Carey Conference 2011 01

This year's Carey Conference up in Swanwick began appropriately enough with a paper on William Carey from Mike Tindall (currently based in Manchester - see here). Carey died 250 years ago this year. This was a well judged, competent, well researched and nuanced paper that was easy to listen to and a real challenge.

1. The man

Attention was drawn to his ability to focus as seen in his language acquisition and botanical studies and his attempts to amass data regarding the make up of the world. His genius lay in his ability to focus combined with a tenacity that he himself was aware of (I can plod).

It is only fair to note also his failures - to acknowledge the help of others, to support his family in the way that he should have. Dorothy's story is a very sad one and ought to be borne in mind when we consider Carey's story. (She died in 1807).

The other focus of this section was on Carey's humility.

2. The missionary

Carey is often spoken of as the father of modern missions but he was not even the first Baptist. Germans had been working in India for a generation before. However, he was the catalyst for the birth of the modern missionary society, many of them influenced directly by Carey's example - of working as a society.

3. The model
This subject could be pursued in many different directions but the speaker focused on just two things.
1. Theological optimism

The work proved to be much more difficult than anyone had imagined. Part of what sustained them was what has been called the Puritan Hope or Postmillennialism. The influence of Edwards and the concert for prayer cannot be overestimated. With this there was a high view of the sovereignty of God. Carey is always talking about Providence and lived his life conscious of the hand of God and the fact that he was doing God's work. A classic example is seen in his reaction to the fire of 1812.

2. The gospel's power to bring about cultural transformation

Carey's role here is perhaps sometimes overstated but his impact under God cannot be denied. Examples include the eventual banning of infanticide, sati, ghat murders (a form of mercy killing), the murder of lepers and his efforts in the realm of education for males and females, including Serampore College (Carey was concerned for cultural development not just promotion of the gospel or iconoclasm).

Why did Carey take this approach? Carey does not really say much about this. There does not seem to be a grand social vision. There is something opportunistic about the approach. Social and cultural engagement came naturally to Carey. He was a Kuyperian by default rather than some grand view of the subject. Our situation is very different to Carey's but we ought to learn from this aspect.

If Carey were here today (after he got over the shock of having a conference named after him) what might he say? He might remind us that we are still under an obligation to reach the unreached. Most missionaries today do not go to the totally unreached yet such people must be reached.

He might also say "Go on!".