ethan jewett

Your Anglican Church Body Affiliation (CofE, TEC, AMiA...) - Leave blank if not applicable

Episcopal Church USA

Your Diocese

Chicago

Your City

Elk Grove Village

Your Parish

St. Nicholas

Your parish website

http://www.onebreadonebody.org

Your blog (if you have one)

http://www.cross-train.net

Your Anglican 'Species'

Seminarian, Postulant

Your 'Day Job'

Senior Health Policy Analyst, American Academy of Pediatrics. I provide leadership for public policy, research, and child advocacy on physician workforce and medical education issues.

What you do for fun and re-creation?

Lift weights at the gym; read British history, French literature, queer theory, and theology/churchy stuff (I've got kind of a nerdy, academic background - as if that weren't obvious - like duh); lattes a-plenty, daily prayer and meditation (the Anglican rosary is my favorite); Web design and development; go out dancing with my friends; cruises to warm, tropical destinations with wafting summer breezes ; spend quality time with my partner, Mike; a mega-dose of vitamin church; eat junk food and watch STAR TREK, Sci-Fi Channel, Discovery Channel (can't you almost see the pocket protector?); and pretty much anything creative.

What do you see as some of the biggest challenges facing Anglicans today?

There has been so much emphasis lately on our internecine conflicts over sexuality and the authority of Scripture that it has been very easy to lose sight of more pressing concerns, such as hunger and homelessness, environmental devastation, low literacy, and disparities in the biopsychosocial health and well-being of minority groups. I also believe that Anglicanism is in very serious danger of being irrelevant in a postmodern and post-Christian world. We need to be willing to sacrifice old ways of being Church (and clergy and churchy folk) in order to envision and build new types of communities and relationships that are grounded in authentic, self-empowered spiritual journeys; a quest for peace, justice, and reconciliation in the world; and an honest, respectful engagement with the culture in which people live.

What do you see as some of the biggest opportunities for Anglicans today?

This is actually an exciting time to be Anglican. We are in the midst of significant, life-giving change that augurs great potential. For many, this change may be uncomfortable and painful, requiring an abandonment of our comfort zones. However, it also represents a great opportunity for us to develop in new and exciting ways, and to draw upon the best of what we are as Anglicans to postmodern existence. We have a rich heritage to apply to the difficult questions of a materialistic, relativistic and performance-driven culture. To name just a few: the via media; the application of faith, tradition, reason, and inner affective experience to spiritual issues; a deep sacramental identity enhanced by an openness to the revelation of new truths through the Holy Spirit; a diversity of worship aesthetics and sensibilities, including low church, charismatic, evangelical, Anglo-Catholic, experimental, and broad church varieties; and a democratic and inclusive ecclesiastical polity. The list goes on and on. We have much of value to bring to our engagement with the world. What we need is to learn how to effectively proclaim this good news to those aching for a way of life and a community of faith that can help them grow on their spiritual journeys. Here's a short video of my spiritual autobiography, chronicling my journey as a young Jew wanting to become a rabbi to the emerging Episcopalian pursuing ordination to the priesthood that I am today.

What do you want Anglimergent to be? and what other Anglimergent resources, gatherings, activities or events would you find helpful for your ministry?

I'd like us to collaborate in revisioning what church should look like and share insights into the postmodern quest for meaning and manifestations of spiritual authenticity. I'll post some examples below that resonate with my own spiritual journey.

I'm also beginning a "house church" sort of community called cross-train. Here's our website and our meetup page.