Empower Radio : Empowering You for a Better Life!: Death and Science Fiction with Brother Ben Janzen

Death and Science Fiction with Brother Ben Janzen
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Brent Carey on 26/07/2021 12:30:00
 
Jane met Brother Ben Janzen through serving on the Beautiful Dying Expo advisory
board  After reading Ben’s bio, Jane new she had to find out how Star Trek had
a hand in bringing Ben from his native Germany to the United States. It’s a
show packed full of theology, philosophy with a focus on immortality and science
fiction, this week on The Next Room!
[Click here to Listen]
Ben Janzen grew up in Germany as the youngest of three. Upon finishing High
School, he joined the Franciscan Capuchin Order of the Roman Catholic Church
where he enjoyed his education as a Catholic Theologian within the Franciscan
tradition. When he received his doctorate in Theology, he became a lecturer at
the Franciscan College for Philosophy and Theology in Muenster, Germany.
His love for Star Trek and anything SciFi brought him to the USA. He studied
comparative literature at UC Riverside working on the role of Spirituality and
Religion in Star Trek and graduated with a Ph.D. in 2006. A year earlier, he had
met his now husband Sal and consequently left the Order. Ben has been working
with VITAS Healthcare, San Diego, as a Chaplain since 2010. Here, he trained and
worked as a resident and a team chaplain for five years. In 2015, he took the
position of Bereavement Services Manager. In 2018, Ben was certified as an
Advanced Practice Board Certified Chaplain (APBCC) with the Spiritual Care
Association, and as a Grief Recovery Method Specialist (GRMS) with the Grief
Recovery Institute. Ben is a member of the board of the San Diego County
Coalition for the Improvement of End of Life Care and the board and planning
committee for the Beautiful Dying Expo.
Ben and Sal have a dog, Sammy, and they enjoy traveling, cooking, baking and
anything having to do with food.