Everything Everywhere Daily · Sunday, September 6, 2026
The Great Awakening created a significant split in colonial Christianity between the 'Old Lights' and the 'New Lights'. The Old Lights, often more common in urban areas and led by figures like Charles Chauncy, advocated for traditional religious messages and parish structures. The New Lights, on the other hand, championed revivalist movements, emotionally charged sermons, and open-air preaching.
“On one side, the advocates of the traditional values who were skeptical of the revivalist sweeping the country were known as the Old Lights.”
“More common in urban areas, the Old Lights found a spiritual leader of their own in Boston minister Charles Chauncy.”
“The revivalists led by Whitefield, Edwards, and William and Gilbert Tennent in Pennsylvania became known as the New Lights.”