B. R. Lakin
Encyclopedia
Bascom Ray Lakin was a Baptist
preacher
and evangelist
.
B. R. Lakin was born on a farm near Fort Gay
, West Virginia
, on the Kentucky
border. His mother had prayed for a "preacher man" and had dedicated him to God even before he was born. Lakin attended a one-room schoolhouse in West Virginia through the 4th grade. Later, when he realized the need for more education, he attended Moody Bible Institute
while pastoring several churches. Eventually Bob Jones University
and (the now defunct) Kletzing College bestowed honorary doctorates.
Lakin was converted to Christ during a revival meeting when he was sixteen and baptized in Big Hurricane Creek. Within a week he had preached his first sermon. During the 1920s he served as circuit-riding preacher, riding a mule from church to church through the mountains and foothills of rural West Virginia and Kentucky. In 1939, he was called to assist E. Howard Cadle (1884-1942) at the Cadle Tabernacle in Indianapolis, Indiana, a church that seated ten thousand with an additional fourteen hundred seats for the choir. Cadle conducted a daily radio program, “Nation’s Family Prayer Period," on the 50,000-watt clear channel WLW
in Cincinnati, and the program became the most listened to religious broadcast during the 1930s. Upon Cadle's death in 1942, Lakin became senior pastor and continued the broadcast. Although Lakin did not have Cadle's charisma, he was heard in thousands of homes across the United States and thereby became a nationally known Gospel preacher.
In 1952, Lakin began a thirty-year evangelistic ministry, preaching in some of the largest evangelical churches in country. He is said to have seen a hundred thousand conversions to Christ through his ministry. Even shortly before his death in 1984, at age 82, Lakin still traveled extensively and was one of the most sought after fundamentalist preachers in America. Lakin's sermons were a combination of wit, Bible teaching, and a strong Gospel appeal. For instance, his advice about dealing with enemies was "Love them, pray for them, and outlive them."
Lakin and his wife, Violet, had only one child, a son who was early killed in an automobile accident. They "adopted" the young Jerry Falwell
, and Lakin mentored and "poured himself" into Falwell's Lynchburg
ministry. The department of religion at Falwell's Liberty University
is named in honor of Lakin, who is interred on the campus.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
and evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
.
B. R. Lakin was born on a farm near Fort Gay
Fort Gay, West Virginia
Fort Gay is a town in Wayne County, West Virginia, along the Tug Fork and Big Sandy Rivers. The town adjoins Louisa, Kentucky. The population was 819 at the 2000 census. The estimate as of 2009 was 801....
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, on the Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
border. His mother had prayed for a "preacher man" and had dedicated him to God even before he was born. Lakin attended a one-room schoolhouse in West Virginia through the 4th grade. Later, when he realized the need for more education, he attended Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute is a Christian institution of higher education and related ministries that was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Since its founding, MBI's main campus has been located in the Near North Side of Chicago. MBI's primary ministries are education,...
while pastoring several churches. Eventually Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University is a private, for-profit, non-denominational Protestant university in Greenville, South Carolina.The university was founded in 1927 by Bob Jones, Sr. , an evangelist and contemporary of Billy Sunday...
and (the now defunct) Kletzing College bestowed honorary doctorates.
Lakin was converted to Christ during a revival meeting when he was sixteen and baptized in Big Hurricane Creek. Within a week he had preached his first sermon. During the 1920s he served as circuit-riding preacher, riding a mule from church to church through the mountains and foothills of rural West Virginia and Kentucky. In 1939, he was called to assist E. Howard Cadle (1884-1942) at the Cadle Tabernacle in Indianapolis, Indiana, a church that seated ten thousand with an additional fourteen hundred seats for the choir. Cadle conducted a daily radio program, “Nation’s Family Prayer Period," on the 50,000-watt clear channel WLW
WLW
WLW is a clear channel talk radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio, run by Clear Channel Communications. The station broadcasts locally on 700 kHz AM...
in Cincinnati, and the program became the most listened to religious broadcast during the 1930s. Upon Cadle's death in 1942, Lakin became senior pastor and continued the broadcast. Although Lakin did not have Cadle's charisma, he was heard in thousands of homes across the United States and thereby became a nationally known Gospel preacher.
In 1952, Lakin began a thirty-year evangelistic ministry, preaching in some of the largest evangelical churches in country. He is said to have seen a hundred thousand conversions to Christ through his ministry. Even shortly before his death in 1984, at age 82, Lakin still traveled extensively and was one of the most sought after fundamentalist preachers in America. Lakin's sermons were a combination of wit, Bible teaching, and a strong Gospel appeal. For instance, his advice about dealing with enemies was "Love them, pray for them, and outlive them."
Lakin and his wife, Violet, had only one child, a son who was early killed in an automobile accident. They "adopted" the young Jerry Falwell
Jerry Falwell
Jerry Lamon Falwell, Sr. was an evangelical fundamentalist Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, and a conservative commentator from the United States. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia...
, and Lakin mentored and "poured himself" into Falwell's Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
ministry. The department of religion at Falwell's Liberty University
Liberty University
Liberty University is a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's annual enrollment is around 72,000 students, 12,000 of whom are residential students and 60,000+ studying through Liberty University Online...
is named in honor of Lakin, who is interred on the campus.