Gilbert Tennent

Gilbert Tennent (1703-64), American Presbyterian minister, one of the leading preachers of the Great Awakening revival movement. A son of the American Presbyterian minister William Tennent, he was born in county Armagh, Ireland. About 1718 he immigrated to North America with his family, settling in present-day Pennsylvania. As pastor at New Brunswick in the New Jersey colony (1726-43), he quickly became a leader among Presbyterian revivalists there and in the Pennsylvania and New York colonies. In 1740 he delivered a harsh sermon, “The Dangers of Unconverted Ministry,” in which he criticized conservative ministers who opposed the fervor of the Great Awakening. The result was a schism (1741) in the Presbyterian church between the traditional “Old Side” and the “New Side,” led by Tennent. In 1758, however, the two factions reunited with Tennent's help. He served as a minister in Philadelphia from 1743 until his death.