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

Vishal Mangalwadi,

J. Stanley Mattson (Foreword)

4.34 · Rating details · 904 ratings · 187 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

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Hardcover, 442 pages

Published May 9th 2011 by Thomas Nelson

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Jan 02, 2022 Luís rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Luís by: Miguel

Shelves: recommendations, g-religion, g-philosophy, g-politics, 2022-readings, india, read-in-english, e-4

Mangalwadi’s The Book That Made Your World is a very informative take on the Bible’s influence in twenty critical areas of the human experience, from the origins of science to the concept of compassion in the face of utter barbarism in the early first century. It aimed to show how the Bible has shaped the West in some of the most profound ways imaginable, even in some ways unexpectedly. In that respect, the book succeeds. However, it does tend to lack the artistic appeal of more expressive write ...more

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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

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Sep 15, 2014 Suzannah rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, worldview

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

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Oct 17, 2011 Christopher rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, favorites, christianity

(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

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Jan 01, 2022 David Sarkies rated it really liked it

Shelves: christian

A Christian’s View on Europe’s Success
1 January 2022 - Adelaide

It seemed that the reason that Western Europe developed the way it did while the rest of the world didn’t had been settled by Jared Diamond by simply saying it was ‘Gun, Germs, and Steel’, but Mangalwadi sort of disagrees. Then again, Mangalwadi is writing from the point of view of an outsider, and being an expert on India (namely because he happens to be Indian), he sort of raised the question as to why Western Europe developed whe A Christian’s View on Europe’s Success
1 January 2022 - Adelaide

It seemed that the reason that Western Europe developed the way it did while the rest of the world didn’t had been settled by Jared Diamond by simply saying it was ‘Gun, Germs, and Steel’, but Mangalwadi sort of disagrees. Then again, Mangalwadi is writing from the point of view of an outsider, and being an expert on India (namely because he happens to be Indian), he sort of raised the question as to why Western Europe developed whereas India has basically stagnated. Well, his answer was that it was because of the Bible.

Basically, Mangalwadi’s argument is that the Reformation, which resulted in ordinary people discussing and debating the Bible in their own language brought about the scientific revolution that raised Europe from a backwards peninsula to the centre of the modern world. This also resulted in the United States, a nation that he claimed was built upon Biblical foundations, becoming the world’s sole superpower. I do think he has a pretty good point, but a part of me feels that there is some revisionism occurring in this book, and the idea of the Bible being available in the vernacular isn’t the only reason.

One of the things that he seems to neglect is that Rome didn’t completely collapse in the aftermath of the barbarian invasions. The reality is that the Eastern Roman Empire survived for another thousand years, and it was the Venetian invasion that pretty much was the beginning of the end. The thing with the Eastern Empire is that the Bible remained in the common tongue, which was basically Greek, yet despite this, the Eastern Roman Empire eventually declined, and died. Further, after the Byzantines met the Rus, the Bible went up north where it appeared in their own language as well.

Sure, the fact that the church kept the Bible in Latin meant that only the church was able to read, and interpret, the Bible. However, while translating the Bible into the vernacular resulted in the German and English languages becoming codified, the reality is that it doesn’t matter if the Bible is written in your native language if you can’t read. As such, I would suggest that it had more to do with the Protestant churches going out and teaching people to read so that they could read the Bible for themselves, was the important factor. In fact, he even explores how an Indian tribe was transformed when they went out to learn to read the Bible, first in English, and then in their own tongue.

Sure, the act of becoming literate does play a huge role, but Mangalwadi suggests it is more than that, and he points to China and the Middle East as an example. However, I would argue that the reason that the Middle East went from being the centre of learning to what we have today (though that is changing) is due to the Mongol Invasions (and I’d also suggest that the Crusades didn’t help either). As for China, there was the issue that the conservatives took control of the government, and basically tossed learning out of the window.

Mind you, I’m not necessarily saying that he is wrong, because the Bible does form a basis of a functioning society, and I agree with him that our movement away from the Bible is resulting in a decaying society. Sure, I might not be a big fan of abortion, but there is much more to the issue, especially since it ends up being a bunch of males telling women what to do with their body. Sure, I do believe that life begins at conception, but I do not believe that I have the right to tell somebody what to do with their body, especially if the baby was placed into their body against their will. Also, don’t get me started on the fact that the only time the pro-lifers care about the baby is when it happens to be in somebody else’s body (though their argument is that at this stage the life is powerless and needs somebody to stand up for them).

What I do agree with Mangalwadi is that the problem is that we have stopped reading our Bible, and I am looking at Christians more than the secular world. Mangalwadi points out that our scientific discoveries came about because Christians decided to explore God’s creation. The problem is that many of the fundamentalist churches are so caught up with the debate over evolution that they are basically rejecting all of science (which is similar to what happened in China centuries ago when the conservatives took over). The same is the case with Climate Change, which they consider to be a left-wing conspiracy to kill babies (it’s always the babies) and are also crying about how the left seeks to destroy the sanctity of marriage (which they are doing a pretty good job of it themselves).

Yes, I believe that God does answer prayers, but I’m not all that convinced that ‘praying the gay away’ is all that easy to do, and this gets worse when they begin to use guilt to make people feel that the reason that they have these urges is because there is an unrepentant sin in their life (which is not true because God answers prayers even though we have unrepentant sins in our lives), or that God has decided that this person is not worth saving. It is not surprising that the problem most people have with Christianity are Christians. Yeah, it is interesting to note that the idea of predestination came about to say that it is God who determines who is saved, not the Pope, and it has pretty much been taken way out of proportion.

Okay, there is probably a lot more that I could write about this (especially when you consider Africa, where a number of countries have Christian populations of over 80%, but still deal with corrupt governments and a lack of education, while there are Asian countries where Christianity is in the minority, but are quite developed – though the argument with these countries is that they are either dictatorships, or have been through a period of dictatorship) but I’ll probably just leave it here. As I mentioned, the theory is quite good, and does support the idea of returning to the Bible, but there are quite a few holes in the thesis, and as the author points out, it is not just having a Biblical foundation, but being about to read it, debate it, and take it to heart.

So, let’s stop talking about killing babies, and praying the gay away, and return to the conversation of how we should be loving our neighbours as ourselves. ...more

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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

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Jan 19, 2021 Becky Pliego rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2021, favorites, history, nonfiction, audio-books

I found this book fascinating! Of course the Western world is crumbling down, the Book that made it, it’s cornerstone, has been removed from the heart of its people, it’s homes and churches , and the public square.

May God bring us back to His Word!

If you don’t know where to start reading your Bible, join thousands of people around the world and start reading- even today! Download your reading plan (for free!) at TotheWord.com

NOTE: I listened to this book on audible, but on the Goodreads app I ...more

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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

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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.

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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

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Oct 22, 2011 Ruth Barone rated it it was amazing

Shelves: theology, history

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

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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

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Nov 26, 2021 ValeReads Kyriosity rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

I enjoyed this one a lot. While I had some quibbles (even some serious ones) about some of Mangalwadi's takes and conclusions, they came from a man with a sincere and suffering faith whose overwhelming attitude to his subject is gratitude. In a world seething with envy and eager to tear down any vestige of history with even a whiff of a variance with modern mores, here is an Indian man who looks past the very real problems with his nation's colonial past and rejoices in the tremendous blessings ...more

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Feb 11, 2022 Dee Miller rated it it was amazing

Shelves: february-2022

Audible.com 14 hours 15 min. Narrated by Peter Lawrence(A)

This was worth the time to follow through carefully . A great narrator for a great book. It is exactly all the summary claims. I especially enjoyed chapter 17 and was so impressed by Cyrus McCormick's work ethic and his family that I'm going to try to find his biography. I read a negative review on Goodreads and can't believe we read the same book. ...more

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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

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Sep 09, 2011 John rated it really liked it

Shelves: homeschool-books, 2014, church-history

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

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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

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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

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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

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Mar 19, 2022 Amanda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-this-book-on-kindle, christian-nonfiction, nonfiction, history, i-own-this-book, ylto-bc-challenge-2022, 2022-vt-reading-challenge

Very good book about how the Bible influenced and changed the Western world. The author is not from the West, which lends an outside perspective to the book. The book is not dry while being very informative. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

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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

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Aug 02, 2021 Heather Perkins rated it did not like it

This book made me feel like I was tricked into reading it. I spent my time reading it complaining about it to a friend about how awful it was. There are so many more thorough and better reviews that go further into detail about why this is not a good book, much less a good look into the topic it professes it would be. Suffice it to say, it may have been written by someone who is not from the middle of America, but it uses all of the same talking points as someone born and raised in Texas who wat ...more

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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

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Sep 17, 2012 Alesa rated it did not like it

More of a religious tract than history. I gave up. By trashing Buddhism (and not really understanding it), the author lost credibility. Too bad, because I was really excited by the concept of the book and its reviews.

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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

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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.

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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

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Dec 01, 2021 B.J. Richardson rated it really liked it

This is the third book of a similar type that I have read in the past month. The other two: Reason Faith and the Struggle for Civilization, and How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization were both decent books but I think I liked this one the best. One thing that makes it stand out is that Vishal Mangalwadi adds in personal experiences that illustrate many of the points he is making. Since he is living in a Hindi/Muslim society that has been far less influenced by the Bible, he makes som ...more

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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.

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Feb 20, 2022 Philip Brown rated it really liked it

Good. Mangalwadi demonstrates the way the Biblical text and the worldview derived from it built the west. Throughout the book, Mangalwadi draws from his own experiences in India throughout the 20th century and how they relate and often ideologically contrasted with Christianity. The book was very dense, though I wonder if the information was presented a little simplistically or in a one sided way (I do think the thrust of it is undoubtedly true).

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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!

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About Vishal Mangalwadi

Vishal Mangalwadi

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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