Old Side–New Side controversy

E715989

Presbyterian controversy historical event religious schism theological controversy

The Old Side–New Side controversy was an 18th-century split within American Presbyterianism over revivalism and religious experience during the First Great Awakening.

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All labels observed (3)

Label	Occurrences
New Light–Old Light controversy	1
New Side–Old Side controversy	1
Old Side–New Side controversy canonical	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T8169879 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Old Side–New Side controversy
Context triple: [Gilbert Tennent, associatedWith, Old Side–New Side controversy]

A. Temple–Bentley controversy
The Temple–Bentley controversy was a late 17th-century scholarly dispute over the authenticity and dating of classical texts that became a focal point in the broader quarrel between Ancients and Moderns in English literary culture.
B. Bascom Affair
The Bascom Affair was an 1861 confrontation between the U.S. Army and the Chiricahua Apache that sparked a cycle of violence and is often seen as the event that ignited the Apache Wars.
C. Campbell Case controversy
The Campbell Case controversy was a 1924 British political scandal over the prosecution of a communist newspaper editor that undermined public and parliamentary support for Ramsay MacDonald's first Labour government.
D. FitzRandolph Gate
FitzRandolph Gate is the iconic main entrance to Princeton University, known for its ornate ironwork and symbolic role in campus traditions.
E. Thornton Affair
The Thornton Affair was an 1846 skirmish between Mexican and U.S. troops along the disputed Texas–Mexico border that helped trigger the Mexican–American War.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Old Side–New Side controversy
Target entity description: The Old Side–New Side controversy was an 18th-century split within American Presbyterianism over revivalism and religious experience during the First Great Awakening.

A. Temple–Bentley controversy
The Temple–Bentley controversy was a late 17th-century scholarly dispute over the authenticity and dating of classical texts that became a focal point in the broader quarrel between Ancients and Moderns in English literary culture.
B. Bascom Affair
The Bascom Affair was an 1861 confrontation between the U.S. Army and the Chiricahua Apache that sparked a cycle of violence and is often seen as the event that ignited the Apache Wars.
C. Campbell Case controversy
The Campbell Case controversy was a 1924 British political scandal over the prosecution of a communist newspaper editor that undermined public and parliamentary support for Ramsay MacDonald's first Labour government.
D. FitzRandolph Gate
FitzRandolph Gate is the iconic main entrance to Princeton University, known for its ornate ironwork and symbolic role in campus traditions.
E. Thornton Affair
The Thornton Affair was an 1846 skirmish between Mexican and U.S. troops along the disputed Texas–Mexico border that helped trigger the Mexican–American War.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Presbyterian controversy ⓘ historical event ⓘ religious schism ⓘ theological controversy ⓘ
chronologyNote	controversy intensified after 1739 ⓘ
country	British America ⓘ
denomination	Presbyterian Church in the American colonies ⓘ linked to: Presbyterian Church in the United States of America
ecclesiasticalIssue	acceptance of itinerant preachers ⓘ power of presbyteries and synods ⓘ
ecclesiasticalIssue	licensing and ordination of ministers ⓘ
endTime	1758 ⓘ
hasCause	disputes over emotional revival meetings ⓘ disputes over examination of conversion narratives ⓘ disputes over itinerant preaching ⓘ
hasEffect	institutionalization of presbyterian education standards ⓘ long-term division between confessional and revivalist tendencies in American Protestantism ⓘ strengthening of revivalist currents in American Presbyterianism ⓘ
hasPart	New Side ⓘ Old Side ⓘ
historicalContext	colonial American religious history ⓘ
language	English ⓘ
mainRegion	American colonies ⓘ
mainSubject	church discipline ⓘ ecclesiastical authority ⓘ ministerial qualifications ⓘ religious experience ⓘ revivalism ⓘ
notableFigure	Charles Hodge ⓘ Gilbert Tennent ⓘ Jonathan Dickinson ⓘ Samuel Blair ⓘ
opposedBy	Old Side ⓘ
relatedTo	Great Awakening ⓘ New Light–Old Light controversy ⓘ linked to: Old Side–New Side controversy
religiousMovement	First Great Awakening ⓘ linked to: Great Awakening
religiousTradition	Presbyterianism ⓘ linked to: Presbyterian
result	creation of the Synod of New York ⓘ division of the Synod of Philadelphia ⓘ reunion of Synod of Philadelphia and Synod of New York ⓘ
reunifiedAs	Synod of New York and Philadelphia ⓘ
reunionYear	1758 ⓘ
separatedFrom	Synod of Philadelphia ⓘ linked to: Synod of New York and Philadelphia
startTime	1741 ⓘ
supportedBy	New Side ⓘ
theologicalIssue	Calvinist orthodoxy ⓘ linked to: Calvinism assurance of salvation ⓘ role of the Holy Spirit in conversion ⓘ
timePeriod	18th century ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Gilbert Tennent → associatedWith → Old Side–New Side controversy ⓘ

The Danger of an Unconverted Ministry → associatedWith → New Side–Old Side controversy ⓘ

linked to: Old Side–New Side controversy

Old Side–New Side controversy → relatedTo → New Light–Old Light controversy ⓘ