton, who saw numerous revivals break out as he ministered. In upstate New York alone, he witnessed hundreds of listeners in one setting crying out to God for mercy, and he led thousands upon thousands of sinners in the region to give their lives to Christ.

Charles Finney was also raised up by God as an unlikely revivalist. Finney had grown up in the church, singing in the choir and occasionally reading the Bible. But his heart was cold and indifferent to the Lord. As a young lawyer, he openly expressed his doubts and ridiculed how many Christians of that day would pray without actually expecting God to answer them. One day in 1821, he went out in the woodsnear Adams, New York, desperate to meet with God. He recalled the verse in Jeremiah 29:13 that says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” God met with Finney that day: in the woods and then later at home in his study. God’s palpable presence and powerful love overwhelmed him and forever changed him. He left his law practice to go into ministry as an evangelist and revivalist.

Finney felt that the people of his time only wanted God as long as they could have everything else they desired in this world. He knew that most people were unwilling to pay the price to completely follow after God. So he called them to make the choice for Jesus, to surrender to Him, as the most crucial decision they could ever make. He would travel from town to town and preach in a pointed logical way while also calling passionately for the lost to put their trust in the Savior. Beginning in 1825, God called him to begin ministering in areas of New York that he named the burnt-over districts.

What is a burnt-over district? This term was coined by Finney who recognized that in the early 1800’s God had sent numerous revivals throughout New York. This happened to such a significant extent that spiritual fervor had been pervasive among the citizens, and it seemed like there were almost no more lost people with whom to share the Gospel. But it also raised up many who were jaded to God’s plans and to God’s move towards revival. God called Finney to preach in these places, and as he went, the presence of God would powerfully manifest itself and cause people to face God honestly. Even in the most hardened and burnt-out regions, God would use Finney to set ablaze the fresh flames of revival fire.

Finney strongly believed that a person genuinely transformed by God’s grace can be used to radically transform culture and society. It’s estimated that over 100,000 people came to know Christ through these revivals. In Rochester, New York, the District Attorney remarked that the revivals cause the crime rate to drop by two-thirds for the next two years, even as the general population increased significantly. They would make many people aware of the evils of slavery and prompt believers to start organizations to seek after social justice and world missions. In this way, the 2nd Great Awakening deeply shaped America through the 1800’s. And today God can profoundly reshape America once again.


QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS:

  1. Who was a person you thought was most unlikely to do well in life? What does it take to change that person’s direction in life? What changed the whole trajectory of Finney’s life?
  2. Do you agree or disagree with Finney’s assessment that most people are unwilling to pay the price to follow hard after Jesus? Why? How does revival affect that?
  3. Is there a part of your heart or areas of your life where you feel it is burnt-over, unable to be touched by the good news of the Gospel or the power of revival? Why is that? What would it take for God to heal and restore that part of your life?
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