New Lebanon Conference
Encyclopedia
The New Lebanon Conference of ministers was a meeting held in July, 1827, in New Lebanon, New York
, to resolve disputes in the Presbyterian churches concerning the so-called New Measures for evangelism instituted and popularized primarily by Charles Grandison Finney
. "The organizers of the meeting appear to have been Nathan Beman
and Lyman Beecher
." The week long series of meetings did not achieve unity among those who attended, but it did clarify the differences. Heman Humphrey, William R. Weeks, and some others represented the traditional side which opposed the New Measures while Finney was present with some supporters from the other side.
"[Asahel] Nettleton, Weeks, and others, who were not willing to accept uncritically all that occurred during the Western revivals in Oneida County, have been often blamed for not providing more documented evidence against Finney. But the fact is that they were often unsure of who was primarily responsible for the various innovations that were being pressed on the churches by a large group of itinerants and their younger imitators who appeared in the wake of the revivals." These methods would included: (1) criticism of specific individuals by name from the pulpit for sins which were not generally known, (2) urging those who were under conviction of sin to make their way to the front of the meeting room for counselling, (3) repeated singing of the same hymns for emotional effect to convince the audience to respond visibly to the preaching, (4) urging outward motions of the body to accompany alleged inner conviction, etc. This culminated in the revivalistic preaching of Dwight L. Moody
, Billy Sunday, and their successors.
The original name for the technique of inviting hearers to come forward was the "anxious seat" but it later came to be called an "altar call
" or "the invitation" and was popularized in the twentieth century by Billy Graham
.
New Lebanon, New York
New Lebanon is a town in Columbia County, New York, U.S., southeast of Albany. In 1910, 1,378 people lived in New Lebanon, New York. The population was 2,454 at the 2000 census.The town of New Lebanon is in the northeast part of Columbia County...
, to resolve disputes in the Presbyterian churches concerning the so-called New Measures for evangelism instituted and popularized primarily by Charles Grandison Finney
Charles Grandison Finney
Charles Grandison Finney was a leader in the Second Great Awakening. He has been called The Father of Modern Revivalism. Finney was best known as an innovative revivalist, an opponent of Old School Presbyterian theology, an advocate of Christian perfectionism, a pioneer in social reforms in favor...
. "The organizers of the meeting appear to have been Nathan Beman
Nathan S.S. Beman
Nathan Sidney Smith Beman was the fourth president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He was born in what is now New Lebanon, New York on November 26, 1785. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1807. He then studied theology and preached in Portland, Maine and Mount Zion, Georgia...
and Lyman Beecher
Lyman Beecher
Lyman Beecher was a Presbyterian minister, American Temperance Society co-founder and leader, and the father of 13 children, many of whom were noted leaders, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Ward Beecher, Charles Beecher, Edward Beecher, Isabella Beecher Hooker, Catharine Beecher, and Thomas...
." The week long series of meetings did not achieve unity among those who attended, but it did clarify the differences. Heman Humphrey, William R. Weeks, and some others represented the traditional side which opposed the New Measures while Finney was present with some supporters from the other side.
"[Asahel] Nettleton, Weeks, and others, who were not willing to accept uncritically all that occurred during the Western revivals in Oneida County, have been often blamed for not providing more documented evidence against Finney. But the fact is that they were often unsure of who was primarily responsible for the various innovations that were being pressed on the churches by a large group of itinerants and their younger imitators who appeared in the wake of the revivals." These methods would included: (1) criticism of specific individuals by name from the pulpit for sins which were not generally known, (2) urging those who were under conviction of sin to make their way to the front of the meeting room for counselling, (3) repeated singing of the same hymns for emotional effect to convince the audience to respond visibly to the preaching, (4) urging outward motions of the body to accompany alleged inner conviction, etc. This culminated in the revivalistic preaching of Dwight L. Moody
Dwight L. Moody
Dwight Lyman Moody , also known as D.L. Moody, was an American evangelist and publisher who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts , the Moody Bible Institute and Moody Publishers.-Early life:Dwight Moody was born in Northfield, Massachusetts to a large...
, Billy Sunday, and their successors.
The original name for the technique of inviting hearers to come forward was the "anxious seat" but it later came to be called an "altar call
Altar call
An altar call is a practice in some evangelical churches in which those who wish to make a new spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ are invited to come forward publicly. It is so named because the supplicants gather at the altar located at the front of the church building. In the Old Testament, an...
" or "the invitation" and was popularized in the twentieth century by Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
.