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Old Side–New Side controversy

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disagreement over the plan of union and examination of candidates for the ministry had erupted at synod. The Old Side did not inquire into the candidate's experience to determine his acquaintance with religion, and the New Side minister had done so. The synod decided to leave it up to each presbytery on whether or not to question candidates in such a manner. That year they also created a Second Presbytery of Philadelphia, which was clearly done on a theological split, not a geographical one. In 1765 the Old Side controlled Presbytery of Donegal was split into multiple presbyteries. On account of this perceived violation of their rights and the Plan of Union, the Old Side members of the Presbytery of Donegal withdrew from Synod and Revs. John Ewing and Alexander McDowell, both Old Side ministers, protested the decision of synod to split Donegal. In the end, the outbreak of the Revolutionary War took center stage and by the end of the war the Synod of New York and Philadelphia dissolved and in 1788 the first General Assembly was formed.
86:. The synod and presbyteries provided oversight and discipline to ministers and churches, and they also ordained ministers. Early on, American Presbyterians were divided by both ethnicity and religious outlook. Some of the members had Scots-Irish and Scottish backgrounds, while others came from New England. The Scots-Irish party stressed a dogmatic adherence to confessional standards, professional ministry, and the orderly and authoritarian nature of church government. The New England party emphasized "spontaneity, vital impulse, adaptability" and experiential 167:
Points four through seven all deal with consequences of having a different understanding of the Doctrine of Convictions. The Old Side ministers accused the New Side ministers of rashly condemning other Presbyterian ministers as unconverted (point four), of teaching that regularly ordained ministers
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and being able to judge the gracious state of an individual by that narrative (point seven). The New Side condemned the Old Side for not requiring narratives or preaching the terrors of the law. Gilbert Tennent at least believed that some ministers were unconverted and that people should not sit
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For the next several years the Conjunct Presbytery and the Synod of Philadelphia battled in print and over reuniting, with the Presbytery of New York standing in the middle. The Presbytery of New York generally favored the revival, but had doubts about some of the extreme and disorderly actions.
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The factions of the Old Side and New Side did not die down. The Synod of New York had 72 ministers in 1758 when it merged with the Synod of Philadelphia, which had only a little over twenty. Thus, the New Side doctrine was imposed upon the Presbyteries and became the rule of the Synod. By 1762
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to be the common standard for faith and practice. Rather than scrutinizing the beliefs of ministerial candidates, the anti-subscriptionists thought it would be more helpful to examine their personal religious experience. The impasse was resolved with passage of the
118:. The Adopting Act was a compromise that required affirmation or "subscription" only for those parts of the confession considered "essential" to the faith. This compromise maintained peace between the two groups for several years until the 53:. The Old and New Side Presbyterians existed as separate churches from 1741 until 1758. The name of Old Side–New Side is usually meant as specifically referring to the Presbyterian Church. When one is referring to the debate as a whole, 189:
inefficiency, and the bottomless gulf of Unitarianism" by reuniting with the New Side in 1758. Others think that there were no doctrinal divisions between the two parties, just ones of methodology.
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There are many different view points on the Old Side–New Side conflict today. Historian Joseph Tracy held that the Old Side was saved from drifting into "the dead sea of
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Finally, in 1746, the Presbytery of New York left the Synod of Philadelphia and joined the New Side. The Conjunct Presbytery then became the
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A History of the Presbyterian Church in America: From Its Origin Until the Year 1760, with Biographical Sketches of Its Early Ministers
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under the ministry of an unconverted minister. This comes from his famous sermon, "Dangers of an Unconverted Ministry".
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led to the subscription controversy of the 1720s. The Scots-Irish or subscription party believed that
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A dispute between these two groups over whether the synod should require ministers to affirm the
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Tennent, Gilbert: "Dangers of An Unconverted Ministry", Benjamin Franklin, Philadelphia, 1740.
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The Broadening Church: A Study of Theological Issues in the Presbyterian Church Since 1869
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could do no spiritual good if they were unconverted (point five), of preaching the '
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ideas. The New England or anti-subscription party preferred declaring the
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History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire and representative citizens
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while the Old Side ministers continued as the Synod of Philadelphia.
296:, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, pgs. 339–634, 1976. 186: 138: 49:
and was part of the wider theological controversy surrounding the
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In 1717, Presbyterians in the American colonies created the
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Background: Presbyterianism in the American colonies to 1741
262: 250: 223: 340: 240: 238: 435:. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster Johh Knox Press. 235: 211: 199: 397:Balmer, Randall Herbert; Fitzmier, John R. (1994). 374: 468:. Philadelphia: Joseph M. Wilson on behalf of the 403:. Denominations in America. Vol. 5. Praeger. 274: 424:. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 488: 139:1758 reunification and legacy of the controversy 396: 268: 256: 229: 432:Presbyterians and American Culture: A History 294:Minutes of the Presbyterian Church in America 125: 155:seceded in 1827 from its western neighbour, 371:, The Banner of Truth Trust, pg. 388, 1989. 455:Studies in Southern Presbyterian Theology 428: 417: 299: 244: 217: 205: 336:. Chicago: Richmond-Arnold. p. 283. 34:American Presbyterian church controversy 461: 346: 327: 280: 14: 489: 305: 502:18th century in the Thirteen Colonies 449: 380: 507:Presbyterianism in the United States 512:Protestantism-related controversies 122:initiated a new round of conflict. 24: 517:18th-century Reformed Christianity 312:The Road to Derry: A Brief History 172:' (point six), and of requiring a 25: 528: 29:Old School–New School controversy 18:The Old Side–New Side Controversy 74:, which was subdivided into the 470:Presbyterian Historical Society 418:Loetscher, Lefferts A. (1954). 361: 352: 429:Longfield, Bradley J. (2013). 286: 180: 162: 13: 1: 390: 39:Old Side–New Side controversy 328:Hazlett, Charles A. (1915). 192: 7: 10: 533: 497:18th-century controversies 269:Balmer & Fitzmier 1994 257:Balmer & Fitzmier 1994 230:Balmer & Fitzmier 1994 126:Years of schism, 1742–1758 60: 26: 462:Webster, Richard (1857). 306:Holmes, Richard (2009). 27:Not to be confused with 76:Philadelphia Presbytery 95:Westminster Confession 80:Long Island Presbytery 120:First Great Awakening 84:New Castle Presbytery 72:Synod of Philadelphia 51:First Great Awakening 174:conversion narrative 116:Adopting Act of 1729 41:occurred within the 369:The Great Awakening 349:, pp. 168–170. 105:from the threat of 43:Presbyterian Church 308:"10: The Churches" 170:terrors of the law 149:New Hampshire town 103:Reformed orthodoxy 400:The Presbyterians 321:978-1-62584-262-6 133:Synod of New York 57:is usually used. 55:Old and New Light 16:(Redirected from 524: 483: 458: 451:Smith, Morton H. 446: 425: 414: 384: 378: 372: 365: 359: 356: 350: 344: 338: 337: 325: 303: 297: 292:Klett, Guy ed.: 290: 284: 278: 272: 266: 260: 254: 248: 242: 233: 227: 221: 215: 209: 203: 47:Colonial America 21: 532: 531: 527: 526: 525: 523: 522: 521: 487: 486: 480: 443: 411: 393: 388: 387: 379: 375: 367:Tracy, Joseph: 366: 362: 357: 353: 345: 341: 322: 304: 300: 291: 287: 279: 275: 267: 263: 255: 251: 243: 236: 228: 224: 216: 212: 204: 200: 195: 183: 165: 141: 128: 101:would preserve 68: 63: 35: 32: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 530: 520: 519: 514: 509: 504: 499: 485: 484: 478: 459: 447: 441: 426: 415: 409: 392: 389: 386: 385: 373: 360: 351: 339: 320: 298: 285: 273: 261: 249: 245:Loetscher 1954 234: 222: 218:Loetscher 1954 210: 206:Longfield 2013 197: 196: 194: 191: 182: 179: 164: 161: 140: 137: 127: 124: 67: 64: 62: 59: 33: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 529: 518: 515: 513: 510: 508: 505: 503: 500: 498: 495: 494: 492: 481: 479:9780524013380 475: 471: 467: 466: 460: 456: 452: 448: 444: 442:9780664231569 438: 434: 433: 427: 423: 422: 416: 412: 406: 402: 401: 395: 394: 383:, p. 28. 382: 377: 370: 364: 355: 348: 343: 335: 331: 323: 317: 313: 309: 302: 295: 289: 282: 277: 271:, p. 27. 270: 265: 259:, p. 26. 258: 253: 246: 241: 239: 232:, p. 24. 231: 226: 219: 214: 207: 202: 198: 190: 188: 178: 175: 171: 160: 158: 154: 150: 145: 136: 134: 123: 121: 117: 112: 108: 107:rationalistic 104: 100: 96: 91: 89: 85: 81: 77: 73: 58: 56: 52: 48: 44: 40: 30: 19: 464: 454: 431: 420: 399: 376: 368: 363: 354: 347:Webster 1857 342: 333: 311: 301: 293: 288: 281:Webster 1857 276: 264: 252: 247:, p. 2. 225: 220:, p. 1. 213: 208:, p. 2. 201: 184: 166: 146: 142: 129: 99:subscription 92: 69: 38: 36: 314:. Arcadia. 181:Views today 163:Differences 157:Londonderry 491:Categories 410:0313260842 391:References 381:Smith 1962 82:, and the 193:Citations 453:(1962). 187:Arminian 330:"Derry" 61:History 476:  439:  407:  318:  78:, the 153:Derry 111:Bible 88:piety 474:ISBN 437:ISBN 405:ISBN 316:ISBN 147:The 37:The 151:of 45:in 493:: 472:. 332:. 326:; 310:. 237:^ 90:. 482:. 445:. 413:. 324:. 283:. 31:. 20:)

Index

The Old Side–New Side Controversy
Old School–New School controversy
Presbyterian Church
Colonial America
First Great Awakening
Old and New Light
Synod of Philadelphia
Philadelphia Presbytery
Long Island Presbytery
New Castle Presbytery
piety
Westminster Confession
subscription
Reformed orthodoxy
rationalistic
Bible
Adopting Act of 1729
First Great Awakening
Synod of New York
New Hampshire town
Derry
Londonderry
terrors of the law
conversion narrative
Arminian
Longfield 2013
Loetscher 1954
Balmer & Fitzmier 1994

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