William Carey’s An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens (1792) stands as one of the most influential missionary treatises in modern Christian history. Written at a time when Protestant churches, particularly in England, had largely neglected foreign missions, Carey’s work reignited a sense of global evangelical responsibility and became the intellectual and spiritual foundation of the modern missionary movement.
In the Enquiry, Carey begins by challenging the prevailing indifference of the eighteenth-century church toward the non-Christian world. Many church leaders in his day believed that the conversion of “heathen” peoples those outside the Christian faith, was either unnecessary or beyond human effort, assuming that God alone would bring about such conversions without human involvement. Carey directly opposes this passive stance, arguing that Christians are under a clear biblical obligation to take active measures, or “means,” to spread the Gospel to all nations.
The work is structured methodically, reflecting Carey’s logical and earnest temperament. He begins by establishing the theological basis for missionary activity. Drawing heavily from Scripture, especially from Christ’s Great Commission in Matthew 28, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations”, Carey asserts that this command was not limited to the apostles or the early church but remains binding upon Christians in every age. He emphasizes that the duty to evangelize is inherent in the very nature of Christianity, as the Gospel message is universal and intended for all people.
Carey then turns to history to demonstrate that Christian missions were once an active and vital part of the church’s work. He traces the spread of Christianity from its early days through the apostolic age and the centuries that followed, citing examples such as the missionary labors of Paul and the evangelization of Europe. He laments, however, that in his own time, missionary zeal had largely waned. European Christians had become content with their own comfort and prosperity, neglecting the spiritual needs of the vast populations beyond their borders.
A particularly significant section of the Enquiry is Carey’s survey of the known world. In this portion, he compiles data, impressive for its time, on the geography, population, and religious conditions of non-Christian regions. Drawing on contemporary exploration and travel literature, he outlines the spiritual state of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Pacific Islands, describing millions of people living without access to Christian teaching. This survey served to awaken the moral conscience of his readers by illustrating both the scale of the challenge and the urgency of the task.
Carey also addresses practical objections to missionary work. Many argued that such efforts were impossible or would yield little success, especially given the dangers of travel, the hostility of local peoples, and the lack of resources. Carey responds to these doubts with a combination of reason and faith. He points to recent examples of global trade and exploration, arguing that if Europeans could navigate the globe for commerce and empire, surely Christians could do so for the sake of the Gospel. His famous challenge captures his conviction: “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.”
The Enquiry concludes with a call to action. Carey insists that prayer, while essential, is not enough; Christians must also employ practical means, organization, funding, and personal commitment, to bring the Gospel to the nations. He proposes the formation of a missionary society, an idea that soon bore fruit. Later that same year, Carey and a small group of like-minded Baptists founded the Baptist Missionary Society (BMS), which would send Carey himself to India in 1793. There, he spent over forty years engaged in evangelism, translation, and social reform, living out the very principles he had set forth in the Enquiry.
In essence, Carey’s Enquiry was both a theological argument and a strategic manifesto. It combined biblical interpretation, historical reasoning, geographical analysis, and practical planning into a single compelling plea for action. Its influence was profound, inspiring not only Baptist missions but also the broader Protestant missionary awakening of the nineteenth century.
Through this work, William Carey transformed the outlook of Western Christianity. He redefined the moral and spiritual obligations of believers, asserting that the call to share the Gospel extended to all corners of the world and to every generation. The Enquiry thus stands as a landmark in Christian thought, a document that turned missionary zeal from an occasional impulse into a global, organized movement that continues to shape Christian engagement with the world today.