Who did Billy Sunday consider to be the greatest preacher since the day of the apostles?

I regard Finney as the greatest preacher who has lived since the day of the apostles.

The Louisville Herald. Fri, May 04, 1923 ·Page 14

Charles Grandison Finney (1792–1875) was one of the most influential evangelists of the Second Great Awakening in the United States. A former lawyer turned Presbyterian minister, Finney was known for his innovative revival methods, bold preaching style, and theological emphasis on human responsibility in conversion. He popularized the “anxious bench” (a precursor to the altar call), promoted immediate decisions for Christ, and helped shift American evangelicalism toward a more activist and revivalistic form of Christianity.

Finney taught at Oberlin College and was a major voice in social reform movements, especially abolitionism and temperance. His theology leaned Arminian and perfectionist, differing from the Reformed Calvinism of earlier revivals.

However, Finney’s legacy deeply shaped the revivalist culture that Sunday inherited and embodied. Sunday likely admired Finney’s boldness, mass evangelism strategies, and transformative social impact. His statement calling Finney “the greatest preacher who has lived since the day of the apostles” reflects Sunday’s reverence for Finney’s lasting influence, not a personal relationship.