Henry Wilson of Calcutta (1788–1856)

Henry Wilson served as Anglican Bishop of Calcutta during a period when British India’s social order was deeply shaped by caste distinctions. From his episcopal seat in Calcutta—then a major center for government, commerce, and missionary activity—Wilson oversaw churches that included Indians and Europeans, converts and long-standing believers, all learning what it meant to be one body in Christ amid entrenched social barriers.

The July 5, 1833 Declaration

On July 5, 1833, Wilson confronted caste as a “stronghold” within Christian practice by declaring that caste must be abolished within the church. His concern was not merely social reform but gospel integrity. If caste determined fellowship, then the church would be reshaped by old loyalties rather than by the cross. Wilson insisted that baptism created a new identity that could not be subordinated to inherited rank, and he pressed for pastoral courage to correct customs that contradicted Christian unity.

The Lord’s Supper and Christian Fellowship

Wilson’s stand particularly guarded the Lord’s Supper from becoming an instrument of exclusion. He urged that the table of Christ must not mirror society’s divisions but proclaim the Savior who welcomes sinners and makes them family. In keeping with the apostolic call, “There is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). He pressed pastors to treat all baptized believers as true brothers and sisters, not as clients arranged by status.

Faithfulness Under Pressure

Wilson’s action required steadfastness, since challenging caste could offend influential communities and complicate missionary relationships. Yet he pursued reform as an act of shepherding: protecting the weak, correcting partiality, and honoring the equal worth of Christ’s people. His appeal echoed Scripture’s demand that faith be sincere and impartial: “My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism” (James 2:1).

New Creation Witness

Wilson framed this call as evidence of conversion—believers must “put off” the old and “put on” the new life in Christ. The church’s credibility, he believed, depends on living as the new creation: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).