In 1944, he received the call to be pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas,
Texas. The legendary George Truett, after forty-seven years as pastor, had
died. The young Criswell was given the daunting task of following this great
preacher.
Under his leadership the church grew dramatically. In his early years
as pastor he preached through the entire Bible, taking almost eighteen
years to complete the task. He was known for his stand on the inerrancy
of Scripture and wrote the important book “Why I Preach the Bible Is Literally
True.” He became the leader against liberalism among Southern Baptists.(Sword of the Lord)