Connections?

“The Anxious Bench” was written in 1844 by John Williamson Nevin. He decried the “New Measures” being implemented by so-so preachers during revivals. One of those “New Measures” was the anxious bench, and Nevin had a lot to say about the lack of quality pertaining to its’ usage. In Nevin’s critique, the preacher’s inability to affect souls out of words alone often led to his decision to use tactics like the anxious bench.

Perhaps my favorite of his critiques is the idea that methods like the anxious bench do harm to souls that are not yet (or not yet really) saved. This led him to live under the conviction that ministers of the gospel should do no wrong, even if “to win a soul to Christ.” This quote alone sheds light on the fact that Nevin thought religious excitement based on new measures was not a thing that would stick, but rather “religious” would fade with “excitement”. 

Overall, this critique was helpful in framing Finney’s preaching methods in a contemporary but opposed light. Interestingly, the anxious bench is still being used in some churches today.

Conversely, the ways religion is invoked in the portion of the novel “Oldtown Folks” that we read for today has remnants of Anxious-Bench induced religion. (It was published in 1869. I’m not sure if Beecher would’ve been familiar with Nevin, though I am certain she likely knew of the anxious bench.) There are many theological undertones, including God’s all-powerfulness and literal interpretation of the Bible. I’d be interested in learning of any further connections between Harriet Beecher Stowe and preachers like Finney, since both Finney and her father were Presbyterian ministers.