Dr Charles Stanley

Charles Frazier Stanley, one of the best-known Southern Baptist preachers of the 20th century, died April 18 at age 90.

Raised in the Pentecostal tradition, Stanley was ordained to ministry by a Southern Baptist church as a young man, then attended a Southern Baptist seminary before launching into a career of service to SBC churches. The pinnacle of his influence in the denomination came with his election as SBC president in 1984 and again in 1985 — pivotal years in the so-called “conservative resurgence” in the nation’s largest non-Catholic denomination. The primary reason Southern Baptist fundamentalist leaders recruited Stanley for that role is that he transcended the SBC like no preacher other than Billy Graham. The reach of his In Touch Ministries made him a household name in evangelical circles worldwide.