about ethan
Ethan Jewett regards himself as a personal trainer for the spirit, helping people to deepen their inner lives through life practices that nourish the soul, mind, and body. Achieving spiritual maturity requires heavy lifting and discipline, just as being in peak physical condition
requires intense physical training. Ethan views Christianity as a pathway for creating spiritual athletes,
who can ask difficult and meaningful questions about existence and live in right, mutual relationship with
others. Central to Ethan's approach to spirituality is an understanding of Christianity as a way of living
that empowers individuals to pursue personal discovery, growth, and healing.
Raised in the Conservative branch of Judaism, Ethan is now preparing for ordination as a priest in the Episcopal Church. He is a student at Chicago Theological Seminary and a leader of St. Nicholas Episcopal
Church in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, where his ministries include preaching, education,
LGBTQ spirituality, and Web-based outreach. He is also active in the Episcopal Diocese
of Chicago, serving on its Congregational Development Commission and offering workshops
on topics ranging from electronic evangelism to emergent Christianity. Prior to seminary, Ethan spent 10 years conducting public policy, health services research, and child advocacy for the American Academy of Pediatrics on a diverse portfolio of issues, including culturally effective health care, graduate medical education, and workforce supply.
The key to this empowerment
is spiritual literacy grounded in the ancient practices of the Christian tradition, as well as
the creative exploration of contemporary forms of spirituality and everyday sacredness. Spiritual
maturity enables us to move beyond either/or thinking to embrace both/and
possibilities where opposites can be held fruitfully in tension.
Ethan's interests include lifting weights, Star Trek, French literature, and Ignatian meditation. He lives with
his longtime partner near Wrigley Field in the East Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.