I think W. A. Criswell
Pastor of First Baptist Dallas (1944 -1990)
President of SBC(1909 – 2000)
is a great example of an influencer. He spent his lifetime pulling the SBC back toward it conservative and fundamental baptist roots.
Perhaps Tarheel or others could add more detail.
Yes. A good example of a President & Pastor who was not a Calvinist,
though he at times professed the title as a political gesture.
Criswell held to a more Biblically accurate view on Sovereignty and Free Will:
"with us down here in this world,
there's no violation of our moral integrity, or
our free choice, or the
sovereignty of our own lives. The two go together. The great decree of Almighty God leaves me
absolutely and perfectly free. I am not bound; I am at liberty. The decree of God has in it
my own free choice, and the two are not antagonistic. They go together in the will of God.”
-W. A. Criswell,
Predestination, Acts 27:22-31; 5-23-1954
“God made us
morally free. I can curse God to His face. Now isn't that an unusual thing? And a lot of men do it!
I can rebel against every edict, every decree, every commandment, every law of God. I can do it! And a lot of men do… When a man turns down the proper grace of Jesus, I don't understand it. I don't see it.
But he has the liberty to do it, the freedom to choose…”
-W. A. Criswell,
The Knowledge of the Truth, 1 Timothy 2:1-7; 6-29-1958
On these statements, UGC agrees entirely with this Pastor of First Baptist Dallas and President of the SBC.
Criswell rejected the Calvinist belief that God created and predestined the majority of the world for the sole purpose of filling hell against their will:
Criswell rejected Limited Atonement:
“
I’ve never been able to understand how the Calvinists, some of them, believe in a
"limited atonement." That is, the sacrifice of Christ applied
only to those who are the elect, but there is no sacrifice of Christ
for the whole world—when John expressly says He is the sacrifice, the atoning, dedicated gift of God in our lives
for the whole world [1 John 2:2]. And it is just
according to whether we accept it or not as to whether the life of our Lord is efficacious for us in His atoning death.”
-W. A. Criswell,
If Anyone Sin, 1 John 2:1-2; 4-8-1973
Criswell was against the Hitler-like attributes of the god of Calvinism:
“As Ezekiel 33:11 describes, "As I live, saith the Lord,
I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked would turn from his evil way and live: oh, turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?" That is God; the longsuffering, merciful kindness of our heavenly Father,
rejoicing not in condemnation and damnation and the agony of those who are lost, but praying, pleading, waiting, hoping that the lost man will turn and be saved. Oh the longsuffering of God!”
-W. A. Criswell,
Lest Any Perish, 2 Peter 3:9; 7-14-1974.
Indeed,
without using the exaggerated term "hypercalvinist", Criswell was no Calvinist, and I actually agree with FSSL that "hyper" is an inaccurate term used to make a person or denomination appear more extreme than they are,
much like how "KJV radical" is a silly term
as almost all Protestants across all denominations used that version for 300 years, therefore using said term implies one believes
almost all of Christendom was radical before Westcott and Hort
who stated they did not believe Jesus was God in agreement with the JW's (why the NASB says Jesus was a "begotten God"), and stated that their Bible was "mere compromise", and that they thought evangelicals were "perverted", and did not believe the scriptures were inspired. Just a few claims of many that accurately makes them self-professed radicals who gave us the versions that barely 1 century later we can see the fruits of in the first world: apostasy and riots.