William Carey’s Postmillennialism and World Missions

The story of Carey’s fascinating history as a missionary legend often overlooks his robust postmillennial theology, which is explained in detail in this piece at Contra Mundum. According to Richard Bauckham :

“The Postmillennialism of the eighteenth century played an important role in the development of Ango-America missions. In the light of chiliastisc expectations, British and American revival movements were considered the first signs of a great wave soon to engulf the whole world. Not only Edwards, but also English (Isaac Watts, Philipp Doddridge) and Scottish (John Willision, John Erskine) theologians related Postmillennial eschatology with revival and with the missionary idea – a combination which gave rise to the growth of organised missionary activity at the end of the century. Carey, for example, was strongly influenced by the Postmillennial view of a universal Kingdom of God.”