When Ken first knew Rick Axtell, he was a high school student. Ken, a seminarian in his early 20s, was his Youth Pastor at a church in the northern suburbs of Chicago. Rick was a leader in the youth group. When Rick moved to Mississippi and Ken graduated, they bid farewell - turns out, for fifty years. Just in the past few months, they have become re-acquainted, chatting on video calls with two other members of the long-ago youth group. Rick has had an extraordinary career as a college professor and chaplain, serving on the same Kentucky campus (the highly regarded Centre College) for three decades. Ken and Rick share their journey and their profound awakenings. Rick shares his experience in war-torn Bangladesh and how it set the course of his life. His coursework, his travels (with students), and his engagement with homelessness, poverty, and hunger have enormously impacted his life and career. His commitment to addressing the needs of the marginalized and the neglected, including LGBTQ+, has earned him the respect and admiration of his students, fellow faculty, and colleagues. On retirement, the college established an Endowment in Rick’s name. It reflects his passion and his remarkable contribution to the college community - advancing “religion, peace, and social justice.”

SHOW NOTES (learn more about Dr. Axtell)

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