W. A. Criswell, one of the most influential Southern Baptists of the 20th century, died January 10. He was 92.
Criswell was twice elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant body in America. He was pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas for more than 50 years before becoming pastor emeritus in 1995.
Criswell is widely considered the father of modern conservatism in the SBC. He preached biblical inerrancy and wrote Why I Preach the Bible Is Literally True (1969) when many Southern Baptist institutions were theologically moderate or liberal. He founded Criswell College and encouraged an emphasis on biblical preaching and exposition.
“For him to call attention to [inerrancy] as a watershed issue really began to galvanize some of the concerns that had begun to surface in the convention among conservatives,” says C. Richard Wells, Criswell College president. “That proved to be a catalyst for a slowly developing movement that finally resulted in what is called the conservative resurgence.”
During his tenure, First Baptist became the largest church in the SBC with about 28,000 members. Criswell also founded a private school, a homeless shelter, and Christian radio station KCBI.
Known as a passionate expository preacher, Criswell wrote 54 books based on his sermons. The Dallas Morning News says Billy Graham once called him “the best preacher I ever heard anywhere.”
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Related Elsewhere:
Also appearing on our site today:
CT Classic: Preaching Through the Bible | How W.A. Criswell grew his church through 18 years of exploring the scriptures cover-to-cover.
The Criswell Foundation Web site has extensive information on the life and work of Dr. W.A. Criswell including a short bio and video documentaries. The site also offers a searchable database of Criswell’s sermons (available in text, video and audio formats). They are searchable by Book/Chapter/Verse, Topic, Word, and Category.
The Southern Baptist Convention has posted a special W.A. Criswell online tribute that includes collections of photos, personal tributes, and audio.
The official site of the First Baptist Church of Dallas invites friends and parishioners to submit their favorite memories of Criswell.
Standing on the Promises: The Autobiography of W. A. Criswell is available at Amazon.com.
Obituaries for Criswell include:
W.A. Criswell, longtime Baptist leader, dies — The Dallas Morning News
W.A. Criswell, 92; Leader of Literal-Bible Movement — The Los Angeles Times
Pastor W.A. Criswell Dies at 92; President of Southern Baptists — Associated Press
W.A. Criswell, legendary Baptist leader, dies at 92 — The Washington Times
W.A. Criswell, influential Baptist pastor in Dallas, dies — The Houston Chronicle
The Dallas Morning News has published a series of articles on Criswell since his death. They include:
A church remembers ‘our friend and pastor’ (Jan. 14, 2002)
In his own words (writing excerpts) (Jan. 12, 2002)
‘Our loss is heaven’s gain’: Baptist leader influenced hearts, minds for decades (Jan. 11, 2002)
Pastor left mark on many lives (Jan. 11, 2002)
Criswell College mourns founder (Jan. 11, 2002)
Criswell timeline (Jan. 11, 2002)
Remembering Dr. Criswell (Jan. 11, 2002)
DMN editorial (Jan. 11, 2002)
1944: Dr. W.A. Criswell’s arrival (Jan. 10, 2002)
1994 interview with Criswell (Jan 10, 2002)
Remembered with love, respect (Jan. 10, 2002)
Related stories from Baptist Press include:
President Bush lauds Criswell as important spiritual leader (Jan. 11, 2002)
Chapman: W.A. Criswell was ‘giant in the land’ (Jan 10, 2002)
Trust the Bible & preach it, W.A. Criswell helped us grasp (Jan 10, 2002)
Baptist leaders remember life, legacy of Criswell (Jan 10, 2002)
‘Whether We Live or Die’ cited as foremost sermon by Criswell (Jan 10, 2002)
‘Old-time religion’ good enough for W.A. Criswell (March 3, 1997)
