Two Wings of the Same Bird: The Wisdom of Conservatism, Liberalism, and the Danger of Retributive PoliticsBy +Brian Ernest Brown There is an old metaphor that says a nation needs two wings to fly. Not one. Not one pretending to be two. But two wings, strong, balanced, countering and complementing…
Christianity
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The Common Good and the Politics of Neighborliness
The Common Good and the Politics of Neighborliness “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Mark 12:31By +Brian Ernest Brown There are certain teachings of Jesus that are so familiar, so oft-quoted, that we forget how radical they really are. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” is one…
Writing
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Writing for the Love of Writing
A Writer from the Beginning I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember. My love affair with words began in elementary school, when most kids were dreaming about recess or lunch and I was dreaming about stories. I can still picture myself, small, quiet, and eager, leaning…
Christianity
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When Power Excuses Evil: A Reflection on Conscience, Complicity, and the Idol of Politics
When Power Excuses Evil: A Reflection on Conscience, Complicity, and the Idol of Politics By +Brian Ernest Brown There are moments in history when a society’s moral fractures become too deep to hide. Moments when the truth breaks through the noise and asks whether we are still capable of seeing…
Podcast
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When Grace Grows Old
When Grace Grows Old By +Brian Ernest Brown I am part of Generation X. I grew up in the 1970s and 80s, when rotary phones hung on kitchen walls, Saturday mornings smelled like cereal and cartoons, and moral certainty seemed far simpler. We were the latchkey kids, half-wild, half-wise, learning…
Announcements
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The Via Media: A Way of Integrity in Public Life
The Via Media: A Way of Integrity in Public Life By +Brian Ernest Brown, CWC In an age of outrage and algorithms, it can feel as though every conversation demands that we choose a side before we’re even allowed to speak. We are pressed to declare allegiance not to truth…
Podcast
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About the Via Media
About the Via Media Reflections on Faith, Conscience, and the Common Good In an age of noise and division, Via Media seeks a different path, the sacred middle way. Hosted and written by me, Brian Ernest Brown, bishop, teacher, and pilgrim of conscience, Via Media explores the moral and spiritual…
Poetry
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Vespers at Dusk
Vespers at DuskBy Abbot Bishop Brian Ernest Brown, CWC The day releases its labor,kneeling in rose and ashen graceinto the waiting dark. Branches lift their thin handssilent cantors lifting prayersupon the dimming sky. The wind whispers the ancient office,and every leaf, though fallen,keeps the chant of praise. Here, all striving…
Christianity
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When We Fail the Least of These
When We Fail the Least of These By Abbot Bishop Brian Ernest Brown, CWC “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” -Matthew 25:45 Beloved in Christ, There comes a time when silence…
Christianity
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Following the Prince of Peace
Following the Prince of Peace By Abbot Bishop Brian Ernest Brown, CWC “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” — Matthew 5:9 Beloved in Christ, When we call Jesus the Prince of Peace, we invoke more than a comforting title; we proclaim a truth about…