Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization

Vishal Mangalwadi,

J. Stanley Mattson (Foreword)

4.35 · Rating details · 759 ratings · 162 reviews

Understand where we came from.

Whether you're an avid student of the Bible or a skeptic of its relevance, The Book That Made Your World will transform your perception of its influence on virtually every facet of Western civilization.

Indian philosopher Vishal Mangalwadi reveals the personal motivation that fueled his own study of the Bible and systematically illustrates how ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 442 pages

Published May 9th 2011 by Thomas Nelson

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Book that Made Your World, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

A History of Christianity by Diarmaid MacCulloch

The Triumph of Christianity by Rodney Stark

History of Christianity

187 books — 49 voters

Living the Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney

The Gospel-Centered Life Participant's Guide by Robert H. Thune

New City Fellowship (NCF) Reading Recomendations 2015-17

24 books — 1 voter

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.35 ·

Rating details

· 759 ratings · 162 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization

Mar 09, 2012 Bart Breen rated it liked it

I was interested when offered a copy of this work to review. As a student of the Bible and Western History, I noted the endorsement of Ravi Zacharias (whom I respect), I noted the author's association with L'Abri and I also noted the endorsement of Chuck Colson and my first impressions was that this was going to be something along the lines of Francis Schaeffer's Cultural analysis, and an equating of everything good in Western Culture with it's basis upon the Bible and anything bad as an indicat I was interested when offered a copy of this work to review. As a student of the Bible and Western History, I noted the endorsement of Ravi Zacharias (whom I respect), I noted the author's association with L'Abri and I also noted the endorsement of Chuck Colson and my first impressions was that this was going to be something along the lines of Francis Schaeffer's Cultural analysis, and an equating of everything good in Western Culture with it's basis upon the Bible and anything bad as an indication that Western Culture had departed from it.

As much as I wanted to see something more, for the most part, that is what this book is and it's nothing particularly new.

Early on in this book it's pretty evident that when Mangalwadi refers to the "Bible" as the "soul of western civilization" what he's referring to is the "Bible" as it was interpreted from St. Augustine onward and he's pretty outwardly clear that he's referring to "Western Christianity" as it's been influenced and integrated with Plato and other Greek Philosophers.

That's well and good as Western Civilization indeed has, to a great extent been influenced by The Bible and it's particular western bent as interpreted, influenced and merged into the stream of Greco-Roman Philosophy. Magalwadi has an interesting perspective on some of this coming, as he does (like Ravi Zacharias) from India. Further this has been a prevalent theme in books about Western Civilization such as the iconic Story of Western Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant (Agnostics in viewpoint.)

Mangalwadi presents a mix of different themes as well as his own personal experience in India attempting to show how Western Institutional Christianity (which he appears to believe is the same as "The Bible") brought about good in India and continues to do so while battling against Eastern Philosophy and the Hindu and Muslim Religions.

In short, it's red meat for cultural Christians who have morphed Western Civilization into "The Bible" and have conveniently ignored the first three centuries of Christian History, The Eastern Orthodox traditions and tied strongly into the Protestant Reformation as "The Bible" moving separate from the Roman Catholic Church into modern times.

That's not to say that Mangalwadi is wrong in all of his observations or completely biased in his presentation. It's entirely valid to attribute Western Civilization to Western Philosophy and Religion in a correlative manner. When it's equated with the Bible and implied as somehow exclusive of these other traditions then it begins to raise eyebrows, or at least it should.

Mangalwadi progresses through in almost rapid fire fashion an attribution to a Biblical Foundation of Western Intellectualism, Western Technology, Western Morality, American surpassing European accomplishments and Medical advancements tying them inextricably to the West's resting upon it's Biblically based culture.

Questions are begged throughout however, or at least were as this reviewer worked through the book. Biblical references within the book, while present were somewhat of the nature of proof-texts showing where there could be causal correlation, but lacked anything in-depth that could support it as somehow irreconcilably tied to Biblical tradition exclusively. Some ties positively tied in ways that made this reviewer scratch his head a little. Apparently J.R.R. Tolkiens' Lord of the Ring's and related mythology is Christian based (Tolkien was a Roman Catholic with tied to C.S. Lewis) but the assumption that his primary themes were some Biblically based completely ignores that Tolkien's foundation was Norse Mythology and rooted in Tolkien's studies as a philologist with roots in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Dragon.

Over all I found the writing interesting and appreciated the personal tie-ins to the Authors experiences in India from which he drew moral distinctions as to why western ways were better. Overall however, the book has the flavor of Institutional and State-based religion (which is evidently clear as you look at the forwards and endorsements of the book. This is all about Cultural based Christianity and why Western is better than all others. That's a legitimate thesis to pursue, but I can't but wish that it wasn't so hopelessly and exclusively entwined in a presentation to somehow assume that St Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and company are the whole of the Bible. There's much more and there's much that within the Bible itself brings into question the cultural and institutional religion of Christianity in the West.

3 stars. Interesting Read but not particularly ground breaking. It will resonate with the audience it's intended for, most of whom already agree with what is being said.

bart breen ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Sep 15, 2014 Suzannah rated it really liked it

Shelves: worldview, non-fiction

Most Christians (and even many unbelievers) acknowledge that to some extent, the Bible has shaped our western civilisation. What we don't know--and can barely begin to imagine--is just how profound that influence has been, reaching to how many areas of life that we simply take for granted.

Vishal Mangalwadi's book is an attempt to show us an outsider's perspective on just how blessed we are to have a culture that has been permeated with the Bible and with many generations' worth of Christian atte Most Christians (and even many unbelievers) acknowledge that to some extent, the Bible has shaped our western civilisation. What we don't know--and can barely begin to imagine--is just how profound that influence has been, reaching to how many areas of life that we simply take for granted.

Vishal Mangalwadi's book is an attempt to show us an outsider's perspective on just how blessed we are to have a culture that has been permeated with the Bible and with many generations' worth of Christian attempts to apply it correctly. Though the book is journalistic rather than doctoral, Mangalwadi displays formidable scholarship in this more-or-less systematic examination of areas of life from science and technology to charity and compassion, demonstrating clear historical evidence for the Bible's impact in each area. Now, I thought I already had a pretty good understanding of how the Bible has built the world I live in, but it didn't take me very long reading this book to realise that the half had not been told me.

In addition to the valuable scholarship, however, is another theme that runs through the book: the inability of cultures not permeated by Scripture to produce anywhere near the same level of civilisation. The Book That Made Your World would not be nearly so valuable as it is if it wasn't written by an Indian who has spent a great deal of his time investigating the history of India and its uneasy relationship with the West. Mangalwadi clearly loves his people, paying tribute to their greatness, but he pulls no punches in critiquing his culture's pagan roots. And he is able to draw both on study and on personal experience ministering to India's poor to explain--sometimes in gutwrenching detail--just why India (and the rest of the world) needs the Bible.

I didn't agree with every one of Mangalwadi's conclusions about Western history or theology (I would disagree that hierarchy within marriage was a result of the Fall, for instance), but overall I loved this book and would highly recommend it. The Great Commission tells us to teach all the nations what God has commanded of us in the Bible. This book is a mind-blowing examination of just how far that command has already gone--and a rallying-cry to take it even further, in hope and confidence that the power which once turned the world upside down, will continue to do it. ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Oct 17, 2011 Christopher rated it it was amazing

Shelves: christianity, history, favorites

(Note: Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program)
Not to put too fine a point on it, but this is the most eye-opening book I have ever read! When I first ordered this book, I was expecting more of a dry, historical tracing of Western ideas to the Bible. But really, it does so much more than that. It traces Western ideas back to the original source of their inspiration, the Bible, questions the modern notion that Western thought originated in the Greco-Roman tradition, criticizes the moral ba ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

May 31, 2012 Ian Hodge rated it really liked it

Shelves: culture, history

Vishal Mangalwadi has produced a broad sweeping cultural history of Christianity. In so doing, he draws contrasts between his native India under Islam or Hinduism, and how Christianity changed the Indian culture for the better. At least that occurred where it had significant influence. At the same time, the West is reminded of its Christian heritage and how it got to be where it is. All thanks to one book, the Bible - the one that changed your world.

His target audience is western Christians, esp Vishal Mangalwadi has produced a broad sweeping cultural history of Christianity. In so doing, he draws contrasts between his native India under Islam or Hinduism, and how Christianity changed the Indian culture for the better. At least that occurred where it had significant influence. At the same time, the West is reminded of its Christian heritage and how it got to be where it is. All thanks to one book, the Bible - the one that changed your world.

His target audience is western Christians, especially American Christianity, who he thinks have abandoned historic Christianity. As a result the West is losing that which gave it stature and greatness, living by the Book.

This is a an important theme, and Mangalwadi's constant contrasts between Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam on the one hand, and Christianity on the other, are very important. Too often there is a flight towards these religions as the effects of neoplatonism take their toll on Western Christianity.

I did not give this book five stars because there is one area of weakness in Mangalwadi's thesis. When he speaks of the Christian influence in India under William Carey and others, he refers to British legislative programs influenced by Wilberforce and Shaftesbury, which were to have an effect throughout the British Empire, and therefore India.

While issues such as slavery, working conditions, etc., did need to be addressed, once the solutions for these is seen as a political issue, the road towards the Welfare State and totalitarianism are well under way. Only in later life did Shaftesbury begin to see the problem as the British schools were secularized by the National Education Act of 1870. But he was too late.

In selecting the political order as the vehicle of change, the use of physical power replaced the power of the Holy Spirit in the church. Changing people's minds leading to a change of activity through reading Scripture and the preaching of the Word was abandoned in favor of enforcing people's conformity through police power.

As a result the churches have been relegated to the back-blocks of cultural significance, and they have remained there to this day. Mangalwadi speaks favorably of the Victorian Evangelical's use of the legislative framework, but in so doing has missed the effective abandonment the church as the leading instrument of significant cultural change.

Yet, the West did not get to where it is today by legislative decree. It got there by priests, pastors and monks who insisted that men live by the word of God. As Mangalwadi so tellingly illustrates, it got there by adherence to a Book - the Bible. And this book is a clarion call to get back to basics. ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

May 13, 2018 Sydney Jacques rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Dear Everyone,
Please read this book and soak up its hope.
Love, Syd.

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Oct 15, 2013 Richard Leo rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This is a problematic book. As a book it attempts to show what the 'soul' is of Western Civilization. In taking this approach, Mangalwadi tries to argue that the Bible is the only reason why the West developed in the fashion that it did. I have two key issues with this historical thesis: first, as a historical conceit it is only partially correct at best; second, the author presents this book with a historically flawed methodology.

As a book Mangalwadi tries to provide an overview and generalist This is a problematic book. As a book it attempts to show what the 'soul' is of Western Civilization. In taking this approach, Mangalwadi tries to argue that the Bible is the only reason why the West developed in the fashion that it did. I have two key issues with this historical thesis: first, as a historical conceit it is only partially correct at best; second, the author presents this book with a historically flawed methodology.

As a book Mangalwadi tries to provide an overview and generalist history of the West by arguing that the culture and principles created by the Bible are at the central core of Western civilization. Using a thematic approach, he reviews how the principles of the Bible have influenced and shaped the various social, political, economic and ideological pillars of Western Civilization. It is another work that contributes to the discussion on the decline of the West that has emerged as a topic of historical debate over the past decade or so. As such, it certainly adds positively to this conversation. Unfortunately, the book reads as though Mangalwadi feels he has 'the answer' to this debate in the area of civilizational decline and proceeds to hammer it home, page after page, with a very large hammer when the surgical application of a chisel might be a better approach.

Consequently, my first major criticism of this book is its focus on the Bible as the primary core of Western Civilization and all that is both great and poor about it. As any undergraduate student of the West would know, Mangalwadi has only got a third of the story. Here, I call on the thoughts of John Hirst in his tome 'The Shortest History of Europe'. In this succinct little book, Hirst effectively does exactly the same job as Mangalwadi, except in about 1/10 of the word count and with greater historical precision. Essentially, Hirst argues that Western civilization is anchored on three core pillars. If one of these is not present then we do not have this historical entity called 'The West'. Hirst's three pillars are Greco-Roman Learning, the Germanic influence and last, the Church. It is this third pillar where Mangalwadi's thesis best fits. Unfortunately, he falls for the typical Protestant Christian perspective of placing the Bible at the centre of the argument at the expense of all other influences, including the positive influences of Church tradition in integrating the cultural worlds of the other two pillars. Consequently, his argument becomes very repetitive as he tries to force the cause and effect of historical events into his very narrow historical thesis.

My second key criticism of this book is closely related. Throughout the book, it is obvious that he is very suspicious of post-modern methodology, even stating outright his own distrust of the methodology. Yet, despite this overt mistrust, the entire book is written in typical contemporary post-modern style. There is a trend in contemporary historical writing to place the historian within the history being written. The historian is situated within the historical narrative being uncovered thus using the insights which can be gained by being part of the story to advance a particular point of view. Mangalwadi uses this approach throughout his book, constantly referring to his experiences in Hindu India and how these experiences shape how he reads the biblical influence on Western development. He then uses his reflections on this situated experience to extrapolate his conclusions onto the history and place of the Bible in Western Civilization, conclusions which generally include a desire to return to more modernist approaches in reading the biblical text. This defensive style is established in the first pages of the book and become very quickly a significant problem in the style of the narrative. His historical methodological technique is one he overtly criticizes, yet it is one he shamelessly uses, primarily in a defensive manner, in order to argue for his narrowed understanding of the core of the West as discussed above.

This is what makes this book so problematic. It simplifies the historical complexity at the core of the West to the point of ignoring at least 2/3's of accepted historical interpretation on the development of Western Civilization. His historically situated approach actually contributes to this narrowed and culturally dislocated reading of the influence of the Bible in the development of the West. Overall, a book which had much potential to contribute much more than it does to the current debate on Western decline. Ultimately, however, it fails as a useful uncovering of the role that the Bible plays in the philosophical and cultural development of the 'soul' of the West through narrow historical perspectives and a flawed methodology. ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

May 14, 2012 Trevor Faggotter rated it it was amazing

Seeing the world through Indian eyes offers a very fresh perspective.
The book is subtitled: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization. The subtitle could be misleading, however.

This is not just a ‘three cheers for the Bible’ kind of book. Nor is it going to simply bolster the views of the hard-line fundamentalist, as the title may suggest. Rather, these are the words of a man who has come into the rich flow of wisdom, and truth. Indeed, he puts much emphasis upon the importance of ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Oct 22, 2011 Ruth rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, theology

This book shone a major light on some concepts that I had taken for granted as being universal common sense, and traced their origins back to the Bible. Ideas such as a democracy where the rulers and the people are responsible for adhering first to a moral law; the notion of equality of all people; the inherent value of a life; the concept of heroism as the laying down of one's life to serve others (rather than conquering them); the idea that the world and the universe are knowable and that the ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 14, 2020 Dave Dentel rated it it was amazing

It may have been the dust jacket design that threw me off. The title is set in ornate lettering and illuminated with a medieval-style vine-and-serpent motif, which led me to think this was a book about the ancient origins of the Bible and how it emerged in its present form.

Instead, The Book That Made Your World examines a much more familiar theme—how the Bible influenced and accommodated the rise of Western civilization. But what makes it different, and unusually potent, is that its thesis is pr ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2011 Sunflower rated it it was amazing

Shelves: thomas-nelson-reviewed, 2011-book-reviews

If you are looking for an easy read, "The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization" is not an easy read, but a soulful read that deeply explores the impact the Bible has made on civilization and cross compares, why didn't anything else have the same level of impact as the Bible.

The book may look intimidating,but"The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization", breaks down each chapter, into the areas that the Bible h ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 16, 2011 Nathan rated it really liked it

I got this book on the recommendation of a friend over discussions of evangelism. It is well worth reading for the following people: 1. Christians who really want ideas for evangelism. 2. Christians whose faith is shaken to one degree or another.

Christian worldview is important, and lots of Christian authors have written on the topic effectively. Mangalwadi adds to the worldview discussions in the realm of practicality. His thoughts on Christian worldview mostly come by way of personal testimony ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 08, 2012 Lynn Joshua rated it it was amazing

This book reveals how the ideas that we consider common sense or universal are actually unique to cultures that have been influenced by the Bible. The author has a unique viewpoint as a Former Hindu raised in India. Here are some of the ideas we take for granted:
Democracy where the rulers and the people are both accountable to a higher moral law;
the worth of every life,
the idea the the stronger is responsible to help the weaker instead of the other way around;
the idea that the world and the u ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2011 John rated it really liked it

Shelves: homeschool-books, 2014

Much like Rodney Stark's book "The Victory of Reason," Mangalwadi's book "The Book That Made Your World" is the story of how the gospel, delivered through the Bible, has transformed the world from a place of violence and barbarism into the modern, industrial, affluent, civilized world.
Mangalwadi traces this out in a host of ways--music, science, education, politics, missions, and more. One of the greatest strengths of the books is his contrast between the East and West.

Mangalwadi is an Indian a ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 22, 2012 Edwin David rated it it was amazing

Shelves: church-history, bible

Probably the easiest way to describe the contents is to say that it is rather like a Bible centred version of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies though this won’t help you if you’ve not read it! Essentially, Mangalwadi sets out to demonstrate the way in which the Bible has shaped Western culture from the ground up; as the subtitle says ‘the Bible created the soul of Western Civilisation’.

Covering topics as widely spread as humanity, rationality, technology and heroism, the book ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2013 Tom rated it it was amazing

Shelves: apologetics, history

I would call this a 21st Century update to Schaeffer 's "How Should We Then Live?", but from an Eastern perspective. Vishal does an excellent job at using the lens of Scripture to see clearly the strengths and deficiencies of Western Civilization. It was also enlightening to learn so much about India's culture and how much it owes to the outworking of Scripture. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 27, 2016 Jonathan rated it liked it

This book is all over the place in both quality and truthfulness. Since it's a topic that I care about and one I wanted to learn more of, I read it twice and reviewed it carefully, breaking it down chapter-by-chapter in order to give each point far treatment. Here's how I felt.

Chapter 1: Soul. Without God the West has lost its soul, its reason for existence. As an example of this Mangalwadi turns to music, arguing that music has classically been an expression of the soul and Western classical mu ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 30, 2019 Cody rated it really liked it

Shelves: christian-authors, philosophy, politics, history, worldview, theology

Chapter 1
Vishal Mangalwadi looks at what he believes to be the practical implications of the Buddhist worldview. He explores the life, suicide and Buddhist philosophy of singer Kurt Cobain. Some of the lyrics Mangalwadi quotes to prove his point are the following:
"Silence, Here I am, Here I am, Silent.
Death Is what I am, Go to hell, Go to jail...
Die" (Endless, Nameless)
He also looks at - and contrasts - the music of J.S. Bach with Cobain and other modern artists while setting the scene for the r ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 01, 2011 Steve rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, booksneeze

Vishal Mangalwadi's The Book That Made Your World is an ambitious undertaking that is also deeply flawed. Mangalwadi’s thesis is concisely summarised in the Foreword to the book written by J Stanley Mattson:

‘[Mangalwadi’s] arduous research establishes the fact that the Bible and its worldview, contrary to current prevailing opinion, combined to serve as the single most powerful force in the emergence of Western civilization.’

In over 400 pages, Mangalwadi provides a sweeping series of historical Vishal Mangalwadi's The Book That Made Your World is an ambitious undertaking that is also deeply flawed. Mangalwadi’s thesis is concisely summarised in the Foreword to the book written by J Stanley Mattson:

‘[Mangalwadi’s] arduous research establishes the fact that the Bible and its worldview, contrary to current prevailing opinion, combined to serve as the single most powerful force in the emergence of Western civilization.’

In over 400 pages, Mangalwadi provides a sweeping series of historical narratives, entwined with his own personal experiences in India and the United States, which argue that features of Western civilization would not have occurred if it hadn’t been for the Bible. His outline of history includes the development of the valuing of humans as being higher than animals; the commitment to rationality; creative technology and its benefits; the formation of the concept of heroism based in humility and service; and the dramatic impact of the translation of the Bible into various languages. He also argues that literature, universities, and science would not have formed in the way they did without the Bible. For the author, the West is the best because of its higher ideals regarding morality, the family, compassion, true wealth, and liberty that transcend all other cultures because of the Bible’s influence. Ultimately, Mangalwadi wants to call the West back to a commitment to the Bible and its worldview to reverse what he sees as a rapid decline in relativistic morality and its consequential nihilism that results in despair. At the beginning of the book, the author holds up Kurt Cobain as an icon of modern culture arguing that his suicide was one of the rare occurrences when a nihilist genuinely followed through on their beliefs. Mangalwadi believes that this is the ultimate end of the West if it does not return to the Bible and its worldview.

There is no doubt that Mangalwadi is a good writer and very widely read. The fact that he is Indian and can make a comparison, from experience, between East and West provides for an interesting perspective. And his stories from his experience give a personal dimension that mostly enhances the history and philosophy that he surveys.

But there are some serious flaws in Mangalwadi’s argument. Firstly, reducing the entire development of the West to the influence of the Bible and its worldview is simplistic. While I am no historian, I am always suspicious when a single cause is offered for something. The world and history is surely more complex than that. For example, when he talks about the development of the wheeled plough, he argues that it only happened because of the biblical belief that toil was sinful (whereas work was part of God’s original creation). But as another reviewer has pointed out, farmers who are making a living from their work are surely going to look for more efficient ways of doing their work even if they did not subscribe to a “biblical” worldview! Mangalwadi also completely ignores a range of other influencing factors on the development of Western civilisation – the occurrence of plagues, growth in population, and a host of other historical events. For Mangalwadi everything is the result of the Bible and the adoption of its world view.

Secondly, Mangalwadi speaks of the worldview of the Bible. There is no acknowledgement in the book that the Bible has been the basis of multiple interpretations and “world views”. Mangalwadi presents what might be called the best of the Bible and the best examples of socio-cultural examples based on the Bible. But he fails to mention that the Bible has, for many people, been the basis of some very bad practices and used in support of genocide, slavery, and the “raping” of the environment.

Thirdly, Mangalwadi doesn’t mention any countries that have been successful without a basis in biblical theology or world view such as Japan and Singapore. How did they develop so well without a commitment to the Bible? And what about countries based firmly on a secular philosophy such as Sweden?

Fourthly, Mangalwadi completely dismisses any other religion or worldview has having much of value. But there is no sustained engagement with any of these alternatives. According to one Buddhist scholar who reviewed this book, Mangalwadi actually misrepresents Buddhism.

Overall, The Book That Changed Your World is an uncritical exposition of history. There are sweeping generalisations without any evidence being provided, selective use of the biblical text (on some occasions, no biblical evidence at all), and the equating of a romanticised view of the Bible (which is not as even in its presentation of God as Mangalwadi implies) that completely ignores the fact that Christians are just as prone to many of the social evils of our time as non-Christians (eg, teen pregnancy, divorce, domestic violence, child abuse).

In the end, The Book That Changed Your World is a work of apologetics rather than a scholarly and critical look at the relationship between the Bible and the development of Western culture. There is no doubt that the Bible has been influential – for good and for ill. While Mangalwadi’s book makes for an interesting read, it takes a too uncritical approach to history and the Bible to make it reliable. If one already believes that the Bible is solely responsible for the best in civilisation then this book will bolster that belief. But for a well-informed, educated believer, the evidence won’t be adequate to support the thesis as it is presented.

Acknowledgement: I found Jeff Swanson’s review very helpful, in particular, in parts of this review. I recommend it.

Technorati Tags: Bible,history,culture,Christianity
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 28, 2017 Sue rated it it was amazing

Mangalwadi shows how The Bible created the aspects of our modern world which we value the most. He demonstrates how different world views necessarily produce different kinds of societies. Finally, he asks whether we are heading for a new dark age or whether we will recognise in time that we are headed towards a very different society if we abandon the truths of The Bible.

I can unreservedly recommend this book to everyone everywhere.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 22, 2020 Dani rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, faith

This book focuses on the impact the Bible has had on the world as we know it today. It compares the philosophical foundations of major world religions and how their differences shape cultures. It dives deep into how the Bible and Christian values have impacted the development of global education, science, medicine, innovation, economics, democracies, the concept of the intrinsic value of humans, liberty and more. Not a light read but very interesting!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 05, 2018 Megan Herriott rated it liked it

Very interesting book that helped me better understand the history, culture and worldview held by many people in India. Some of the arguments/summaries of historical events seemed a bit over-simplified in order to make the point, although I believe they are still true and valid.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 21, 2020 Joonas Laajanen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: apologetics, history, scripture

Literally everything worthy of valuing in the world (Technology, Science, Heroism, Obj. Morality, Monogamy etc. ) was given to you by the Bible as God transformed the world through its truth. Great read.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 12, 2019 Mary-Claire R rated it really liked it

More interesting than I thought it would be. The 1st few chapters were a little rough but after that it was great!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 20, 2019 Micael Hellquist rated it it was amazing

Fantastic book, well worth reading!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 02, 2014 MC rated it it was amazing

"Is the sun setting on the West?" So asks author Vishal Mangalwadi in his new call to action, entitled *The Book That Changed Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization*. This book is one of the philosophically heaviest books that I've ever encountered. It covers the foundations of what is called "Western Civilization" (though in a mark of how far we have fallen as a society, that term seems to be going out of style with some of the liberal precincts that consider themsel "Is the sun setting on the West?" So asks author Vishal Mangalwadi in his new call to action, entitled *The Book That Changed Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization*. This book is one of the philosophically heaviest books that I've ever encountered. It covers the foundations of what is called "Western Civilization" (though in a mark of how far we have fallen as a society, that term seems to be going out of style with some of the liberal precincts that consider themselves more "sophisticated").

The author tells the story of how, as a young man and new believer in the Lord in India, he went and examined the impact of the Bible on the history of his country, and of the world in general. What he found was stunning.

In a word, the difference between those countries influenced by the Bible and those not influenced by it, are quite *stark*. The Christian West was centuries behind other civilizations at one point in the past, yet while these other societies stagnated, and even fell backward into repression, mysticism, illiteracy, and a contempt for spiritual and scholarly growth, the West went forward. Why was this? What was the main difference?

The answer, Dr. Mangalwadi discovers, is the Bible and the Christian faith. In a surprising cultural honesty, he points out how his peoples' ancestors had so many gifts and advantages, and yet did nothing with them. The universities, aid societies, even the written languages, law, and other lasting contributions to Indian society, he found, had come from *missionaries*, intent on helping Indians both spiritually and physically, as Jesus commanded, and still commands in His Word.

Dr. Mangalwadi worked backwards to discover what motivated these caring and compassionate people, *and* what were the secrets of their earthly and material successes that spawned their ability to raise up the lot of themselves and others in life. In his research, he came to discover the amazing impact of the Scriptures.

The author is not naive, he does not claim all good came from the Bible, but that it is the filter that the West drew philosophical, moral, and spiritual strength from, as it grew and thrived. He wonders, as we all should, what will become of the West if we continue down this *nihilistic* path we are on. We believe not in the destructive faiths that plague so much of the world, and that is good, but not much more so in our case. We believe in nothing! We have no overriding cultural, moral, or philosophical belief or narrative. The Western soul is searching for Truth, and finding it believes that there is no truth. This obvious lie is too much, and is hurting the very conscience of our peoples. The West is lost. We are lost, and we need to seek the Truth once again, before it is too late, and the sun *does* set upon us.

The book does have it's errors, to be sure. The author only had so much space in a normal book, even a philosophical one such as this. Because of this, there were oversimplifications, and those irked me, because some of the power of the narrative was lost. This book was, for me, a reminder of what I had known and learned, but not remembered. I am able to interpret the book through those past readings and sift out any problems. For someone who might not have read the same works, this may be a problem that leaves them unprepared for vigorous philosophical challenges to their beliefs.

The other part that was an annoyance not at Dr. Mangalwadi, but at his publisher, Thomas Nelson, was that he could have used a better editor. There are some areas where the text seems grammatical nonsense, but that is due to an Indian who knows English as a non-native language trying to write in it. He does an overall great job, but the errors really should have been caught. The author is a truly brilliant man, and deserves better than potentially looking somewhat silly due to grammatical errors that are understandable in the end.

These two minor concerns aside, this book was a brilliant probing of the philosophical and moral history of the Western mind, and why we must turn from our current path back to the one that made the West what it was. The Christian faith is the answer for our cultural and civilizational woes. The question is, *Will we turn back*?

-----

I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I am obligated to read it and give a review on my blog and on a commercial web site such as Amazon.com. Thomas Nelson emphasizes their desire for honest reviews, whether positive or negative, in order to help them create a better product. The opinions above are my honest viewpoint. I want to thank Thomas Nelson for allowing me to review this book, and thank you all for reading this. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 28, 2019 Joshua rated it really liked it

Walks through the Bible's dramatic impact on each sphere of society throughout history and into the paradigms of our current age.

It leaves us with the question of how we will continue to define truth into the future. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 27, 2011 Mar'ah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviews-booksneeze

I have just finished reviewing “The Book That Made Your World, How The Bible Created The Soul of Western Civilization,” by Vishal Mangalwadi. This unsurpassed masterpiece details and highlights the events through history that have shaped our modern western culture. He travels through Britain, India, America and many other places revealing suppressed history and hidden truths about our ancestors, governments, and beliefs of many different religions.

This book is an eye opener even for people that I have just finished reviewing “The Book That Made Your World, How The Bible Created The Soul of Western Civilization,” by Vishal Mangalwadi. This unsurpassed masterpiece details and highlights the events through history that have shaped our modern western culture. He travels through Britain, India, America and many other places revealing suppressed history and hidden truths about our ancestors, governments, and beliefs of many different religions.

This book is an eye opener even for people that have a good grasp on theology and its relation to cultures and societies. I have been an avid reader and took a serious interest in the Bible as a young teenager. My whole life has revolved around this passion and belief in the written Word of God. However, even with all the books I have read, lectures I have attended, and hours upon hours of study, I was pleasantly surprised at just how much information was in this book that I had not been exposed to.

In this book, Mr. Mangwaldi addresses:

• Socialism and its counterparts
• The various forms of Paganism
• Technology
• Humanity
• Rationality
• Heroism
• Literature
• Science
• Many, many more topics that are all brilliantly written!

Through the chapters of this book, I was in tears through the saddest of circumstances and yet rejoiced with the author at the handiwork of our Lord in the joys of life! I was humbled to pray for people that have a worldview so contrary to my own as Mr. Mangalwadi describes beautifully the mindset of whole cultures that embrace death and where those mindsets have come through an intellectual viewpoint.

Mr. Mangalwadi shares some very personal stories and insights in this book along with the rich history. Without going into too much detail, the story that struck me the most was the little girl of only eighteen months whom they tried to save, but was ultimately the victim of a mercy killing by her family. The way the family was described gave me a new outlook on why America is so ready and willing to kill its unborn children and why mercy killings are becoming more and more “normal” and “accepted” in America. This has also challenged me to pray even more for those who cannot pray for themselves yet.

This book needs to be in every Library, University and Bookstore. The information in this book is critical to our future generations. Mr. Mangalwadi says it beautifully, “Endarkenment,” is the term we are truly living in, not Enlightenment. We lost the light a very long time ago, but there is a chance that we can find it again if we choose to look for the true light and not an imitation.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 30, 2013 Eric Wright rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Eric by: Charles Noble

Shelves: apologetics, missions, history

Out of his own Indian experience of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam along with his scholarly research and study of western secular humanism Mangalwadi demonstrates the historical effect the Bible has had on our world. This books should drop like a bomb in the middle of our complacent and arrogant so-called secular scholars. That it won't is due more to their prejudice than reality. That it has been written by a non-western Asian is startling in itself.

Mangalwadi seeds his scholarship throughout b Out of his own Indian experience of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam along with his scholarly research and study of western secular humanism Mangalwadi demonstrates the historical effect the Bible has had on our world. This books should drop like a bomb in the middle of our complacent and arrogant so-called secular scholars. That it won't is due more to their prejudice than reality. That it has been written by a non-western Asian is startling in itself.

Mangalwadi seeds his scholarship throughout by telling illustrations from his experiences in both India and the West. With voluminous quotations from an astounding array of scholars of every stripe, he establishes the democratizing, liberating, inspiring role of the Bible in the success of Western civilization and its spread throughout the world.

He traces the effect biblical knowledge has had on human's rediscovering their humanity, becoming thinking, rational people who were given to invent things--the rise of technology. He shows the effect it has had on freeing women, marriage, banning slavery, etc.

He ponders how the abosolutely unique character of Christ,an apparently defeated hero, supercedes the mythiccall heros of the ancient world to remake civilization in miniscule amounts into his own image. Christians, believers in the dignity of man and in morality, became the revolutionaries that really changed individual societies and ultimately vast segments of the world.

He shows how the Bible inspired language codification, translation and great literature; how it led to the founding of universities and was the inspiration for genuine science.

He establishes the role it played in rooting morality at the foundations of just societies, without which corruption becomes epidemic. Which societies are the least corrupt? Those founded on Protestant principles.

He traces the effect Bible believers have had on exalting the family; inspiring compassion through a host of insitutions including hospitals, leprosariums, and orphanages; creating wealth and innovation.

Perhaps, most important, he shows the effect it has had on producing human liberty. He gives case studies along the way to demonstrate the transforming effect the Bible has had even on societies as disturbed as those who were headhunters.

This is not a book to read in a week or even month, at least in my mind. It is a book to read in small batches that inspire thought. Every thinking person, especially secular humanists and post-modernists who are leading us deeper and deeper into despair, need to read this book. Highly recommended. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 17, 2018 Todd Stockslager rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history

Review title: Building our world

After reading Jesus through the centuries: His place in the history of culture, my last review concluded with the question: "what claim does he have to be in the center of my life?" This book asks "what claim does Jesus have to be the center of my world?", and answers the question by establishing the Biblical roots of government, law, human rights, literature, morality, language, science, technology, medicine, and economics. Since "Western" civilization is someti Review title: Building our world

After reading Jesus through the centuries: His place in the history of culture, my last review concluded with the question: "what claim does he have to be in the center of my life?" This book asks "what claim does Jesus have to be the center of my world?", and answers the question by establishing the Biblical roots of government, law, human rights, literature, morality, language, science, technology, medicine, and economics. Since "Western" civilization is sometimes referred to as "Judeo-Christian" civilization this might not seem, even in our post-modern 2018 world, much of a stretch. But coming from this author, an Indian born and educated into a Hindu heritage, who might have historical and religious reasons to resent or reject the claim, the answer is as surprising as it is unequivocal: Western civilization in all of the aspects I listed is based on and can directly be traced to God's word (the Bible) and his Logos (his son Jesus Christ), and far from this civilization being "the bad guys" in his personal and national story: "Without the Bible's political ideas, however, Muslim emperors, Hindu militia, or European merchants would still be ruling India." (p. 351)

While establishing the Bible's precedence at the center, Mangalwadi also dislodges Greek and Enlightenment ideals from their favored position in the center of the Western world view:

Of course, the Renaissance writers quoted classical writers (more Romans than Greeks ) to garnish their treatises on man. But they could not and did not derive their high view of man [as created in the image of God] from the Greco-Roman worldview. It was the Bible's vision of what man was created to be, and saved to become, that became the commonsense view in the West. (p. 72)

The Bible presents a consistent worldview from creation (Genesis) to re-creation (Revelation, with the new heavens and new earth). This consistent worldview provides the basis for the worth of the individual and the linear progression of time, enabling and giving incentive to enable humans to focus on small bits of work and incrementally add to knowledge, science, and technology. This approach to life (worldview) drives education, so each student can learn and add to their knowledge incrementally and prepare them for future learning and work.

Mangalwadi acknowledges the precedence of non-Western advances in mathematics (Islamic Arab) and science (paper, printing, and fireworks among others in Buddhist China) but repeatedly points out that these individual accomplishments never blossomed into revolutions of any of the aspects of worldview (government, law, human rights, literature, morality, language, science, technology, medicine, and economics). When he gives examples from his own culture of its lack of these economic and moral basic principles of modern life, he stresses that necessity (of which there is plenty in India) is not the mother of--sufficient for--invention; a worldview that values individuals and time are. Mangalwadi gives a heartbreaking personal example from his volunteer experience in an Indian village where a mother and father let their young second daughter starve to death because they saw little value in her life and no way to save her despite Mangalwadi's explanation of help and repeated offers to provide it (p. 60-65) This, along with many other examples from his culture, is why Mangalwadi doesn't denigrate or attack Western culture like many Western intellectual leaders and institutions do: he sees and lives in the alternative.

As we learned in my previous review (Jesus through the centuries referenced above), Jesus presented himself in scripture and has been identified in history since as both anti-hero--the suffering savior, the sacrificed lamb of God--and the all-powerful son of God, equal with God, and the eternal human image of God in the second part of the Trinity, in whose image we humans were then created. Of course, as we know the account from Genesis, Adam sinned and the human race fell from grace into a deep need of salvation. The power of the Bible as literature, and a mark of its historical authenticity, says Mangalwadi, is that it doesn't attempt to turn ordinary people (like Abraham, for example) into heroes, it shows how ordinary people can act heroically through the redemptive work of Jesus: "Homer wouldn't pick any of us as heroes. But all of us can be like Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Joseph." (p. 180-181) In fact, Mangalwadi shows how science flowered, democracy triumphed over tyranny, and international slave trading was abolished and basic human rights were coded into the US Constitution, all after the translation of the Bible into vernacular languages, when ordinary people began to read the Bible, take it literally, and act heroically.

As the West has matured toward decadence, to use Jacques Barzun's word from his fabulous sweeping history of Western civilization and a post-Christian stance of tolerance and multiculturalism, some of the great institutions of that fertile period of the 17th to the 19th centuries have lost their explicitly Christian roots and continue their mission as purely secular organizations; Mangalwadi cites the Red Cross as an example (p. 300). Is this a sign of maturity, or of the retreat of Christianity and more importantly individual Christians from the acts of faith that shaped our culture? Organizations like Compassion International that provide food, clean water, health care, and education to millions of children in deep poverty around the world, presenting the living gospel in deeds that match their words, give me hope that Western culture is still informed by Western Christians who still act heroically through the influence of the the word and Logos of God.

Mangalwadi concludes with a chapter on the transformation of the the Hmar tribe of Northern India by the introduction of Christianity through a translation of the gospel of John brought by an early 20th century missionary who defied British colonial restrictions on travel into Hmar territory. Later, a Hmar native learned to read first his native language and then Greek and Hebrew to translate the full New Testament. The Bible brought this tribe "out of oppression, chronic poverty, and subsistence living unto freedom and abundance" (p. 368), and while Mangalwadi writes from an unapologetically Christian viewpoint, you can google "Hmar tribe and Christianity" and confirm his conclusion from other sources writing from different perspectives.

The power of this book is in both its perspective---an Indian born and educated into a Hindu heritage--and its proof--Mangalwadi has assembled his historical sources and his logical arguments into an indisputable conclusion that the Bible did create the soul of Western civilization and make the world we live in, and that we are all better for it, no matter where we live or what we believe. But how we live and how we act on what we believe will determine how much of this world we conserve for our children. ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 19, 2012 Evelyn Puerto rated it it was amazing

Shelves: christian-nonfiction

Why did western civilization develop technology while others did not? Why was the west first to bring literacy to the masses? Why are most of the countries considered the least corrupt located in the west?

Good questions, all of them. Many have written on this topic, but few have covered it so thoroughly as Vishal Mangalwadi in The Book that Made Your World. Mangalwadi writes from the perspective of an easterner who had the opportunity to attend school because of the influence of western culture ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

History

54 users

Christian

31 users

Nonfiction

24 users

Religion > Theology

17 users

Religion

14 users

Religion > Christianity

11 users

Philosophy

9 users

Religion > Faith

6 users

Politics

4 users

Cultural

4 users

See top shelves…

About Vishal Mangalwadi

Vishal Mangalwadi

54 followers

Vishal Mangalwadi (1949-) is an international lecturer, social reformer, cultural and political columnist, and author of thirteen books. Born and raised in India, he studied philosophy at universities, in Hindu ashrams, and at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland. In 1976 he turned down several job offers in the West to return to India where he and his wife, Ruth, founded a community to serve the rura ...more

Books by Vishal Mangalwadi

Truth and Transformation: A Manifesto for Ailing Nations

The Legacy of William Carey: A Model for the Transformation of a Culture

Burnt Alive: The Staines and the God They Loved

The Quest For Freedom & Dignity: Caste, Conversion & Cultural Revolution

This Book Changed Everything: The Bible’s Amazing Impact on Our World

More…

Readers' Most Anticipated Books of January

New year! New books! New this month: Scandal rocks an elite British boarding school in The Divines. A dark secret spans several...

Trivia About The Book that Mad...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from The Book that Mad...

“And Christian compassion is another factor that made the West the best civilization in history. Let us examine it next.” — 4 likes

“Dreaming, investing, and changing the status quo takes courage; but the courage to melt an ice age does not grow in all cultural climates. Moribund cultures are fertile fields for fearful, fatalistic worldviews. Only astrologers, fortune-tellers, witch doctors, and sorcerers thrive on such glaciers.” — 3 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — The Book that Made Your World by Vishal Mangalwadi

The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Vishal Mangalwadi

Books by Vishal Mangalwadi

Related Articles

Trivia About The Book that Mad...

Quotes from The Book that Mad...

See a Problem?

Preview — The Book that Made Your World by Vishal Mangalwadi

The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Vishal Mangalwadi

Books by Vishal Mangalwadi

Related Articles

Trivia About The Book that Mad...

Quotes from The Book that Mad...

new topic
Discuss This Book