The Second Presbyterian Church
As Philadelphia expanded, so did the variety of sects and de- nominations enjoying Penn’s policy of religious tolerance. Houses of worship increased in number from about six at the start of the eighteenth century to eighteen by the time of the Revolution. Fueled by the growth in Scots-Irish immigration, Presbyterianism surged in popularity during this period; by 1745, there were nearly as many Presbyterians as Quakers in Philadelphia.
In the 1730s, the religious revival known as the Great Awaken- ing created a schism among Philadelphia’s Presbyterians. The First Presbyterian Church, at High Street and Bank Alley, was the home of the conservative Old Lights. The New Lights, inflamed by the passionate preaching of the Reverend George Whitefield, sought a faith that was more emotional and fundamental. Many of the New Lights were recent Scots-Irish immigrants, who felt divided from the more established Old Lights on social and economic, as well as religious, grounds.