Baptist Missionary Society (1792–1847) in India: From the Enlightenment to the Christianization

 
PIIS013038640014267-1-1
DOI10.31857/S013038640014267-1
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Affiliation: Lomonosov Moscow State University
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Journal nameNovaia i noveishaia istoriia
EditionIssue 2
Pages39-52
Abstract

The paper addresses the impact of the ideas of Enlightenment in the process of Christianization in colonial India. The focus is on the activities of the Baptist Missionary Society, which was founded in England in 1792 and organized one of the most successful expeditions in the history of the modern missionary movement to the Indian region of Serampur. The Baptist Missionary Society was one of the most influential Christian organizations in the British Empire. Its members were prominent religious thinkers of the Enlightenment, including William Carey. He is considered to be the founder of the missionary movement in Modern times.

Inspired by the ideas of the English Enlightenment the missionaries sought to instill Christian values in the Indians through education. They believed that education was the key to the “commonwealth” and the success of Christianization depends on the enlightenment of the “heathens”, as they called the Indians.

One of the main practical achievements of the Baptist Missionary Society in Serampur was the opening of the first boarding schools for both Indian and European children (1800). The missionaries taught the locals English and Sanskrit, the language of the sacred texts of Hinduism, as well as the basics of Christianity. They not only found the first schools but also translated the Bible into Bengali, to make it more easily understandable for locals. Members of the Baptist Missionary Society tried to adapt Christian ideas to traditional Hindu beliefs. The implementation of the Enlightenment theories in practice led to the first baptism and was a step towards the formation of a new social group in India – the Anglo-Indians.

KeywordsChristianization, Enlightenment, education, Baptist missionary society, colonial policy
Received17.11.2020
Publication date21.04.2021
Number of characters38288
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