B.R. Lakin (January 5, 1901 – March 15, 1984) was an American Baptist preacher and evangelist whose dynamic ministry spanned over six decades, earning him a reputation as one of the most influential fundamentalist preachers of the 20th century. Born Bascom Ray Lakin on a farm near Fort Gay, West Virginia, to devout Christian parents, he was dedicated to God by his mother before birth as her prayed-for “preacher man.” Educated only through fourth grade in a one-room schoolhouse, he later attended Moody Bible Institute while pastoring, eventually receiving honorary doctorates from Bob Jones University and Kletzing College. Converted at 16 during a revival and baptized in Big Hurricane Creek, he preached his first sermon within a week, beginning as a circuit-riding preacher on a mule in rural West Virginia and Kentucky during the 1920s. Lakin’s preaching career gained prominence in 1939 when he joined E. Howard Cadle at the Cadle Tabernacle in Indianapolis, a 10,000-seat church with a nationwide radio broadcast on WLW Cincinnati. After Cadle’s death in 1942, he became senior pastor, reaching thousands through the airwaves until 1952, when he launched a 30-year itinerant evangelistic ministry, preaching in major churches and reportedly seeing over 100,000 conversions. Known for his wit— advising to “love, pray for, and outlive” enemies—and heartfelt gospel appeals, he mentored a young Jerry Falwell, who buried him on Liberty University grounds. Married to Violette Crabtree, he lost his only son in a car accident, leaving no direct descendants, but his legacy endured through his impact on countless lives and ministries until his death at 83.