Benjamin Argak Kwashi (born Plateau State, 1955) is a Nigerian Anglican archbishop. He is married to Gloria and they have six children, one of them is also a priest. They have 54 orphans living with them in Jos, Northern

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Biography

He was born in Amper village in Plateau State, in a Christian family. His father was a respected teacher. Kwashi at first wanted to follow a military career but he felt a religious calling in 1976, and decided to follow a religious life. He was ordained an Anglican priest in 1982. He went to serve in several rural and urban parishes. He also would be Rector of a Theological College. In 1987, his church and vicariate were totally burned during Muslim riots. He was consecrated as the first bishop of the newly created Anglican Diocese of Jos in 1992. In 2003, the Federal Republic of Nigeria conferred on him the national honor as an Officer of the

Order of the Niger Nigeria became an independent country on 1 October 1960 and in 1963 became the Federal Republic of Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Repu ...

(OON), the second-highest civilian honor bestowed in Nigeria. In 2008, he was enthroned as Archbishop of Jos Province in the

Church of Nigeria The Church of Nigeria is the Anglican church in Nigeria. It is the second-largest province in the Anglican Communion, as measured by baptised membership (not by attendance), after the Church of England. it gives its membership as "over 18 mi ...

; he was re-elected for a second term on 19 January 2013. He has been a leading name in the

Anglican realignment The Anglican realignment is a movement among some Anglicans to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the Anglican Communion. This movement is primarily active in parts of the Episcopal Church in the United States ...

, attending GAFCON II, held in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

, in 21–26 October 2013. In November 2014, after a bombing in

Potiskum Potiskum is the largest city in Yobe State and originally the town has about three major tribes which include a Ngizim, bolawa and kara-kare. It is one of the Local Government Area in Yobe State Nigeria, it is on the A3 highway at . History The ...

killed forty Muslim schoolchildren, Kwashi released a statement strongly criticizing the idea that Boko Haram violence was the result of poverty. Kwashi said it was important that the issues of poverty, corruption, and extremist violence should not be conflated and confused. At the conclusion of

GAFCON The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (branded as GAFCON or Gafcon) is a global network of conservative Anglicanism, Anglican churches that formed in 2008 in response to an ongoing theological crisis in the worldwide Anglican Communion. ...

3 on 22 June 2018 in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, it was announced that in early 2019 Archbishop Kwashi will succeed Archbishop Peter Jensen, former archbishop of Sydney, as GAFCON's general secretary. Kwashi earned his

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (abbreviated DMin or D.Min.) is a professional doctorate, often including a research component, that may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in some form of ministry. It is categorized as an advance ...

degree from

Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry Trinity School for Ministry (TSM), formerly known as Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, is an Anglican seminary in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. It is generally associated with low church, evangelical Anglicanism. History In the mid 1970s, several ...

in 2002. He was awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree '' honoris causa'' from

Nashotah House Theological Seminary Nashotah House is an Anglicanism, Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically Conservatism, ...

in 2004. He published ''Evangelism and Mission'' (2018) and ''Neither Bomb nor Bullet'' (2019), co-written with Andrew Boyd.

Styles

* ''

The Reverend The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctly ...

'' Benjamin Kwashi (1982–1992) * ''

The Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated The Rt Revd, The Rt Rev'd, The Rt Rev.) is a style applied to certain religious figures. Overview *In the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church in Great Britain, it applies to bishops, except that '' The ...

'' Benjamin Kwashi (1992–2002) * ''The Right Reverend''

Doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

Benjamin Kwashi (2002–2003) * ''The Right Reverend'' Doctor Benjamin Kwashi (2003–2008) * ''

The Most Reverend The Most Reverend is a style applied to certain religious figures, primarily within the historic denominations of Christianity, but occasionally in some more modern traditions also. It is a variant of the more common style "The Reverend". Angli ...

'' Doctor Benjamin Kwashi (2008–present)

References

External links

Biography of Ben Kwashi at the Diocese of Down and Dromore Website
1955 births Living people People from Plateau State 20th-century Anglican bishops in Nigeria 21st-century Anglican archbishops Trinity School for Ministry alumni Anglican archbishops of Jos Anglican bishops of Jos Anglican realignment people {{anglican-bishop-stub 20th-century Anglican theologians 21st-century Anglican theologians