Episode 84: The EPC in the American Presbyterian story

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Don Fortson, Professor of Church History and Pastoral Theology at the Charlotte, N.C., campus of Reformed Theological Seminary. The two discuss how Fortson’s most recent book, Reformed and Evangelical, fills a need for a comprehensive, current Presbyterian history, as well as how it traces the symbiotic relationship between Presbyterians and evangelicals. In addition, Fortson describes the Presbyterian heritage of evangelistic renewal, and how the EPC may be uniquely positioned to respond to revivals, such as what occurred in early 2023 at Asbury University in Kentucky. Fortson also describes how gifts of the Spirit and the ordination of women are examples of how the EPC lives out its motto of “In Essentials, Unity; In Non-Essentials, Liberty.” Fortson is the author of numerous books on Presbyterian history, including Reformed and Evangelical Across Four Centuries: The Presbyterian Story in America, and Liberty in Non-Essentials: The Story of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.