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I Can Plod...: William Carey and the Early Years of the First Baptist Missionary Society
William Carey (1761-1834) was an English Protestant missionary and Baptist minister, known as the father of modern missions. Carey was one of the founders of the Baptist Missionary Society. As a missionary in Serampore, India, he translated the Bible into Bengali, Sanskrit, and numerous other languages and dialects. I can Plod ... provides a unique and needed contribution to our understanding of the cobbler from Northamptonshire.
309 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 28, 2025
Having read a great many missionary biographies, I have NO idea why I've never read a biography of William Carey until now! And I'm so glad I finally did. This book is a treasure!
As William Carey launched into global mission pursuits as a pioneer missionary with no mission models to base his approach on, he was truly ahead of his time in terms of his strategies. I had no idea how progressive Carey was in his insistence on working toward the establishment of indigenous churches with indigenous leadership. And I'm amazed at how tenacious, and persistent, and effective, and truly humble Carey was. What he accomplished as a poorly educated cobbler is astonishing! The many Bible translations and grammars he wrote, and the social reforms he accomplished, and the church plants he facilitated truly defy what seems reasonable to expect given his background and the conditions of his times.
But I was not only amazed -- I was also challenged. How William Carey responded to great personal tragedies and immense ongoing challenges while trusting God in the midst of them set an example that I want to learn from. He never allowed disappointments (however huge) to rob him of his confidence in God.
John Appleby has written a sensitive and well-rounded account of Carey's personal experiences, and of how the determination and dedication of his mission support team led to a global and lasting world mission movement. I'm grateful to have read this.
As William Carey launched into global mission pursuits as a pioneer missionary with no mission models to base his approach on, he was truly ahead of his time in terms of his strategies. I had no idea how progressive Carey was in his insistence on working toward the establishment of indigenous churches with indigenous leadership. And I'm amazed at how tenacious, and persistent, and effective, and truly humble Carey was. What he accomplished as a poorly educated cobbler is astonishing! The many Bible translations and grammars he wrote, and the social reforms he accomplished, and the church plants he facilitated truly defy what seems reasonable to expect given his background and the conditions of his times.
But I was not only amazed -- I was also challenged. How William Carey responded to great personal tragedies and immense ongoing challenges while trusting God in the midst of them set an example that I want to learn from. He never allowed disappointments (however huge) to rob him of his confidence in God.
John Appleby has written a sensitive and well-rounded account of Carey's personal experiences, and of how the determination and dedication of his mission support team led to a global and lasting world mission movement. I'm grateful to have read this.
February 7, 2026
4.5 probably. With all its thorough details, it may not be for everyone who isn’t direct involved with missions. But I got a lot of new insights into his life that I hadn’t read or learned about through other sources. Definitely a man of great vision and faith, yet I also recognize with him a lot in passion for translation, and in this quote:
“A want of character and firmness has always predominated in me. I have not résolution enough to reprove sin, to introduce serious and evangelistic conversation in carnal company, especially among the great to whom I sometimes have access. I sometimes labour with myself long, and at last cannot prevail sufficiently to break silence; or if I introduce a subject, want resolution to keep it up, if the company do not show a readiness thereto.”
But God granted that from early along with he two others in the “Serampore Three” who’s gifting perfectly complemented his and allowed God to accomplish great things through them. Praise Him.
Always such a super sad story about his wife. Never quite sure how to process it, obviously hindsight is 20/20 and they had no idea how bad things would be ahead of time. But yea, the resolve to NEVER go back to England, even once, in his life was quite impressive. Travel was crazy back then.
“A want of character and firmness has always predominated in me. I have not résolution enough to reprove sin, to introduce serious and evangelistic conversation in carnal company, especially among the great to whom I sometimes have access. I sometimes labour with myself long, and at last cannot prevail sufficiently to break silence; or if I introduce a subject, want resolution to keep it up, if the company do not show a readiness thereto.”
But God granted that from early along with he two others in the “Serampore Three” who’s gifting perfectly complemented his and allowed God to accomplish great things through them. Praise Him.
Always such a super sad story about his wife. Never quite sure how to process it, obviously hindsight is 20/20 and they had no idea how bad things would be ahead of time. But yea, the resolve to NEVER go back to England, even once, in his life was quite impressive. Travel was crazy back then.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews