The Legacy of William Carry.

Book Review

Mangalwadi, Vishal and Ruth. The Legacy of William Carey. A Model for the Transformation of a Culture. Crossways Books. Wheaton. 1999

The Mangalwadis are continuing Carey’s work in modern-day India. Vishal is one of India’s foremost Christian intellectuals, an author, evangelist and political activist. Ruth has masters degrees in philosophy and theology from Wheaton. Vishal studied with Francis Schaeffer in Switzerland. He also has masters degrees in philosophy and theology.

Commentary. Henry
The authors of this book are Indian by birth and that gives the book added integrity. They write with a clear understanding of the cultural environment that Carey was working in. Their assessment (understanding) of Carey’s work is seen through the eyes of ‘insiders’. Carey’s work was truly amazing. The challenges were huge. His perseverance displayed great effort. He knew what was needed and he knew how to accomplish what was needed. A must read for anyone having a serious interest in the history of missions, especially in India.


William Carey is known for his missionary work in India but he was much more than a missionary. He was also an industrialist, an economist, a medical humanitarian, a media pioneer, an educator, a moral reformer, and a botanist. He is described as “the central character in the story of India’s modernization”. (25).

Carey worked tirelessly to improve the state of women and children in Indian culture through social activism and education. His work was not without great effort and sacrifice. His own wife became a casualty of the tremendous difficulties that had to be faced. “The status of women is directly proportional to the level of moral purity in a society.” (47).

The story of Dorothy Carey is presented with heartbreaking details. She was in India against her wishes and better judgment. She was ill-equipped for her overwhelming role. Her insanity was the result of too much stress and difficulty. She made the ultimate sacrifice- her life. Carey was remarried several months after Dorothy’s death. His marriage to Charlotte Rumach was a happier one.
Carey displayed unusual interests and passions from early childhood. His tendency to not be easily discouraged became very key when a fire destroyed his translation work along with the printing equipment. What arose out of the ashes was more effective than what he lost. He was somehow able to become stronger through conflicts in interpersonal relationships and differing opinions.

As an architect of the modernization of India Carey became involved in the East India Company. He worked with Charles Grant an E.I.C. director. Reform in the Company had a direct impact on the life style of its Indian employees. The reform of Indian society would never take place without first accepting and understanding the need of its people, e.g. the dehumanizing caste system. To Carey and his associates the reality was that heathen (unbelievers) needed the Gospel and conversion. “Transforming mankind was the work of God.” (80). Carey’s belief in creation (by God) and consequently man’s creation in God’s image made him a real champion of human dignity and equality. This was very much missing in Indian belief systems and culture. Wilberforce became an ally of Carey and Grant as they worked for reform in the E.I.C. Carey actually succeeded in bring reform to an unreformable culture. A very important detail of the reform was his focus on using the spoken language of the people rather than the language of the elite in education. “Oriental education versus English or European education”. (97). Such a focus would bring about Indian nationalism without which there could be no modernization.

Carey taught the importance of vocation and individualism. There was nothing like this in Indian culture and Indian values. “Carey knew the Gospel to be the only effective antidote to social evils. This conviction sustained Carey’s chief labor: to make the Bible available to the Indian masses in their own languages.” (129).