W. A. Criswell

==Theology==
Criswell's theology is best described as [[Conservatism|conservative]] and [[evangelicalism|evangelical]]. He believed in [[Biblical inerrancy]], the [[perseverance of the saints|eternal security]] of the believer, and [[Jesus Christ]] as the authority of spiritual truth and the sole path to [[salvation]] of sinful mankind.  Unlike his predecessor George W. Truett, Criswell preached [[dispensationalism|dispensational]] [[premillennialism]] and the pretribulation rapture of the church.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Rising of Israel
|author=W. A. Criswell
|url=https://wacriswell.com/sermons/1985/the-rising-of-israel1/|quote=People coming to hear me preach said, "Why, that man is a pre-millennialist.  Why, that man is a dispensationalist."  I never had a premillennial teacher in my life.  I never had a dispensational teacher in my life, nor had I ever read any premillennial literature.  But they said as I was preaching through the Bible, they said, "Why that man is premillennialist, he is a premillennialist.  He is preaching about the Jews. He is preaching about the land belonging to the Jews.  And he is preaching about their return to the Holy Land.  And he is talking about their conversion there in the land.  He is preaching that."  I never made it up.  I was just preaching through the Bible.  That is all I was doing.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Before the Coming of Christ |author=W. A. Criswell 
|url=https://wacriswell.com/sermons/1985/before-the-coming-of-christ/ |quote=Well, I am what a theologian calls a pretribulation rapturist; I am a pretribulationist.   I believe, according to the Word of God, and ... I’m going to tell you why, according to the Word of God, I think we’re going to be raptured before. I’ve got six theological reasons from the Word of the Lord.}}</ref>