Berthold von Schenk - a Cross without Sacrifice is no cross at all

Berthold von Schenk

“We have preached a Cross without a dare, a Cross without a sacrifice, an empty Cross, for it is the least disturbing. And what happened because of this sickly sentimental verbiage which has gone under the name of Lenten preaching? This is what has happened: to satisfy the masses, to satisfy those whose highest expression of Christian service is to run a card party, we have lost men and women who were groping for faith. Something more has happened. We have lost our young men and our young women, because we have taken the dare out of religion, the romance, the adventure, the attack, the sacrifice. We have taken the one thing which makes for Christian manhood: Sacrifice and struggle, and have substituted rites and popular preaching which, at best, can satisfy only the typical church worker of middle age. Our young people will not have that kind of religion at any price, because they know it is not true. It is less than life, for life is intense, thrilling, challenging, dangerous, if it is real life. It is a quest, an adventure. If it is not that, it is dead, and young people are not interested in funerals. Why is it that certain ideologies gripped the young people of Europe? The answer is that the leaders made patriotism a sacrifice, a thrilling adventure. Youth loves life, and if the church fails to give them the thrills of life, they will seek them elsewhere. And youth is right, because the true Christian life demands sacrifice and surrender of self. It was that on Calvary. It is that today, for they that are Christ’s are crucified with Him. We must realize that religion is not primarily a refuge, but a sacrifice. That is the heart of the Christian Religion. It was the heart of our Lord’s life. It must be ours. Then the divine Love floods our souls and captivates our lives.” The Presence pp. 75, 76.