J. R. Graves has been described by one historian as one who "influenced Southern Baptist life of the 19th century in more ways, and probably in a greater degree, than any other person." Over several decades, Graves was editor of The Tennessee Baptist, one of the most enduring and influential denominational papers across the south in the 19th century. His colorful style and homespun theology mesmerized thousands of southern believers, especially Baptists. As editor of the widely circulated paper, Graves tackled the issue of God's sovereignty and human free will, a provocative subject among Baptists in those days (Indeed the subject remains contentious both in theology and philosophy ). The core of Graves' view was published in three consecutive editions of The Baptist in 1848. Though a short compilation of articles, Graves represents what one might call a "soft" Calvinistic view of God's sovereignty and human free will reflected across the south in the late 19th century.