William Carey: Pioneer Missionary to India
Early Life
William Carey was born in August 17th 1761 in
Northhampton, England to Christian parents Edmund and Elizabeth Carey. From a
very early age he showed interest in knowledge, reading every book he could get
including Latin, plants and animals. His schooling however came to and end at age
14 when he was sent to Clark Nichols, a shoemaker in Piddington as his
apprentice. At 17, he made a public confession of faith in Jesus Christ and left
his Anglican Church for the non-conformist Baptist Church.
Carey developed his faith through Bible study,
reading religious books and deep discussions with Anglican and non-conformist
thinkers in the neighbourhood. He tookl opportunities to preach and succesfully
sought the conversion of others including his master Nichols who was converted
at his deathbed. In 1781 he married
Dorothy Plankett.
Missionary Call
William Carey was ordained as a baptist minister
at 26 but he carried on as a shoemaker. In his spare time he studies languages,
biographies and the conditions of the heathen world. 3 books particularly
influenced him – The Bible, The life of David Breinard and Captain Cook’s
Voyages whose vivid potrayal of the moral and spiritual conditions in the South
Sea Islands made clear the the crying need for missions. [1]
In 1786, he pleaded with other ministers in his
denomination to take up work among the heathen but was greatly grieved when the
chairman reproved him with the infamous words.. “ Sit down young man. When it pleases God to convert the heathen, He
will do it without your help or mine”[2]
Carey was disturbed by this response so much so that he felt compelled to
express his missionary convictions in pamplet form to reach a wider, perhaps
more responsive audience. The pamphlet was published in 1792 under the heading “An
enquiry into the obligations of Christians to use means for the conversion of
the heathen”
That same year, Carey also preached his memorable sermon
giving out the challenge “Expect great
things from God, attempt great things for God” the immediate result of that
was the organisation of the Baptist Missionary Society. At 32, William secured passage on a ship and
headed off to India arriving in Serampore in 1793[3].
Into the Field
Work in Serampore grew quickly. From this base, he laboured for nearly a quarter century to spread
the gospel throughout the land. Through his unfailing love for the people and
his relentless campaign against “the spiritual forces of evil” (Eph. 6:12),
India was literally transformed. Asian historian Hugh Tinker summarizes Carey’s
impact on India this way: “And so in Serampore, on the banks of the river
Hooghly, the principal elements of modern South Asia—the press, the university,
social consciousness—all came to light.”2
Carey didn’t go to India to just start new
churches or set up medical clinics for the poor. He was driven by a more
comprehensive vision—a vision for discipling the nation[4]. “Carey
saw India not as a foreign country to be exploited, but as his heavenly
Father’s land to be loved and served, a society where truth, not ignorance,
needed to rule.”4 Among
other misionary triumphs William Carey managed to do the following
-
He carried out a systematic survey of agriculture and
campaigned for agriculture reform. He introduced the a system of plant organizations
and published the first science texts in India.
- - He introduced the idea of savings banks to India to fight
the social evil of usury.
- - He established the first newspaper in an Oriental
language, His English-language journal, Friend
of India, gave birth to the social-reform movement in India.
- - He began schools for children of all castes and launched
the first college in Asia.
- - He was the first man to stand against the ruthless
murders and widespread oppression of women. Women in India were being crushed
through polygamy, female infanticide, child marriage, widow burning,
euthanasia, and forced illiteracy—all sanctioned by religion. Carey opened
schools for girls. When widows converted to Christianity, he arranged marriages
for them. It was his persistent, 25-year battle against widow burning – sati- that finally led to the formal
banning of this horrible religious practice.[5]
A Jar of Clay
Although William Carey had a long, illustrous
mission career at Serampore, it was not without challenges , perhaps the
biggest being his own marriage to Dorothy Planket. Dorothy came from a poor
background and was herself illiterate. She had resisted going to India but went
nonetheless together with her seven children. However, with recurrent bouts of
illness she sufferred immensely and evantually went insane. [6]
Towards the end of his life, the mission suffered
serious financial challenges. In 1823 there were floods which destroyed his
school buildings, his own home and the beautiful garden washed away and there
was no help forthcoming from England.
At 71 years of age, William Carey was still
engaged in regular preaching, lecturing and translating of scriptures but in
1833, he took seriously ill on saveral occassions and had to give up all work
and was confined to bed. He died on June 9th 1834 and was buried the following
morning in the Baptist Mission Cemetery, Serampore. [7]
Conclusion
As rightly reffered, William Carey is indeed the
father of the modern missionary movement, a movement that has since reached
every corner of the world. Although a man of simple origins, he used his God-given
gifts and every available means to serve Christ and illuminate the dark corners
of India with the light of the truth.
[1] Davis,
W Bruce; William Carey: Father of Modern Missions, Moody Press Chicago,
1963. P 13.
[2] Bach, TJ; Vision and Valour, Baker Book House,
Michigan, 1963 P38.
3.
Ruth
and Vishal Mangalwadi, The Legacy of William Carey: A Model for the
Transformation of a Culture Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1999, p. vx.
[4] Scott
Allen; William Carey: A Missionary who Transformed a Nation, Journal
article available at http://www.missionfrontiers.org
[5]Scott
Allen; William Carey: A Missionary who Transformed a Nation, Journal
article available at http://www.missionfrontiers.org
[6]
Mangalwadi Ruth &
Vishal, Willima Carey and the Regeneration of India.Good Book
Publishers,New Delhi 1993 P 33
[7] Davis, W Bruce; William Carey: Father of Modern Missions, Moody Press Chicago,
1963. P 104.
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