Christopher R. Mwashinga, Jr (born 9 January 1965) is a Tanzanian author and poet from

Mbeya Mbeya is a city located in south west Tanzania, Africa. Mbeya's urban population is 620,000 according to the 2022 census. Mbeya is the capital of the surrounding rural Mbeya region (population, with Mbeya, totals approx. 2 million). Mbeya is sit ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

who lives in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. He has published books of

Christian poetry Christian poetry is any poetry that contains Christian teachings, themes, or references. The influence of Christianity on poetry has been great in any area that Christianity has taken hold. Christian poems often directly reference the Bible, while ...

, theology, mission, and religious history. His poetry has been published in reputable anthologies in the United States, and other countries including

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

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

, and

. He writes in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and

Kiswahili Swahili, also known by its local name , is the native language of the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique (along the East African coast and adjacent litoral islands). It is a Bantu language, though Swahili ...

Early life

Christopher Richard Mwashinga was born to Richard Male Mwashinga and Christine Mwashinga in the Igawilo ward of Mbeya, Tanzania. He spent his first 20 years in West Kilimanjaro about from his home village in the southern highlands of Tanzania. He is the third of the eleven children born to his parents.

Education

For his primary school, Mwashinga attended Ngare-Nairobi Primary School in West Kilimanjaro before he moved south to attend Igawilo Secondary School in Mbeya (O-Levels), and Songea Boys High School in

Songea Songea is the capital of Ruvuma Region in southwestern Tanzania. It is located along the A19 road. The city has a population of approximately 203,309, and it is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Songea. Between 1905 and 1907, the c ...

(A-Levels)–all in Tanzania. He was trained in theology at the Tanzania Adventist College (now the University of Arusha) in Tanzania and the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton in

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

where he earned a B.A in theology degree. He then moved for graduate studies to the

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary The Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary (SDATS) is the seminary located at Andrews University in Michigan, the Seventh-day Adventist Church's flagship university. Since 1970 the SDATS has been accredited by the Association of Theological Sch ...

on the campus of

Andrews University Andrews University is a private Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists and is the flagship universi ...

, located at Berrien Springs,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

, US. At the seminary, Mwashinga earned two master's degrees: a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and di ...

and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in Religion (

Systematic Theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topic ...

). He is currently completing a Ph.D in

in the same institution.

Personal life

Mwashinga is married to Ruth Michael Mwashinga and together they have three children: Christopher Richard Mwashinga II, Anna Nakijwa Mwashinga, and Richard Aaron Mwashinga. Mwashinga enjoys traveling to new cultures as he preaches and writes his Christian poetry and non-fiction.

Youth and student ministry

For many years, Mwashinga, an ordained minister of the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

, served the youth and public university students in East Africa. Before going to the US for further studies he worked as a chaplain in charge of Public Campus Ministries in the South-West Tanzania Field (now Southern Highlands Conference) headquartered in Mbeya. He also served as director of several church departments in the Eastern Tanzania Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, including: Public Campus Ministries, Youth, Education, Children's Ministries, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, and as coordinator of the Satellite Evangelism Program for the same conference. During his tenure, Mwashinga started a program he called Campus Evangelistic Campaigns (CEC) which was responsible for organizing and running evangelistic campaigns in major public universities in Tanzania. Between 2000-2004 he personally conducted big evangelistic campaigns in Sokoine University of Agriculture, University of Dar es Salaam, and Mzumbe University, utilizing major university auditoriums such as Nkrumah Hall (

University of Dar es Salaam The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) is a public university in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. The university became an affiliate of the University of East Africa (UEA) in ...

), New Assembly Hall ( Mzumbe University) and Multi-purpose Hall ( Sokoine University of Agriculture), among others. He also spoke to university communities in a number of Kenyan universities including the

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a collegiate research university based in Nairobi. It is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dates back to 1956, it did not become an independent univer ...

Moi University Moi University is a public university located in Kesses, Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu county, in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. It was established in 1984 by the Moi University Act of the Parliament of Kenya, after recommendations fro ...

, and the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton. His was a familiar voice in many of these centers of learning. He also spoke internationally as he visited universities around the world. For the past twenty years, Mwashinga has travelled widely representing the

in international conferences or preaching assignments. Between 2000 and 2017 alone, he crossed the Atlantic 15 times. His ministry and study tours took him to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

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

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, and

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

among others. During those international trips, he presented on a variety of subjects and wrote hundreds of letters and emails. He also wrote hundreds of poems both English and Kiswahili, and always kept a diary.

Non-fiction and Christian poetry

Mwashinga began to write and recite poetry at a fairly young age. He was about 13 when his first piece was published in ''Kilimanjaro Leo'' a weekly Kiswahili Newspaper in his native country of Tanzania. Since then he has published three collections of English poems: ''Beeches of Golden Sand: Inspirational Poems'' (2009) ''Windows of Love'' (2012), and ''Ocean of Grace'' (2016). He has also published three collections of Kiswahili poetry entitled ''Sauti Toka Ughaibuni'' (Voice From the Diaspora), ,'' Kilele Cha Tumaini'' (Summit of Hope), and ''Tumaini Lenye Baraka: Diwani ya Christopher Mwashinga'' (The Blessed Hope). Furthermore, he has published more than fifteen other books both scholarly and popular, mostly in the area of theology, mission and history of Christianity. The most notableworks in the area of non-fiction are perhaps his books on ''Mission Theology and a History of Christian Missions in East Africa'', ''Uadventista Barani Afrika: Changamoto na Fursa za Ukuaji'' (Adventism in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities for Growth), and ''The Works of Christopher Mwashinga'' in multiple volumes.

Membership in professional organizations

* Adventist Theological Society *

American Academy of Religion The American Academy of Religion (AAR) is the world's largest association of scholars in the field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association, serving as a professional and learned society for scholars involv ...

Mwashinga, ''The Works of Christopher Mwashinga, Vol. II, 610'' * Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters * American Academy of Poets *

Evangelical Theological Society The Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) is a professional society of Biblical scholars, educators, pastors, and students "devoted to the inerrancy and inspiration of the Scriptures and the gospel of Jesus Christ" and "dedicated to the oral exch ...

Publications

Non-fiction * 2011: ''Rays of Hope: Living to Make a Difference'' * 2012: ''Enduring the Cross: Messages of Salvation and Hope'' * 2013: ''Utume na Ukristo Katika Afrika Mashariki'' * 2013: ''Mission Theology and a History of Christian Missions in East Africa'' * 2013: ''Barua na Mashairi'' * 2014: ''Insights From Bible Lands: Turkey, Israel, Egypt, and Greece'' * 2014: ''Waadventista wa Sabato na Utunzaji wa Sabato: Historia Fupi'' * 2016: ''Moments of my Christian Experience'' * 2017: ''Uadventista Barani Afrika: Changamoto na Fursa za Ukuaji'' * 2018: ''Kumtumaini Yesu'' * 2019: ''Crisscrossing the United States.'' * 2020: ''Waraka wa Paulo kwa Waefeso.'' * 2020: ''A History of Christianity in East Africa: The Beginning and Development of Missions'' * 2022: ''Christ on Campus: Meeting Jesus on University Campus'' Poetry * 2009: ''Beaches of Golden Sand: Inspirational Poems'' * 2012: ''Windows of Love'' * 2014: ''Sauti Toka Ughaibuni'' * 2016: ''Kilele cha Tumaini'' * 2016: ''Ocean of Grace'' * 2017: ''Tumaini Lenye Baraka: Diwani ya Christopher Mwashinga'' * 2018: ''Sauti ya Faraja na Matumaini'' * 2019: ''Mdomo Mmoja, Masikio Mawili: Mashairi ya Watoto'' * 2019: ''Short Poems of Christopher Mwashinga'' * 2020: ''Mionzi ya Matumaini'' * 2021: ''Njia ya Matumaini'' * 2022: ''Mwenge wa Matumaini'' * 2021: ''Collected Poems of Christopher Mwashinga: 1991-2021'' The Works of Christopher Mwashinga project 1 (English) * 2014: ''The Works of Christopher Mwashinga Vol. I, Letters'' * 2014: ''The Works of Christopher Mwashinga Vol. II, Sermons, Addresses, and Poems'' * 2020: ''The Works of Christopher Mwashinga Vol. III, Theology and Mission'' * 2017: ''The Works of Christopher Mwashinga Vol. IV, Journals and Diaries (1)'', The Works of Christopher Mwashinga project 2 (Swahili) * 2019: ''Kazi za Christopher Mwashinga, Juzuu ya I: Maandiko ya Awali'' * 2020: ''Kazi za Christopher Mwashinga, Juzuu II: Mashairi'' * 2020: ''Kazi za Christopher Mwashinga, Juzuu III: Utume, Theolojia, Mahubiri, Barua'' Journal Articles * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mwashinga, Christopher 1965 births Living people Tanzanian writers People from Mbeya Region Tanzanian non-fiction writers Tanzanian poets Swahili-language writers Andrews University alumni Tanzanian Seventh-day Adventists Seventh-day Adventist ministers

Early life

Education

Personal life

Youth and student ministry

Non-fiction and Christian poetry

Membership in professional organizations

Publications

See also

References