![Gay priest Ethan Alexander Jewett](https://queerty-prodweb.s3.amazonaws.com/2024/03/jackedpriest-supplied-main.jpg)
A tattooed, gym-loving, out-gay pastor has gone viral with his Instagram postings.
Father Ethan Alexander Jewett (@jackedpriest) is an episcopal priest based in Pennsylvania. The episcopal church is well-known for being one of the more progressive and accepting Christian denominations. It was the first major denomination to promote an openly gay priest to the level of bishop: Gene Robinson in 2003.
However, even by the standards of the episcopal church, Father Ethan pushes the envelope. It’s something he’s aware of. Ultimately, he wants to live an “authentic life”, even if it ends up causing waves.
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The recent video below has received over 2million views on Instagram.
He says the church takes up around a quarter of his working week (“mainly Sundays and some meetings during the week”). For the rest of the time, he works as the CEO of a non-profit.
Background
Jewett, 52, grew up in Tampa, Florida. He finished High School and attended college in Michigan, before going to grad school in Chicago.
“I grew up Jewish, actually,” he says via a video call. “My stepfather was Jewish. I wanted to be a rabbi growing up but I wandered away from Judaism in my mid-teens. I wandered away from religion for about 15 years and came back in my early 30s.”
Jewett says says he was drawn to the episcopal church because of its progressive stance.
“I ended up finding a small suburban episcopal church [in Chicago] five minutes from where I work. This would have been in 2004. And then I just hit the ground running. It was a very nurturing place and the priest encouraged me to look at ordination.
And what about bodybuilding?
“Growing up, I was really bullied for being gay,” Jewett recalls. “I was small, skinny, effeminate. Bullied at home and at school.”
He discovered bodybuilding at college.
“I walked into the college weight room and was like, here’s a sport where I don’t have to worry about being picked on for being bad at it, or not knowing the rules. I can be self-directed and set my own goals.
“It just became really addictive. I really enjoyed it. It was very affirming. Something that I did for myself. I didn’t have to rely on other people’s judgments or standards. And so, I just started doing that when I was 18 and now I’m 52. It’s been my constant companion.”
![Father Ethan Alexander Jewett](https://queerty-prodweb.s3.amazonaws.com/2024/03/ethan-alexander-jewett-supplied-2.jpg)
Ministering via Instagram
Jewett went to Chicago Theological Seminary, which is known to be progressive (“It has a lot of queer seminarians” says Jewett). He graduated and was ordained in 2012.
He says that he tried holding back on his social media (he asked Queerty not to publish the name of his particular parish to minimize the chances of inviting a backlash). At the same time, Jewett believes it’s important the wider church promotes its message of love and acceptance.
“Don’t say you want queer people in the church and then be scandalized when queer people come to the church. When you have leather daddies and people in polyamorous relationships. You can’t just have human-rights-campaign gays. They’re lovely people, but the gay community is, by definition, sexualized. There are kink communities and other subcultures.
“If you’re going to invite them you better be prepared to accept all of them on their own terms, and not demand they conform to heteronormative standards.”
Sliding into his DMs
Predictably, Jewett sometimes receives negative comments online. How does he deal with those?
“Mostly I just block people,” Jewett shrugs. He also deletes the comments. “Because I’m not going to give you any of my real estate to spew hate. Not on my account. I’m the boss. Daddy gets to decide. And one of the reasons I delete their comments is I don’t want other queer people to see that negativity. It’s not good for them to see that.”
![Father Ethan Alexander Jewett](https://queerty-prodweb.s3.amazonaws.com/2024/03/ethan-alexander-jewett-supplied-3.jpg)
Then there’s the other type of attention he receives: guys sliding into his DMs.
“I’m just very clear about my boundaries,” he says when asked about this. “Like, just because I’m shirtless on Instagram, it doesn’t mean I’m looking for a hook-up. This is Instagram, not Grindr.
“But I always tell them I’m not offended. I know gay men: I am a gay man. I know this comes with the territory. And that’s OK. I just tell them what my boundaries are and people are generally respectful about that.”
“The other thing I get a lot is people who want to date me, not because they know me, but because I think they’re really lonely.
“They’re in a country where they just have no opportunity to date, to romance, to have sex. They’re really just reaching out to anyone to have a connection with. I feel a lot of empathy for them. I can’t imagine being in a place where you are so isolated that you are so devoid of any affection or affirmation. That’s got to be awful.”
Many such men only receive condemnation from their religion over their sexuality. Father Jewett is likely the first church figure to offer them an affirming message.
Boyfriend
In his own life, Jewett is happily partnered. He’s been with his boyfriend for 3.5 years. The episcopal church does not demand celibacy of its priests and conducts same-sex marriages.
“We met in church, actually,” he says of his partner. “He was the Vestry. So he was a lay leader of his congregation, and the bishop sent me and some other clergy to help that leadership team figure out how they wanted to renovate their ministry in the neighborhood, which was the gayborhood in Chicago, Boystown.
“So I went there. I was not single at the time,” Jewett recalls. “But I remember thinking he was so my type. Then he reached out a couple of years after on my Instagram and said, ‘Hey, don’t know if you remembered me but … would you like to hang out sometime?’
Jewett did not remember him. However, he was on the lookout for new friends and said it would be great to meet.
“And he was so mad at me for not remembering him! He said, ‘We had whole conversations, how do you not remember me?’
“I was like, ‘Look, I compartmentalize … I think to myself “I’m not available, he is not for you, just block him out of your awareness”.’ But he will not forgive me for that to this day,” Jewett recalls, laughing. “And I don’t blame him.”
Follow Father Ethan at @jackedpriest.
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jackmister
Leviticus 19:28
Chrisk
I think that was thrown out in the new babble. Then again way too many Christains will still beat you over the head with the old babble crap that they cherry picked out so who knows.
abfab
Remember that creepy priest on The Sopranos…………..THAT’S HIM!
dbmcvey
Ezekiel 23:20.
still_onthemark
Proverbs 26:11
lol
ZzBomb
Itsallstupid 24:7
Diplomat
The fake god of the Bible was a spindly old gray haired male jew named Moses who wrote homophobic slurs to abate his own homophobia, along with writing the rest of the OT. Most rational people have now outgrown such drivel.
Chrisk
Good for him but so glad I never bought into that crap. Even as a kid I knew it was complete and utter BS.
ZzBomb
You do you just keep your religion where it belongs, in your own church and out of the public square, forum, and body politic.
Baron Wiseman
@ZzBomb
The United States Founders never intended religion to be “out of the public square, forum and body politic.”
You spout your indoctrinated religion here several times a day.
abfab
George Santos is back with more lies.
ZzBomb
Baron
First Amendment: Separation of Church and State.
Learn to read and comprehend what you read.
Baron Wiseman
@ZzBomb
You Democrats are hilarious!
“Separation of Church and State” appears no where in America’s founding documents!
“Learn to read and comprehend what you read.” Indeed, ZzBomb.
ZzBomb
Baron:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Known as the establishment clause
You’re f*cking r3tarded
abfab
George Santos returns with more of his lies.
ZzBomb
Abfab, Baron is George Santos but even dumber. Santos at least read the constitution once.
Baron Wiseman
@ZzBomb
Like I said, “Separation of Church and State” does not appear in the the United States founding documents.
The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices. What I quoted and your response are TWO DIFFERENT issues.
“You’re f*cking r3tarded”
abfab
I love it when Miss Baronness gets all twisted up, trying in vain to prove a point, to convince the masses even when he knows how convoluted his arguements are.
Hang it up Baron. You have recruiting and grooming to catch up on. You’re gross.
Chrisk
Baron Wiseman
I get it that you get off on being the contrarian but do some research before you shoot off your mouth. You correctly get called out on your BS and you just do your normal doubling down.
“make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’…. thus building a wall of separation between church and state.
ShaverC
” I was not single at the time,” Jewett recalls. “But I remember thinking he was so my type. Then he reached out a couple of years after on my Instagram and said, ‘Hey, don’t know if you remembered me but … would you like to hang out sometime? Jewett did not remember him.”
This is contradictory. Did he remember thinking “he was so my type” or did he not remember him?
abfab
You were not his type @Shaver C, but he seems perfect for you! Reach out.
dbmcvey
You should start a petition to force him to answer. I can’t sleep until I know.
flip-the-bird-Boston
Gay people have existed in every chapter of human history because homosexuality is a complex genetic trait. Our perspectives and values can be seen in every age, if you know how to look for him. I personally believe the iron age Israelites practiced samsex unions of some kind.
The only way that King Solomon could have been the personal union of the disparate principalities of Judah and Israel, would be if he inherited Judah from Jonathan and Israel from David. Otherwise, when did any heterosexual man disinherit his firstborn son in lieu of his “best friend’s” heir? I cannot think of an example.
Then there’s this juicy verse from I Samuel 18,
“Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.”
Leviticus says more about the consequences of being a bad host and the requirements for a quorum than anything else.
Mister P
We need to keep out of the public square. Even better to keep it out of the minds of children who should not be exposed to such nonsense.
abfab
Bless me father for I have sinned would you like your blowjob now.
Baron Wiseman
@Mister P
A religion in which men are women and that cis women are chest feeders with a bonus hole is to be celebrated publicly and indoctrinated by children as young as possible.
ZzBomb
The bible is a book of filth, perversion, depravity, and endless contradictions. It should be banned from public libraries and certainly kept away from children.
dbmcvey
Baron is obsessed with chest feeding. It’s kind of sick.
dbmcvey
Hey Barren, Ezekiel 23:20.
abfab
George Santos is upset because his milk dried up and his nipples popped off.
dbmcvey
How will they do that decraps?
mastik8
Nice tits.
monty clift
Nice guns, too.
Man About Town
Great, a Jewish priest with tats. I’m guessing he’s a Gemini.
mildredspierce
Gemini’s all want their 15 minutes. Muscles aside he’s still puny looking.
abfab
Josh Hawley’s spiritual counselor and wrestling ”coach”.
Kangol2
His name is Jewett, which is an English last name. He’s Episcopalian, as the article clearly states more than once, not Jewish.
Quote: “Father Ethan Alexander Jewett (@jackedpriest) is an episcopal priest based in Pennsylvania.”
Can you not read at all or was that just willful ignorance on display?
FreddieW
Does he have any skills or is pushing religion on gay people an alternative to unemployment?
monty clift
Checked out his IG, he supports TQ ideology as well. Shame.
Paul2
Good God
Fahd
To quote the church lady, “Isn’t that special!”
circuitbear
@abfab You are awesome and made me smile with your “milk dried up and nipples popped off” comment 🙂 Go Saffy!!