15 October 2012
Table of Content
Conditions when Carey set out as a missionary……………………………………….2
Political situations in Europe………………………………………………….2
The theological view of the Baptist’s.………………………………………...3
Spiritual activity in the churches………………………………………………3
Two way Carey responded to the opposition……………………………………….....3
Four kinds of obstacles that Carey faced……………………………………………...4
Four characteristics of Carey’s ministry…………………………………………...….5
Four missionary methods Carey used and their appropriateness for today……..……5
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….6
Reference……………………………………………………………………………...7
Introduction
"History tells us a story. It tells about the who, what, where, when, and why of the past. Church history is a story about Christianity" (Smeeton 2004, 7), in my paper I will be telling a story about a man named William Carey in terms of the following points, Conditions when Carey set out as a missionary, Political situations in Europe, The theological view of the Baptist’s, Spiritual activity in the churches, Two way Carey responded to the opposition, Four kinds of obstacles that Carey faced, Four characteristics of Carey’s ministry, Four missionary methods Carey used and their appropriateness for today.
Conditions when Carey set out as a missionary
Political situations in Europe
William Carey lived an extraordinary life, wherever he would preach people’s lives would change. Slavery and colonization around the world were taking place and also in Europe religions were in conflict and also people were dying because of religion, yet out many God reached out and touched William Carey, an English Baptist missionary, too go and preach the word.
The theological view of the Baptist’s
"It is almost impossible to identify the date of the first true Baptist church in England, but it was certainly sometime during the first two decades of the seventeenth century" (Smeeton 2004, 94), they engaged in theological debate of the day. This group was a group that practiced more adult baptism. Tim Dowley contends, "The extent to which the earthly Baptists were influenced by the European idea and thinking of the radical Reformation is till hotly contested. Their link with the Dutch Mennonite in the very earliest days is clear. But it I equally clear that the English Baptist movement came out of a conscientious each among the English separists for the pattern of apostolic churches. They believedthis could be discovered from the pages of the New Testament, and that it was the only pattern of church organization for all succeeding generations. These youthful Baptist churches were hurled into the current debate about the relationship between church and state. They championed their own particular answers to that controversy at a great personal cost". (1977, 394)
Spiritual activity in the churches
In the time of William Carey the churches were still at war with another. W still had Protestants and also the Jesuits, having doctrinal disputes and the Catholics or Catholicism had still grater influence in other countries. "This missionary enthusiasm was the result of revivalism among the Priests and Methodists, and among the evangelicals of the Anglican Church. People wanted to convert others to the same religious experience that they had had. The gaining of such empires by such protestant nations as Holland and England acquainted Europeans with the spiritual need of people in other lands." (Cairns 1967, 438), the reformation that has taken on the world had a greater influence in the evangelism of that day. Churches were planted by William Carey and lives were changed though he had faced up with a lot of difficult situation.
Two ways William Carey responded to opposition
William Carey is a very courageous man who was on a mission. His intention was that man should come to the full knowledge of Christ and be saved. Though he came through server opposition he still decided to give it another shot. William came across a lot of situations including the death of his son, the death of his wife and the sickness that he received when he was in the foreign country, yet under this subtitle I will talk about two oppositions that made him grow in his missionary work for Christ.
First being the first time he was asked to go too Bengal a place where the East India Company did not permit missionaries to enter. By that time situations were rough because the church objected, the father thought he was crazy and the wife who was five moths pregnant refused to go not forgetting the mission society ha no funds to send him and Thomas. But they soon overcame the obstacle, they illegally travelled with the English ship, they were cast our and they found a Danish ship then when they approached Calcutta. Since they had no permit to enter the place they set on a small fishing boat by the captain and they entered the country.
The second response to opposition is when "the Hindus faith and caste system seemed to keep the Indians from accepting Christianity. In addition, Carey faced opposition from the British east India Company, whose operators feared that his evangelism among the people in India would interfere with their financial profits! After several frustrating years, the missionary knew he would have to settle elsewhere in India. In 1800 Carey moved area of India around Serampore that was controlled by Denmark". (Smeeton 2004, 180)
Four kinds of obstacles Carey faced
According to church historians the greatest tragedy that William Carey has faced is the one that includes his five year old child peter. It started when they moved to Mudnabatti, William Carey became sick with malaria and his wife Dorothy started again with dysentery, then church history says that his child died, though they could not find people to carry their son but they found two men to do that. The wife started accusing William Carey of adultery.
The second obstacle, "Dorothy never recovered from the blow, and soon she began having delusions, accusing Carey of adultery, even threatening him with a knife. Her mental decline accelerated during the first three months of 1795."(Galli 2010,)
The third obstacle, it was when he was sharply rebuked when he tried urging his colleagues to spread the gospel of Christ as he had the conviction and thought it was Christians responsibility to spread the word of God around the world. He was rebuked older churchman by telling him that God can spread the word around the world without his aid, yet the zealous man was not discouraged.
The fourth, he was asked to go too Bengal a place where the East India Company did not permit missionaries to enter. By that time situations were rough because the church objected, the father thought he was crazy and the wife who was five moths pregnant refused to go not forgetting the mission society ha no funds to send him and Thomas
Four characteristics of Carey’s ministry
This man lived an extraordinary life; his ministry spoke a lot of himself. His intention was too reach out to the nation of India and that he did. William Carey used his linguistic ability to translate half of the bible in Bengal and other forty Indian language, since he also loved teaching ha opened a school and not forgetting his total patience in preaching for the Indian follower that after three years 25 (twenty-five) were baptized. "William Carey publishes first statistical global survey of world missions."(Barrett & Johnson 2001, 137)
Four missionary methods Carey used and their appropriateness for today
Though Islam and Hinduism were in the wrong in terms of their thought in God, he had found a way to present Christ to the Islamic and Hindus, "keep as close possible to the pure gospel of Jesus"(smeeton 2004, 180) it is relevant to us today that wherever we go out to reach out we should teach people the good news yet not tell them how they are on the wrong.
Being linguistic, William Carey learned the languages in India and through that he was able to preach effectively and translate the bible. It teaches us today that we should try to learn the languages of the places God sends us too preach the good news.
William Carey was challenged by the Indian Company that thought that Carey was going to affect their profits, therefore Carey moved too look for a place where the gospel will be heard. It teaches us that when people do not want to accept the gospels of Jesus then we should go to a place where others will.
When he saw a need for a school, he opened a school to teach languages of the country. It teaches us that when there is a need in the community the church should meet need and also preach Christ crucified.
Conclusion
As I mentioned, "History tells us a story. It tells about the who, what, where, when, and why of the past. Church history is a story about Christianity" (Smeeton 2004, 7), in my paper I have told a story about a man named William Carey in terms of the following points, Conditions when Carey set out as a missionary, Political situations in Europe, The theological view of the Baptist’s, Spiritual activity in the churches, Two way Carey responded to the opposition, Four kinds of obstacles that Carey faced, Four characteristics of Carey’s ministry, Four missionary methods Carey used and their appropriateness for today.
Reference
Barrett, David B., Johnson, Todd M., 2001, World Christian Trends AD 30-AD 2200, Library of Congress, Pasadena
Dowley, Tim, 1977, Th History of Christianity, Lion Publishing, Berkhamsted
Cairns, Earle E., 1967, Christianity through the Centuries, Grand Rapids, Zondervan
Galli, Mark, 2010, Church History Magazine collection, Christian History Institut http://chrinstitute.org (accessed October 16, 2012)
No comments:
Post a Comment