Southern Baptists from across the nation have responded to the
news of W.A. Criswell's death with memories of his faithfulness
to God and his belief in the inerrancy of the Bible.
Following are statements released in response to Dr. W.A. Criswell's
Jan. 10th passing.
-- "Dr. Criswell was an important spiritual leader for America.
He was a man of deep and abiding faith who brought comfort to
the thousands who heard his message of hope, love and compassion."
President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush
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-- "It is almost impossible to evaluate the life and ministry
of W.A. Criswell. He had a multiplicity of gifts. He had one of
the most loving hearts I have ever known. His devotion to Scripture
inspired thousands of young clergy from many denominations. His
preaching was electric in its power. He was anointed by the Holy
Spirit in an unusual way. His counsel and love to me meant more
than he ever knew. I have many memories of our times together.
In recent years I did not see him often, but the memory of years
past had a spiritual impact on me. Dr. W.A. Criswell will be greatly
missed. Our loss is heaven's gain." Evangelist Billy Graham.
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-- "I consider him to be a mentor as did thousands of pastors.
He was the father of the conservative resurgence of the Southern
Baptist Convention and will be known for his stand on the inerrant
word of God.
I got to see Dr. Criswell up close in a way that few people do.
I was just in awe of what a great man of God he was." James
C. Merritt, president, Southern Baptist Convention.
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-- "W.A. Criswell was a giant in the land, and his passing
is an event of singular significance. In every way, Dr. Criswell
was a one-of-a-kind man of God. He was an unexcelled preacher,
an unequalled visionary, an unswerving champion of the truth,
and an unfailing leader of influence.
"In many ways, we stand upon the shoulders of those who
have preceded us. This has never been more true than of our indebtedness
to this remarkable man. From his conversion to Christ, to his
call to preach as a youth, to the very end of his public ministry,
Dr. Criswell has contributed to Southern Baptists and to the Kingdom
of God as a wise and compassionate pastor, fervent evangelist,
scholarly preacher, practiced theologian, farsighted educator,
caring mentor, and steadfast denominationalist. This man of God
will be remembered, and he will be missed.
"In spite of the honors and accolades paid him over more
than seven decades of ministerial service, Dr. Criswell maintained
a spirit of deep humility. And in spite of the hard knocks taken
in defense of the truth, he radiated the joy and gladness of the
Lord in His service. He magnified Jesus Christ as the Lord of
the Church in his pulpit ministry, through the writing of fifty-four
books, and as the encourager of ministers across our Convention.
"On a purely personal level, in the numerous meetings I've
had with Dr. Criswell over the years, I became an admirer of his
wisdom and his deep, pure heart for God. I recollect with gratitude
that it was Dr. Criswell who kindly nominated me as president
of the SBC Pastors' Conference in Dallas in 1985. I treasure the
memory of his many heartening communications with me over the
years. His encouragement to me was doubtless duplicated many times
over to other pastors over the country.
"We express our heartfelt sympathy to Mrs. Criswell, to
Ann, and to his many devoted friends upon our mutual loss, and
we commend them to the grace of God." Morris H. Chapman,
president and chief executive officer of the Executive Committee
of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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-- "Throughout his lifetime, Dr. Criswell touched the lives
of many -- not only in Texas, not only Baptists, but millions
around the world. He will be sincerely missed." Rick Perry,
governor of Texas.
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-- "Dr. Criswell loved God, the people of Dallas, and America
without reservation.
"I hope everyone in America will take a moment to note the
loss of a man who had great impact on our country, Dr. W.A. Criswell.
For generations of Texans, he was the moral and ethical gauge
by which the people measured their leaders and themselves.
"Dr. Criswell loved God, the people of Dallas and America
without reservation. He was a man of powerful conviction and dogged
determination to do good who made a mark on Texas history and
instilled an indelible memory in every person he ever met. He
befriended me, and I will never forget him.
"Dr. Criswell was a humble man of firm beliefs, and he believed
that America would do well to foster a revitalization of the values
that were the hallmark of our Founding Fathers. The freedom to
worship God, each in our own way, is fundamental among the liberties
that constitute our legacy from them, and Dr. Criswell knew it."
U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm.
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-- "The family of First Baptist Church of Dallas is deeply
saddened by the home going of one of God's great saints. Dr. W.A.
Criswell served our congregation for 50 years as pastor and was
serving as pastor emeritus at his death. He will be greatly missed
as a minister, preacher, but most especially as shepherd of the
flock. While we are sad, yet we rejoice over the fact that he
is with the Lord that he loved and that he served so faithfully
all of these years. He was a prayer partner and an enormous encouragement
to me as a young pastor, particularly since I was following in
the footsteps of a legend." Mac Brunson, pastor of
First Baptist Church, Dallas.
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-- "I'm personally very grateful for the friendship God
allowed me to have with him. We had a very positive relationship.
He was one of the easiest men to love I've ever been around. He
had a brilliant mind and a unique and passionate way of preaching.
He is a great testimony to the fact that God honors the preaching
of his Word. He faithfully preached the Word as he understood
it, and God honored that. Certainly he was one of the most dominant
figures in the evangelical world in the last half of the 20th
Century." James T. Draper Jr., president of LifeWay
Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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-- "This Thursday morning was Dr. Criswell's coronation
day as he slipped from the side of his longtime partner in ministry,
Jack Pogue, to look upon the face of Christ in glory. We have
all lost a mentor and icon of the faith and I have personally
lost a loving prayer partner. It can be said of him what was said
of good King Josiah, "Before him was no king like him who
turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and might ... nor
after him did any arise like him" (2 Kings 23:25). We shall
look forward to seeing him again "in the morning." O.S.
Hawkins, president and chief executive officer of the Annuity
Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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-- "Dr. W.A. Criswell was a giant in the land, and it is
now hard to imagine Baptist life without him. He towered over
our denominational life for a half-century, casting a shadow that
shaped at least three generations of pastors and Baptist leaders.
His robust pulpit ministry led to a recovery of biblical exposition
among Baptist preachers and those of other evangelical denominations.
He was a bold champion for biblical truth, and this great lion
gave courage to thousands of others.
"He was larger than life, and his influence will continue
long after his death. His pastorate at First Baptist Church in
Dallas set the pace for the rise of great multi-thousand-member
congregations all across the nation. His 'Schools of the Prophets'
armed preachers with the tools to preach the Word with power.
"Beyond all this, his personality and charm were titanic
in proportion to his person. The whole character of a room changed
the minute W.A. Criswell entered. He loved people -- and his warmth
could charm the hardest heart. Even those with whom he disagreed
could not help smiling when they talked about him. He was living,
breathing, Baptist history -- flawlessly dressed, Bible in hand,
ready to preach. He had many friends, but no peers.
"He was a proud graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary, and he was by any measure the most famous graduate of
this school in the 20th century. Southern Seminary will be forever
proud of this great graduate. He was a great encourager to me
as president.
"When I saw him last, he asked that I take a blessing back
to our students. 'I will never get to meet you young preachers
in this life,' he said. "But preach the Word -- and know
that I will be waiting on heaven's lowest step to greet you when
we all get to heaven.' His eyes sparkled as he envisioned the
scene.
"I thank God for the life and ministry of W.A. Criswell,
and for the opportunity to have known a giant of our times."
R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary.
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-- "At 4:17 A.M. central time, January 10, 2002, Dr. W.
A. Criswell sailed placidly from the earthly port where for 92
years he had been moored and instantly was received on the merits
of our Savior's blood into the presence of the ever-living God.
Given the intense 'boyish' curiosity during the entire life of
the pastor, one can only begin to imagine the delight of his eye
and the elation of his spirit at this moment.
"Dr. Criswell loosed from port at the home of beloved and
trusted friend and son in Christ, Jack Pogue, while Mr. Pogue
held his hand and read to him the familiar words of Philippians
2 and John 14. The final words of the pastor were spoken to Mr.
Pogue a few hours before his homegoing. Having been responsible
for Mr. Pogue's conversion to Christ more than 30 years earlier,
Dr. Criswell said to Jack, 'I love you, son.'
"We rejoice today for Dr. Criswell even as the Church of
our Lord Jesus contemplates the loss of the greatest preacher
of our generation." Paige Patterson, president, Southeastern
Baptist Theological Seminary.
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-- a "towering inspirational figure for at least two generations
of Southern Baptist preacher boys."
"He modeled before them how to be an exemplary expository
preacher, and how to honor the absolute veracity of the Word of
God in preaching."
"Many of us were being told by seminary professors in the
1960s and '70s that it wasn't possible to be intellectually credible
and believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, Dr. Criswell's incandescent
refutation of that was both a comfort and an inspiration to thousands
who now serve Southern Baptist churches in a preaching ministry.
"Dr. Criswell, was the greatest Southern Baptist preacher
of the century and the greatest preacher of any kind since Spurgeon."
Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty
Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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-- "My friend, Dr. Criswell, gave leadership, voice and
inspiration to the restoration of the Southern Baptist Convention
to its Biblical roots. I am so glad he was able to see the victories
for which he so earnestly prayed." Judge Paul Pressler.
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-- "W.A. Criswell's significance to Texas Southern Baptists
is hard to overstate. Although he was a national figure, he was
also for decades the preeminent Texas Baptist. Through many changes
he was senior statesman for our entire denomination. You could
say he pastored the recent reformation of the Southern Baptist
Convention. No one who met him doubted his convictions or his
love for God's Word. A giant has passed into glory. While we pray
God's comfort for his church and family in their loss, we rejoice
in the life of one of God's great servants." Jim Richards,
executive director, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.
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-- "W.A. Criswell was one of the most visible Baylor graduates
in Southern Baptist life over the past half-century. His most
important legacies are expository preaching and the commitment
to spending a lifetime of ministry at one church. Those legacies
represent commitments that are much needed in contemporary church
life. We offer our condolences to family and friends who mourn
the passing of W.A. Criswell." Robert B. Sloan Jr., president,
Baylor University.
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-- "The home-going of Dr. Criswell saddened my heart. From
my seminary days to the present day, he has been an inspiring
example of faithfulness, courage, and devotion to his calling.
I treasured his friendship." Charles Stanley, pastor,
First Baptist Church Atlanta.
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-- "W.A. Criswell was a larger-than-life figure who left
his indelible brand on Texas and on three generations of Baptists.
His extraordinary gifts in the pulpit, his steadfast pastoral
commitment to a great downtown city church, his leadership by
example in church growth, his fervent dedication to missions and
evangelism, and his unswerving commitment to proclaiming the truth
of the Bible will long be remembered. We celebrate with First
Baptist Church of Dallas all the good that he brought to our lives."
Charles Wade, executive director, Baptist General Convention
of Texas.
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-- "In 1970, out of his deep concern over liberalism seeping
into the pulpits of America, Dr. Criswell founded The Criswell
College in Dallas to train a new generation of expository preachers
who would stand confidently on the inerrancy and authority of
the Bible as the Word of God. What Spurgeon was to the 19th century,
W.A. Criswell was to the 20th. An expositor and orator without
peer, he had a scholar's mind, a pastor's heart and a missionary's
zeal. He was devoted to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
he longed to see preachers prepared to preach the Bible for the
salvation of the lost and growth in grace of the saved."
Richard Wells, president, Criswell College.
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