Summary statement: Many Presbyterian churches were 'literally split in two' over psalmody

Context

In the concluding chapter (Chapter V, Conclusions), the dissertation summarizes the pattern of the psalmody controversy, distinguishing between congregations formed during the Great Awakening (which had “no prejudices against singing Watts”) and those with Scottish Presbyterian backgrounds.

Extract

Along with other British-trained Presbyterian clergymen in America, Samuel Davies introduced Watts to his American Presbyterian congregations. Those Presbyterian congregations which came into being as a result of the revival movement known as “The Great Awakening” were not former churchmen steeped in the tradition of the Psalter, and had no prejudices against singing Watts.

This was an entirely different matter in the case of the American Presbyterian churches, whose members had come from Scottish Presbyterian backgrounds. As noted in Chapter III, many of these churches were literally split in two over the “heresy” of introducing Psalm versions other than “Rous”: or, worse still, of introducing “man-made” hymns. A real controversy over Psalmody and hymnody set in. This was first mentioned in official Presbyterian records in 1753, when the Synod of New York would not permit “new versions” of the Psalms without the consent of the majority of the members of a congregation.

Significance

This summary statement from the dissertation’s conclusion provides an authoritative characterization of the psalmody controversy’s impact:

1. Two tracks of American Presbyterianism: Great Awakening converts versus Scottish/Scotch-Irish immigrants had fundamentally different attitudes toward Watts
2. “Literally split in two”: The dissertation affirms that “many” churches experienced actual institutional division over psalmody
3. “Heresy” language: The word “heresy” (in quotation marks) indicates how seriously traditionalists viewed the introduction of Watts
4. Escalation pattern: The controversy escalated from Psalm versions (“other than ‘Rous’”) to hymns (“man-made”)
5. 1753 origin: The dissertation traces the first official mention to 1753, when the Synod required congregational consent for “new versions”

This provides scholarly validation for the thesis that psalmody disputes caused denominational realignment and congregational splits, distinguishing the phenomenon by regional/ethnic origin of congregations.