Andover Theological Seminary, now part of Andover Newton Theological School, is the oldest graduate school of theology in the United States. Andover Theological Seminary and Newton Theological Institution merged formally in 1965 to form the Andover Newton Theological School. Andover Theological Seminary, the oldest graduate school of theology in the United States, traces its roots to the late 18th century and the desire for a well-educated clergy among Congregationalists. That desire was expressed in the founding of Phillips Academy in 1778 for "the promotion of true Piety and Virtue." In... 1806, a growing split within the Congregational churches, known as the “Unitarian Controversy,” came to a full boil on the campus of Harvard College. The appointment of the Hollis Professorship of Divinity at Harvard had been put off for many years because of tensions between liberals and the more orthodox Calvinists. This theological battle soon divided many of the oldest churches in Massachusetts and began to impact church polity and the hiring of ministers.
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