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ver met anyone whose love is so great that
they would pay any price, make any sacrifice, undergo any hardship, to
bring the Gospel of Christ to as many people as possible?
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William Carey was like that. As a young man in England in the late 1780s,
he was obsessed with the conviction that the church must take God's Word
to every nation. At this time most Protestants were not active in missionary
activity. (The Moravians and their pioneering efforts were the major exception.)
Carey kept urging his fellow pastors to set up a missionary agency, but
they always seemed to have more urgent problems closer to home. At one
meeting an elder pastor reportedly snapped at him: "Young man, sit
down. When God pleases to convert the eathen, he'll do it without consulting
you or me."
But Carey simply would not let anything stand in the way. The obstacles
he faced were many and menacing, any one of which would have given most
of us cause to turn back. A few examples:
Lack of Formal Training
Carey did not go to school beyond the age of 12 when he became a cobbler's
apprentice. He was educationally unqualified. Yet he knew God had given
him a great gift for languages, and this must be used to share Christ
with other cultures.
Rejection
When Carey was preparing for ordination in 1785, he was rejected when
he gave his first sermon as a candidate. It took two more years for him
to be eventually ordained to the ministry.
Indifference of Colleagues
Carey's missionary concern was ignored until in 1792 he produced one of
the most important books in all of church history: An Enquiry Into
the Obligations of Christians. In it he argued that Christ's "Great
Commission" in Matthew 28:19-20 was not just to the apostles but
to Christians of all periods. It proved to be kind of the charter of the
modern Protestant missionary movement. Carey showed that if Christians
want to claim the comforts and promises of the New Testament, they must
also accept the commands and instructions given there. Soon after the
publication he delivered a famous sermon in which he admonished Christian
leaders to "expect great things from God; attempt great things for
God." His colleagues formed a missionary society and sent Carey as
their first missionary to India, along with a Dr. John Thomas.
Family Tragedy
Carey and his wife Dorothy lost three small children. In India Dorothy
progressively lost her sanity and could not cope with the strain of living
at a subsistence level in India. They had three other young children to
raise. No one would have blamed them if they had decided to pack it in
and sail back home to more familiar and comfortable surroundings, but
they stayed on.
Slow Results
Carey spent seven years in India before seeing his first convert. And
then there was the problem of the persecution of anyone who became a Christian
because it meant breaking caste in India.
Cultural Barriers
At the time in India there were practices that Carey had to oppose as
a Christian: children were sacrificed to the gods; widows were burned
alive on their husband's funeral pyres.
The Obstacle List Goes On
There was official opposition from the British East India Company which
did not want missionaries in India. There was the disastrous fire in 1812
at the mission printing plant that destroyed years of Carey's translation
work. There were repeated attacks of malaria and cholera, impoverished
living conditions, insufficient funds to eke out even a minimal existence.
Carey had to take up secular employment just to survive.
All For What?
Was it worth it? Beyond a doubt. Carey formed a team of colleagues (the
Serampore Trio) whose accomplishments elevated them to first magnitude
in all missions history. Carey's team translated the Bible in 34 Asian
languages, compiled dictionaries of Sanskrit, Marathi, Panjabi, and Telegu--respected
even today as authoritative; started the still influential Serampore College;
began churches and established 19 mission stations; formed 100 rural schools
encouraging the education of girls; started the Horticultural Society
of India; served as a professor at Fort William College, Calcutta; began
the weekly publication "THE FRIEND OF INDIA," (continued today
as "THE STATESMAN"); printed the first Indian newspaper; introduced
the concept of the savings bank to assist poor farmers. His fight against
the burning of widows ("SATI" ) helped lead to its ban in 1829.
We could go on if space permitted, but you get the idea. Equally important
is the vision that Carey raised for missions. His life inspired tens of
thousands to give themselves for the spread of the Gospel.
Gratefully Remembered
I was privileged to retrace the steps of Carey in India recently to
do location scouting for a film on his life. I was amazed to find
Carey's name still held in the highest esteem in India. At the Serampore
train station there were statues of Ghandi and Carey. Children told
me that they learned about Carey in school. Government officials spoke
of his contribution to India with the highest respect. While the US
Postal service was making a big fuss over issuance of their stamp
honoring Elvis Presley, the Indian Department of Posts celebrated
the life and ministry of William Carey with the 6 rupee stamps. Ken
Curtis, Editor
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