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 on his native India. Responding to criticism of the Bible as a negative cultural influence on India, he presents in detail the many ways the Bible shaped western civilization into what was an incredible force for lifting the masses out of poverty and ignorance, making a life other than the “nasty, short and brutish” one experienced by most possible.

Through his research, Mangalwadi discovered that “the Bible was the source of practically everything good in my hometown, even the secular university that undermined [it].”

For example, in most cultures, Mangalwadi explains, a hero was someone who had power, like a conquering king. The Bible teaches the story of the greatest hero, Jesus, who gave His life to rescue the weak. Under the influence of the Bible, the idea of a hero changed. In the Middle Ages heroes were knights who used their power to defend the powerless. Later that changed to the idea of someone who sacrifices himself for the good of others.

Likewise, the Bible teaches that the people need a “good shepherd,” someone who cares for the sheep and has their welfare in mind. From this we get the idea that leaders and those in government are public servants, and not in power for their own gain.

The Bible also affirms the dignity and worth of all humans. Early Bible translators saw the need for people to be able to read the Bible for themselves. This goal drove the translations of the Bible from Hebrew, Greek and Latin into German and English, as well as the movements for teaching the general population to read.

The work of Bible translators shaped modern English and German, as well as modern Hindi and Urdu, to name a few. Missionaries in India were behind the push to educate the country’s population. Why didn’t the Hindu or Buddhist leaders establish centers of learning? Because their religions taught them to empty their minds, to seek enlightenment through lying on nails or meditation. To them, the material world was merely an illusion. In contrast, the Bible teaches that the universe is orderly and knowledge of this world is valuable.

Whether discussing music or science, literature or morality, medical care or wealth, Mangalwadi makes the case that the Bible and its influence on western thought are what made western civilization great, and the best hope for stability and prosperity. Throughout the 400+ pages of the book he repeatedly makes the point that those who live in other cultures are equally as intelligent and creative as those in the west; eastern cultures simply did not foster or even permit the development seen in the west.

The Book that Made Your World is a fascinating look at western culture through the eyes of an easterner. It gave me a greater appreciation not only of what make western culture unique, but also of the source and inspiration for the qualities that made it so. Anyone interested in understanding western culture and why it developed as it did or any lover of history will be sure to enjoy this book.

As Mangalwadi points out, it is troubling to realize how dramatically our culture is turning from and even denying its foundation: the Bible. If we reject the Bible, will the western world remain strong, prosperous and free?

In an era when Bibles are banned or burned, when academics and educators dismiss the Bible’s teachings as myths or outdated standards, when Christians are facing greater persecution worldwide than ever before, we would be wise to ask another question: what do we need to do to retain the values that made us great?