Born in
Hatfield,
Massachusetts on April 22, 1688, Dickinson studied theology at the Collegiate School of Connecticut, later known as
Yale College, graduating in 1706. In 1709, Dickinson was ordained minister of the Congregational church in
Elizabethtown,
New Jersey. Dickinson became concerned about the attempts of the established
Church of England to suppress
dissenters in
New Jersey. Seeing a need for more coordination among dissenting churches, in 1717 Dickinson persuaded his congregation to join the
Presbytery of Philadelphia. He became an active and influential participant in the affairs of the Presbyterians, and was twice elected
moderator of the
Synod of Philadelphia. As a former Congregationalist, Dickinson was part of the
New England faction of Presbyterians who opposed the strict doctrinal requirements favored by the
Scots-Irish faction. Dickinson was a strong supporter of Presbyterianism, earning a reputation as a leading defender of
Calvinism in America. His book
Familiar Letters to a Gentleman, upon a Variety of Seasonable and Important Subjects in Religion was reprinted a number of times in America and elsewhere. The Great Awakening that started in the 1730s profoundly changed religion in the American colonies. The Presbyterians were divided into
"New Sides" and "Old Sides", supporters and opponents, respectively, of the great revival meetings and the fervent preaching that accompanied them. Dickinson was a moderate "New Sider", supporting the revivals while opposing their more violent excess. His pulpit oratory was centered on "temperance and harmony" and "devoid of antagonizing divisions, but which at the same time was appealing and innovative". In 1738, Dickinson joined with other "New Siders" to form the
Presbytery of New York. When the
Presbytery of New Brunswick was expelled from the Synod of Philadelphia over its support for the more extreme "New Siders" in 1741, Dickinson and others tried to negotiate a reconciliation. In 1745 the Presbytery of New York withdrew from the Synod of Philadelphia and joined with the Presbytery of New Brunswick to form the
Synod of New York. Dickinson was elected the first moderator of the new synod. In general, Dickinson "longed for an experimental and vital religion but not at the expense of social and religious order". ==Founding of Princeton University==