In reaction against these criticisms, some Calvinists modified their predestinarian theology and brought their teaching on the afterlife closer in line with Arminian views. Famed revivalist Charles Finney appreciatively noted how effective populist preaching was for gaining converts, and even agreed to lead revivals with Methodist and Baptist brethren. Evangelical ministers united against the threats of deism and Universalism and stressed how important a right view of the afterlife was for the future of the new nation. Though belief in hell declined across the Atlantic, American evangelicals in the early republic argued that hell was essential for ensuring the virtuousness of the citizenry in the new nation. The American form of government was an experiment. Where monarchies could rely on top-down power and punishment, republics lodged power in the people and thus were thought to thrive or fail based on the moral fiber of their citizenry. While the promise of heaven might be appealing, evangelicals argued that it gave license to people to steal, cheat, and even murder, threatening total chaos. Hell was the ultimate punishment that could keep people in line.22
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